Gears Hbingoos farardta eeng ou s ava Ued ustamert. Where the Quality Contrnuce GLLnNer Joh MQrDrS LIMthon 655 ~ ~ ~ ohýa MAIN STa.MLON8537 Dodge Dakota lookin like- a Ram' SALT LAME MYT, UTAéi - Ifs flot just on Dakotal rovlte big 2119 hp end 300 fL1.1e.-of toru. quiet on top of thé,warid..At abc on is construcion by bute grntmenthtchaut offl 1wefve lhcuad MW~ up. 1h. only ing the compact trucks an the) bu. of rsllewiM' sourxda were dlu c aritckut marn Micligan aesmbly *»u as Baing a confessait power and1 the distant rumble of dlar.ils bsggar bsclfw. freas. 1 golfs admit 1 &pent su haavy clouds ni1hkug against thé And though irs small.r thons much Pm au 1 couM in the -V8 face cf th. Wasatch Mauntains. the fuI-siz. Ram, the practcaiy version. When w. finisfhei h"é And the quick.ned boat of my mid-siz. Dakota is the largeit ing test trailes tat power lumeit heurt as 1 huf ed and puffet truck in the compact seqment, int who.I-pmnslr sp.ed on an through 1h. oxygsn-1hl air. b4ge thlia th. -mm-tii prod- improvise.parking lot au*oicroa 'Foftunat.ty. once 't finilutd ucts that ,Chrysier engin.ers wese dhm Daikota provqd il k l taking my photos, the only other som.what 'derisivety rater tomas handle pytens as wel et ph-ans. clinbkng 1 hait te do in thae. rar- IDy trucks.» Vehicte stabitity ha& improedu efi.d h.ights was le gel bac*s in 'But even white recognizing with a twe inch, W=cas in trucki the cab of my 4X4 ride up. a thal meut compact trucs are width. The lruck aise carrnes s brand spankin' n.w '97 Dodg. boughl atuictly for persana us. bsgger foolprit 1 Ye wlt le- Due"a *lh. k¶y So1h. D'isol is that irs a er wtseef ant tire aizes. We wer. in Utah listing REAL truck," according to Whelher wa werï windlng. Chryséers newsst favised preluct Bernart Roertsoni, VP of through Utah canyons. dasinq .in dhu compact picl«q, truck brno. JeepIicI operationa. pedalt-the-metal &cress high.- Vil a minute, you might Say. Dakotas came in a wide selec- way plraighla or dragiging' tt Compact? Are yosu sure ltaI ï8n' lion of modela wîlh regular fI clouds down the tint ro 1e a flit-sie Dadge Ram9 Thal Big extnded cab, 4X2 or 4X4 wîlh Wyemsng's big-sky catithewty Rig-slyle ne.s? That macho 18- 6.5-foot or 8-f oct cargo boxes and the Dakotas proved to b. ai wheeler image? ' power translation via lîve-9peed and spiriled perfermers on any Wall, thsnk of the Dtsuc as a manual or lolir-speed automaic Isint ef surface. A final eff-ro4ad three-qua Mer scale version o ai i t ransmisin. The ltree trit lev- excursion in lhç 4X4 model bigger brother and you wen'l be els - Base, Sport' andtIhe rountsd off th. Daketa's impres- thal fur off. Or as on. western upacaje SLT version can b. aug- siv. absilies, where an approxi- ontoaker called cal, *Lools lakik miented wilt a vaniety of aptions. mate twenty-percent power loas ah Mamn got shnn in th. waaeh. The Oodge Iineup ais inctudes tue 10 altitude did net prflvent us lThe r.semblatce matit att linal th. ideal range of powerptants (rem claing ccir way up te tttê surprasing, give the tact tsaI lte in ils class. The Magnumi summit cf a boulder-slrewn Daksota tari id th. samtè oep f engines, carnied axer frem laxI mauntainside. engineers litI mavet c 1h. yea ra Dakotas, atart wîlh the The eeng day cif lesting was revolulonry Ram irEds efort. enlry level 2.6-litre four-cylinder mete by a spacioul and camfcct- By carryig fomward lt.e slyling, for basic econa-cemmuling mov- able interiar wfith standard tual streng!hsa nd tassons learnet ing up le lte gulsier 3.9-titre V6. airbags ant at cantros logscally from lhat esrlîer project, lhey At lte top ent of th. pawo scale, placet anta»cepible. were able te capitatîze on th, the optsonal big 5.2-lilre VB has Any negalives? Wall, an Ramas popularity sud econnize been Ineaited titis yesr te, a lofly * tiue on paop 7