Dodge Dakota
The Dakota is a mid-size pickup truck from the Chrysler LLC's Dodge brand. It was introduced in 1987 alongside the redesigned Dodge Ram 50. The Dakota was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2000.
The Dakota has always been sized above the compact (Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-10) and below the full-sized (Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado) pickups and Dodge's own Ram. It is a conventional design with body-on-frame construction and leaf spring/live axle rear end. The Dakota is the only midsize pickup with an optional V8 engine,save for the Hummer H3T. One notable feature was the Dakota's rack and pinion steering, a first in work trucks.