2008 Dodge Dakota SXT

Perhaps once a year, I hitch a trailer to my full-size pickup truck and haul stuff a few kilometres. Two or three times, I'll pick up a load of gardening supplies, or items that won't fit in our station wagon.

That's about it, and I'm not alone: a great many people have only moderate truck needs. This is the territory of trucks like the Dodge Dakota, a mid-size that slots in between full-size and compact, and offers the segment's only V8 engine, as was in my Extended Cab tester.

The Dakota gets a facelift for 2008, and its 4.7 L V8 is revised; it makes 302 horsepower and 329 lb.-ft. of torque, and will run on E85 ethanol-enhanced fuel if you can find it. The downside is that you better warm up your gas card, as it's thirsty.

The V8 is hooked exclusively to a five-speed automatic, while the base 3.7 L V6 comes with a choice of six-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

The V8 also gives the Extended Cab a towing capacity of 3,221 kg, which out-grunts any compact.

Overall, the Dakota is a very pleasant driver: the V8 is gutsy, with a satisfying rumble, the steering is accurate, and visibility is good.

While my 5-foot-9 Designated Passenger had no problem, I never did find the right driving position for my 5-foot-4 frame, even with the optional power seat – power-adjustable pedals would be a great help here, but they're not available.

Many women like smaller trucks, but be sure you're comfortable in it, as the exterior size doesn't always translate into a proportionately downsized interior. The Dakota is made to fit longer-legged drivers.

Another thing to check is the body configuration. The Extended Cab features two small rear-hinged doors, which can only be opened once the front doors are, while the Crew Cab has four conventional, independently-opening doors.

If you use your truck more as a big car than a work vehicle, as many people do, loading groceries into the cab behind the seat becomes a complicated ballet of squeezing between the triangle of truck doors and any car in the adjacent parking spot. While the 2009 Ram unveiled at the Detroit auto show shows Dodge is finally paying more attention to its interiors, Dakota has yet to benefit. The dash is a wide expanse of hard plastic; the vents are difficult to open and close, and panel fit was very poor in a few areas.

On the up side, most controls are big and simple to use; there's backlighting on everything but the mirror switch; and the centre cupholders can be removed for cleaning, or to open up a cubby for storage.

All trim lines come standard with air conditioning, rear-wheel anti-lock brakes, carpeting, cloth seats and fog lamps; my mid-range SXT tester also added power mirrors, locks and windows, alloy wheels and cruise control, and was optioned with heated seats, stain-resistant fabric, heavy-duty utilities including tow package, four-wheel ABS and bed rails with movable cleats for securing loads.

Other available options include MyGIG hard-drive music system with navigation, curtain airbags, and premium stereo with subwoofer box behind the front seats.

The front buckets are comfortable, and their cushions are long enough to provide leg support on longer trips. In the Extended Cab, the rear "seats" are folding flat cushions that you'll probably leave up, allowing access to cargo space on the floor. Consider them as emergency seating only; I can't imagine disliking anyone enough to make them ride back there.

Extended Cab models have a 6-foot-5 box (the Crew Cab's is 5-foot-5), but the tailgate can be set halfway, so that longer items like lumber can be safely carried. For even more box space, an available bed extender allows use of the fully open tailgate.

More convenient than a full-size, but with more power than a compact, this mid-size Dodge does a good job of handling work and play.