2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4X4 Laramie Road Test

Other significant options on the Laramie Quad Cab include four-wheel ABS brakes, an upgrade from the standard rear-wheel

Controlled by a small round knob at the bottom of the centre console, the driver can easily switch to low-range 4WD, and 4LOCK. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

ABS brakes. It's a worthy investment for a truck of this size, although for the amount of money spent on higher trim levels, this should be standard equipment. Also important was the option of a full-time AWD shift-on-the-fly transfer case which is a step up in traction and grip from the standard RWD. Controlled by a small round knob at the bottom of the centre console, the driver can easily switch to low-range 4WD, and 4LOCK for extreme situations where a locking differential is required. The transition between the steps is seamless, though it's best done while at rest. With AWD selected, the Dakota automatically varies the torque split between front and rear axles for ideal traction.

The biggest qualm I had about the Dakota over the week was its fuel efficiency. With about 420 km or so on the clock, most of which was done under mild driving, the Dakota had slurped down the majority of its 87-litre gas tank, even with my laid-back driving style and strict obedience of the speed limit. That's far less economy than its projected figures of 16.3

The biggest qualm I had about the Dakota over the week was its fuel efficiency. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

L/100 km (17 mpg) city and 11.1 L/100 km (25 mpg) highway. As gas peaked at over $1.00 per litre, I experienced first-hand Canada's newest and most popular pastime - hunting for cheap gas prices. Thankfully my tester was the regular-output V8, which takes basic grade as opposed to the tear-jerkingly expensive premium unleaded.

With a base-price of $39,315, the Dakota Quad Cab Laramie 4x4 lands about near the top of the midsize truck segment, topped only by the likes of the Honda Ridgeline. A trip to the options list can easily see the price soar well into the $40K range - my lavishly-equipped model had an as-tested price of $43,235 excluding A/C tax and destination.