2009 Dodge Dakota

According to Dodge, the Dakota features the greatest interior room of any midsize truck.

The 2009 Dodge Dakota, a pickup straddling the line separating the compact and midsize segments, doesn’t need a complete redesign to set itself apart from its competitors.

Offered in two body styles, Extended Cab and Crew Cab, and four trim levels — ST, Big Horn, TRX4 and Laramie — the Dodge Dakota is a truck for buyers who have the occasional big job/something to tow/haul but don’t need the biggest pickup in the world to do it.

Here’s what Dodge has to say when it touts the Dakota’s advantages: the only V8 engine in its class; best-in-class towing capability of up to 7,050 pounds; the only available full-time four-wheel-drive in its class; the greatest interior room of any midsize truck, with 30 cubic feet of interior space in Extended Cab models and 37.1 cubic feet for Crew Cab; the largest and longest standard cargo bed in its class: 6.4 feet in the Extended Cab (5.3 feet in the Crew Cab) and — a clever under-seat storage system in the Crew Cab — a first for the Dakota — that includes Crate ’N Go, a collapsible and removable cargo management system.

There’s a lot of versatility here, particularly with our Crew Cab tester.

The Dakota is going strong, thanks to its two engines: the standard 210- hp Magnum 3.7-liter V6 or the optional 4.7-liter V8 that puts out 302 hp and is E85 ethanol compatible. The V6 is tied to a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission, while the V8 gets a five-speed automatic.

In terms of safety, there are 25 related safety/security features in the Dakota, and it’s earned five-star frontal and four-star crash ratings.

Outside, the Dakota utilizes the drop-fendered signature look for Dodge trucks and includes a dual position tailgate and four-pin connector/trailer tow wiring.

Laramies come with a bedliner as standard equipment. The spacious Crew Cab version seats up to six, through four conventional doors. Headroom and legroom are in good supply, as are such creature comforts as heated and folding seats, overhead and floor consoles and stain-repellant fabric.

Prices start at $23,300 and go up to $32,370, plus $740 destination charge.