The interior and exterior were well thought out on this car. Nice lines, good use of space and a lot of little extras. Some of the interior trim is flimsy, but only below the seat line. The fuel economy is descent with the CVT engines, but the stutter off the line can be annoying when you need to move in a hurry.

The Dakota rides like a family car and hauls loads like a half ton.
The 3.7lt engine gives you the fuel economy you need to feel good about doing both.
The truck suffers from the usual problems Dodge has (rotting bumpers, bad fan resistors, etc) but in the long run it delivers what you need to get the job done.