Although a carmaker that only produces a pickup truck, Ram currently doesn’t offer a mid-size SUV. Just a few years ago, that seemed logical but these days, this class of pickup trucks is once again hugely popular. Of course, Tacoma still dominates, but other manufacturers want their piece of cake as well. That’s why we’ve seen Ranger’s comeback and brand-new Gladiator, while the Frontier is finally coming redesigned after 15 years. The new truck is about to arrive in the next year, as the 2022 RAM Dakota.
At this point, we don’t know to many details about the new pickup truck. The company still keeps most things as secret, so we can only speculate about details. On the other side, base design characteristics are relatively easy to predict, considering the current situation in FCA. This particularly refers to engines, platform and other mechanics.
2022 RAM Dakota Redesign
Most of the things we know about the 2022 RAM Dakota are those most basic design characteristics. The first thing that comes to mind is the platform and there is no doubt that the new Dakota will feature a genuine BoF layout. Of course, most of the design characteristics will be shared with the new Gladiator, while we also have no doubt that a lot of design solutions will be borrowed from the full-size Ram 1500.
The latter particularly refers to the styling. We expect that the new Dakota will feature the same design language as the legendary full-size truck. This particularly refers to the front end, which should look almost identical. The rest of the body will feature a quite typical truck layout. The overall shape should look quite similar to Ram 1500, just in a smaller package.
Of coruse, we count on a variety of configurations in the offer. Both single and double cab variants are expected, while some kind of extended cab is also possible. Naturally, we also count on different bed sizes.
Interior
The interior design should be one of 2022 RAM Dakota’s trumps in the competition with other mid-size trucks. While most models in this class feature pretty basic, work-focused cabins, this one should follow the same path as Ram 1500. This means a hi-quality cabin that doesn’t just feature nice materials, but also comes with a full load of tech goodies and other standard and available equipment. At this point, it’s still early to talk about details, but we presume that the large 12-inch touchscreen could be offered in this truck as well.
As we already mentioned, both single and double cab layouts are expected to be in the offer. Of course, we should see different bed sizes as well.
2022 RAM Dakota Engines
In terms of powertrain, two things are certain – V6 and a turbodiesel. Still, many sources suggest that the company will tend to make the 2022 RAM Dakota affordable, at least in the base version. That’s impossible with the V6, so there is a chance to see some four-cylinder unit in standard models. The only problem is that FCA doesn’t have a proper four-cylinder engine for this occasion, so we might see some cooperation in the future.
On the other side, things with the V6 are clear. We will see a well-known 3.6-liter Pentastar unit, which puts out around 305 horsepower. We presume that the version with a mild hybrid system will be offered too. Things are also pretty clear with the diesel. We will see a familiar 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel, which puts out 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. With such numbers, we might see some class-leading numbers in terms of max towing ratings.
2022 RAM Dakota Release Date and Price
Despite all the reports about the 2022 RAM Dakota, we are still waiting for some details from the officials. At this point, we can only rely on rumors and they say the new model will arrive sometime in the second half of next year. When it comes to the price, we presume base models will go around 25.000 dollars.
When it comes to competition, this segment includes models like Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger etc.