Dodge's Dakota was refreshed for 2008.

­There are no new compact pickup class entries for 2008. Most models carried over with little or no changes. For 2008, the Dodge Dakota got more available power and freshened interior and exterior styling. Also, the 2008 Ford Ranger got slightly revised front styling and Mitsubishi's Raider got a new dashboard.

Port of Entry

All extended cabs are available with narrow, rear-hinged back doors. While these "half doors" may work fine in the showroom, they tend to be cumbersome in tight spaces because most only open about 90 degrees. In all extended cabs, the front doors have to be opened first, and then the rear doors. If you have a shopping cart and there's a vehicle parked next to you, opening the doors "boxes in" the entry to your truck's interior, with you and/or your cart on the outside of the "box."

This is one reason crew cabs with four conventional doors are increasingly popular. However, the Dodge Dakota Club Cab (extended cab) offers rear-hinged rear doors that open wider, lying nearly flat against the sides of the bed. But even then, there might not be enough space between the door and an adjacent vehicle to roll a shopping cart.

Seating Surprise

Nearly all extended cabs offer seating for up to five people, but not all achieve that capacity the same way. Most do it with a three-passenger front bench seat and two rear "jump" seats, which each hold one person and fold out of the way for cargo. Since the center position on a front bench offers only enough room for a child--who should be riding in back--these realistically should be considered four-passenger trucks. Among compact extended cabs, only the Toyota Tacoma Access Cab offers a three-passenger rear seat, but those passengers should be small and very friendly.

Ditto for crew cabs that claim to hold six. One of those would have to sit front and center, and that's both uncomfortable and unsafe, so they should really be considered five-passenger vehicles. One more thing about seating: No compact extended cab offers enough rear legroom for adults, and none of their rear seats--whether jump or bench--are very comfortable, as padding is sparse and the backrest usually upright. In crew cabs, rear legroom is marginal at best, so these really aren't the vehicles for tall drivers who want to carry adults in back.

The Payback for Payload

Payload capacity--the maximum number of pounds of people and cargo the vehicle can safely carry--varies greatly among the trucks in this class. For some it's as little as 900 pounds, but most either are or can be optioned into the 1200- to 1700-lb range. Option packages that increase payload capacity include stiffer rear springs that can adversely affect ride and handling--particularly in bumpy corners--when the bed is empty. Think about how much weight you're likely to carry at any one time and buy accordingly.