The Dakota has always been sized above the compact Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10 but below the full-sized pickups such as Dodge's own Ram.

In contrast to other full-sized pickups, the vehicle does not offer a Regular Cab, and is only available with the King Cab and Crew Cab models.

The key to our market share this year: full-sized pickups, full-sized sport utility vehicles, some vans and medium-sized cars.

Other than the Tahoe Limited Edition, the vehicle was redesigned for the 2000 model year on the new GMT800 platform, still shared with the full-sized pickups.

John Biel: For ride and quiet alone, the Ram 1500 is a revelation among full-sized pickups.

In its report, the insurance group examined fires in collisions from 1987 to 1991 involving full-sized pickups made by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler between the 1975 and 1990 model years.

Small pickups, for instance, are hot sellers while full-sized pickups have been sluggish sellers.

Because of more lenient Federal standards, full-sized pickups and sport utility vehicles are allowed to produce two and a half times as much smog-causing gas as cars.

Production of the full-sized pickups ceased after 1987.

Prior to the run-up in fuel prices, many motorists opted for larger, less fuel-efficient sport utility vehicles and full-sized pickups in the United States, Canada, and other countries.