Drivers Log.(News)(Product/service evaluation)

JEWETT: This thing left the factory in full Darth Vader mode-black paint job, wheels and interior trim. The only exceptions are the gray-colored headliner and the silver-painted plastic in the center of the instrument panel. So this Dakota's got that menacing, stealthy look on the outside.

But it's what's on the inside that counts for the younger generation. My 14-year-old son proclaimed the Dakota "awesome'' after just a couple of minutes in the shotgun seat. Why? Because the big black box jutting from the back of the center console into the rear of the cab is actually a giant subwoofer-the key part of the optional 508-watt premium audio system. That subwoofer chews up a healthy chunk of the limited space behind the front seats, especially since our particular test truck was just an extended-cab model and not a pile-everybody-in crew cab. But it will send shock waves through everyone who does get inside and the folks in the car the next lane over, too. Best moment: stumbling onto Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond'' on the classic-vinyl satellite radio channel and cranking the volume up to unsafe levels.

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