Teresa’s View

When I was growing up, the Oakland Raiders were my team. Back then, they were the toughest, ugliest, bawdiest boys in the league. Evidently Mitsubishi believes its new truck, the Raider, can stand up to the comparison. Ads for the midsize Raider claim, “It will never, ever play nice with other trucks.” Well, they got the bravado right.

The all-new Raider is the product of an alliance between Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler. The result is an interesting cross of aggressive American styling and unpretentious Japanese practicality. Both the 2006 Raider and its twin, the Dodge Dakota, share many of the same components, though, to my eyes, the Raider has an edgier design. The muscular fender flares give a solid, chiseled appearance, though the oversized plastic bumper that dominates the prominent face of the truck throws off the balance. It’s not Otis Sistrunk nasty, but it’s close.

Inside, the Raider’s cabin is about as warm as Oakland’s locker room. Vast slabs of hard plastic could use a soft-touch upgrade. Elsewhere, big is the operative word. Our tester sported three Ben Davidson-size cupholders up front and a giant subwoofer in back for the optional high-output Alpine audio system.

Despite its rough-and-tumble rep, I found the Raider a civilized daily driver. Its ride is surprisingly car-like, managing rough roads with minimum bounce.

That’s not to say the Raider is soft. It is, after all a truck, and it does its truck thing well — offering more than 40 cubic feet of cargo space in the truck bed and a towing capacity of up to 6,500 pounds. Available shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive will get you out of most tight spots.

What Is It?: The midsize Raider is offered in both double-cab and extended-cab configurations, with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Mitsubishi’s only truck offering is sold in three trims — the LS, DuroCross and XLS — and a choice of either a 210-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 engine or a 230-horsepower 4.7-liter V-8 plant. Prices start at $20K. Yes, it’s available in silver and black.

Gadget Rating: 6 out of 10. Gadget Central is basic — no fancy stuff here, just clean, simple and straightforward. Air conditioning and a CD player are standard on all trims. The top-of-the-line XLS adds a high-output sound system, heated seats, Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth technology and power-folding mirrors.

Safety: Rear-wheel ABS is standard. Get the XLS version for optional safety features such as four-wheel ABS, side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

So, Where Are Ya From?: The Raider and Dakota are built at DaimlerChrysler’s plant in Warren, Mich.