Flash back two decades to find the first vehicle called Raider - a compact-class SUV badged by Dodge but built in Japan by Mitsubishi. Flash forward to the present to uncover the next vehicle called Raider. It's a mid-size truck badged by Mitsubishi but built in the United States by Dodge at DaimlerChrysler's Detroit truck plant.

Raider as a new truck for Mitsubishi borrows chassis and powertrains from the Dodge Dakota but brings its own classy designs for exterior sheetmetal and cab appointments. It offers the option of a V6 or V8 engine for two-wheel-drive (2WD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction and three distinct trims - LS, DuroCross and XLS. Raider LS the base trim employs the V6 engine exclusively and Raider XLS the deluxe issue packs only the V8, while DuroCross as the 4WD model offers either V6 or V8 plant.

Raider also presents two different cab formats.

The Extended Cab contains two rows of seats for four and two rear-hinged access doors. In back, the pair of individual rear seats fit a full-size adult, but seat cushions fold away when not needed for passengers and the area behind front seats converts into a storage bay with 30 cubic feet of space.

The Double Cab has four full-size doors and conventional seats for five with front buckets and a bench-style backseat. The bench has room for up to three adults and the seatback tips rearward at a slight angle so riders may sit comfortably with ample room for heads and legs.

A truck box behind the cab varies in length. Raider Extended Cab has a long-bed design extending to 78 inches, while the Double Cab uses an abbreviated bed measuring 64 inches long.

Sleek and distinctive styling for Raider's exterior package features sharply chiseled forms in strong geometric shapes with undulating slabs around wheel wells forging step-side fenders and the face fitted with an imposing split-port grille that's interrupted at the center spot by a triangle containing the tri-leaf emblem of Mitsubishi. Flanking the center grille are oversized headlamp clusters on the front corners, as a fat-lip fascia underscores the face. Colors for grille and fascia vary by trim.

The DuroCross line shows a skid-plate style bumper with foglamps in front fascia corners, black fender flares, side steps below the doors, a bedliner in the truck box, a sliding rear window and cast aluminum wheels capped by off-road tires.

From a slew of Raider 2006 issues parked on Broadway in Portland, Ore., we select a V8-powered Extended Cab in deluxe XLS trim, then steer it out of town on the I-84.

The expressway leads eastward into the scenic Columbia River Gorge for a day of driving tests on pavement and dirt, as we switch into Raiders of both cab sizes and different trim designations with big and bigger engine choices, both manual and automatic transmissions, and rear 2WD and 4WD traction modes. From this experience we discover that Raider in its various forms has a generous wheelbase, which sets up a smooth ride quality for a truck. (CONTINUE...)