It’s an open and shut case for the seven-seat Dodge Journey, because basically it’s got everything that opens and shuts – and lots of it.
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There are storage bins in just about every bit of spare floor, most of them with removable and washable liners to accommodate holding dirty gear or anything you might want to add ice to. The glove box is split into two with a chill zone to keep a couple of cans (or even a large bottle of wine) cold. And every seat except the driver’s shuts down for more storage space, with the front passenger seat featuring a handy hard tray set into its back.
The secondary doors open to a 90-degree angle for easier access to get people and cargo in and out of the back. And if you go for the optional $3250 MyGIG in-dash audio/nav/comms system – which now comes with a 30GB hard drive – you can also have a $1500 second-row DVD player that opens down from the roof.
Dodge is calling it a crossover between a passenger car, SUV and people mover.
Dodge’s Journey R/T arrives with the choice of a turbo diesel mated to a new dual-clutch automatic transmission for $46,990 or a V6 petrol engine mated to the six-speed auto previously seen in the Avenger for $41,990, with the SXT only available with the petrol engine at $36,990.
Quad halogen headlights, body coloured fascias and the crosshair grille set off the muscular styling that is Dodge’s trademark – although it’s been softened for the Journey.
A comprehensive airbag package begins a long list of safety features for the Dodge Journey, including ABS, ESP, Electronic Roll Mitigation, trailer sway control, tyre pressure monitoring, traction control and brake assist.
The first thing you notice about the Journey’s interior is the quality of the surfaces, which are a huge improvement on some of the previous models. The plastics are soft – even padded in some places on the dash – and the fit appears tighter all round.
And once you work out the sequence of handles, it’s a snap to lift, drop, fold and stow the seats in their various ways. Cargo space of 397 litres balloons out to close to 1500 when you have all the seats folded flat, and there is excellent room for second row passengers, although the third row is too close to the floor to be comfortable for long legs.
There’s a bit of body roll if you corner quickly, but generally the road manners are quite good at normal speeds for this kind of vehicle, and it soaks up patchy bitumen surfaces easily until you step on the accelerator, which can make it lumber around.
But all this was going on over some interesting rural roads at the highway speed limit much of the time. And most Journeys will be city ones, which is where features like lighter steering will be an advantage.
For buyers looking for an urban family warrior with a good price point, it’s worth taking the Journey.
AUTO SPECS
- Price: $36,990 – $46,990
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl diesel, 2.7-litre 6-cyl petrol
- Power: 103kw, 310Nm; 136kW, 256Nm
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic
- Fuel: 7.0, 10.3-litres / 100km
