Something Different
by David Finlay (21 Aug 08)

The first thing to say about the Dodge Journey is that it's not what it looks like. There will be people who watch a Journey drive past and think, consciously or otherwise, that it's an SUV, but that just ain't so. This is actually an MPV - officially a five-seater but actually capable of carrying seven people - with an SUV appearance which may appeal to people who like the high seating position (or perhaps enjoy annoying SUV-haters). The word from Dodge's UK PR people is that it should be thought of as an alternative to a large estate car.

There is actually a 4x4 Journey, but it won't be coming to the UK. We get front-wheel drive versions only, with a choice of two engines: a 2.4-litre petrol unit available only in the entry-level model and the much more widespread Volkswagen two-litre turbo diesel found in quite a number of Chrysler products.

There's also a choice of manual and dual-clutch automatic transmissions, and three trim levels known as SE, SXT and R/T. Prices range from £16,995 for the petrol SE to £22,995 for the diesel R/T automatic, but according to Dodge the most popular version is expected to be the diesel SXT manual, which costs £19,995.

The main rivals are the Mazda5, Ford S-MAX and Citroen Picasso seven-seat, and Dodge has lost no time in pointing out that the Journey is cheaper than these and pretty much every other vehicle you might buy instead, especially when the other cars are brought up to the same specification as the Journey.

It's a fair point, though Dodge would have a problem if the Journey cost as much as its competitors. It lags behind most of them in terms of perceived quality; soft-touch, dark coloured plastics help its case somewhat, but the gearlever is very wobbly and there is so much steering assistance that it sometimes feels as if the wheel isn't actually connected to anything. And although the total amount of noise from the Volkswagen diesel engine isn't a major problem, a lot of whining and gurgling is allowed to come into the cabin, which makes the Journey feel cheaper than it might otherwise do (I can't speak for the petrol version because at the time of writing none of those had arrived in the country).

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