Written by: Martin Ward
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 

The all new Dodge Journey is a seven seater but Dodge say it is a 5+2. The third row of seats are very useable and are suitable for children or adults. Whilst they are not ideal for a long journey, they are acceptable and more comfortable than some of the competitors as more leg and head room is present.

 

There is plenty of choice in this sector but the main competitors will be the Ford S-Max, Renault Grand Scenic, Peugeot 807, Seat Alhambra, Vauxhall Zafira, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and the VW Touran. All of which have 7 seats but can vary in overall length. All the seats are very accessible with the third row being made easier by the fact the second row seat not only slides forward but the seat squab lifts up automatically as the seat is slid forward to give even more room for passengers to get in and out, a simple idea that works.

 

The Journey is full of simple ideas that all work including an under floor stowage system that allows you to be able to put drinks in with ice to keep them cool or put in muddy items to keep them out of the way. Both the second and third row of seats can be put up or down by using one hand and can be folded flat to create a useful cargo area with a massive capacity of 1914 litres with all seats down, 1121 litres with the third row down and 302 litres behind the third row when all the seats are up. The room behind the third row is not huge but big enough to get all your supermarket shopping in with space to spare.

 

This North American built car probably has the highest quality interior the Chrysler Group has produced to date, with the plastics almost up to European levels. It certainly is an improvement on other vehicles in the group. There will be a choice of two engines at launch: a 2.4 litre petrol which produces 168bhp and will account for 2% of sales, the other is a Volkswagen sourced 2.0 litre diesel that produces 138bhp, goes from 0–62mph in 11.6 seconds with a top speed of 116mph. This diesel engine is fitted into many other cars including some in the Chrysler Group and has been criticised for being too noisy but the same engine in the Journey is much quieter, presumably more sound insulation has been used but it is noticeably better.

 

Dodge expect to sell around 2,000 units per year in the UK with prices starting at £16,995 for the 2.4 SE. The most popular model will be the 2.0 CRD SE manual costing £17,995. The Dodge Journey has got plenty of appeal for those who want a 5+2 seater. It has a modern design, the interior is well appointed and it is priced aggressively.

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