With many families beginning to move away from truck-based SUV’s, but still not completely prepared to buy a
mini-van, the popularity of crossover vehicles has begun to surge. Crossovers are vehicles which are positioned to offer the seating and cargo space of a minivan with the utility of an SUV, all wrapped up in a car-like driving experience. They also tend to offer better fuel economy than most SUV’s, which is a growing concern for most new car buyers.
Chrysler revolutionized the automotive industry when they introduced the minivan in the 1980’s, and now partner company
Dodge is hoping that they can grab a significant portion of the crossover pie with the 2009
Dodge Journey. The Journey looks remarkably like a truncated version of the minivans it aims to compete with, albeit slightly more muscular and with 19-inch wheels.. The smaller size is due to the fact that the Journey is based on the same platform as the Avenger sedan, a smaller mid-size vehicle. As such, it cannot compete in terms of seating with some of the larger crossovers, and although it provides removable third row seating, even
Dodge executives caution that the amount of room available makes it appropriate only for use in a pinch.
The Journey comes with a surprising amount of power train options. There are two 6-cylinder engines available and a 4-cylinder as well. The 2.4 liter four produces 173 horsepower, but the fuel economy remains an unimpressive 19 miles per gallon in the city, and only 25 miles per gallon on the highway. The first V6 is also fairly small, at only 2.7 liters, and it generates 186 horsepower and 191 lb-feet of torque with slightly worse fuel economy numbers. The ubiquitous 3.5 corporate V6 is the final option available for the Journey, and its 235 horsepower and 232 lb-feet of torque make things a bit more interesting, especially considering that gas mileage is almost identical to that of the smaller six. Each of these engines uses an automatic four-speed transmission to deliver power to the front wheels, although the R/T editions allow the option of all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual for Journeys outfitted with the 3.5 liter motor.
The interior of the 2009
Dodge Journey was designed with the active family in mind. Particular attention was paid to storage details, and the front passenger seat has a bottom seat cushion which moves forward to reveal a storage bin underneath. In-floor storage is also available directly behind the two front seats, which
Dodge claims can be loaded with a 12 pack of canned beverages along with crushed ice. Presumably, it is permissible to store other items there as well, although these water-tight compartments could be useful on a picnic. The in-floor storage bins are removable and washable, perfect for anyone who has had to deal with the trials and tribulations of toddlers and children.
An interesting option for the crossover is what
Dodge is calling a ‘child presenter’ seat. This feature allows a portion of the second row seating to slide forward by 2 inches, and with the front passenger seat folded flat, this makes it much easier to attend to an infant in a child seat.
Dodge also offers integrated child seats for their second row.
While hidden storage and child-access features are welcome, there is very little else to separate the 2009
Dodge Journey from its competitors in the market. It is not particularly attractive, powerful or practical, and while it does do most things well, it does not excel in any particular area. When compared to the slightly larger crossovers available from General Motors, it may appear as though the Journey comes up short.
Images were reprinted with permissions from original author Rod Brito! Content was written by Benjamin Hunting for www.sport-cars.org only and you MAY NOT copy, distribute or use this page's content for any commercial or non-commerical purpose without written permission of this site owner and photos authors!
June 25, 2008, 9:07 am
The most viewed articles in current category:
