by Carlos A. Pefaur
Herald staff

Dodge, with its new Journey, is seeking to reinvent the concept of the minivan, a multipurpose vehicle dressed as a crossover.
The Journey is a true crossover; a vehicle that can be useful for different types of users. It has the look of an SUV, but it is 2WD and its natural habitat is on-road.
Whereas the exterior design of the Journey is clean and elegant, with an aluminium hood and composite boot door to reduce weight, designers have also made an effort to build a comfortable and practical interior. For that reason, they fitted a very handy instrument panel, leaving most of the instruments within the hand’s reach, but they have also gave the Journey a personality of its own, and a steering-wheel that can be adjusted both in height and in depth.
The vehicle has many compartments to store things; from the refrigerator in the glove compartment for cool beverages to the two compartments on the floor of the second row of seats, and an easy-clean removable tray. It has another of such trays in the boot, as well as one under the seat of the front passenger.
The main characteristic of this crossover is the versatility of its interior. Wide, with very comfortable seats for the front passengers and a large space for those seating in the back, the Journey features a third row of seats (of the 50/50 type), which are comfortable for grown-up passengers also.
The front seats are heated, and provide an excellent posture for drivers thanks to its electronic adjustment system. Meanwhile, the third row can be easily folded forward, creating a large load compartment.
The second line of seats can be folded completely, or partially. It can be classified as a 40/60 type, but the wider seat can be folded into a large table. Thanks to these modifications, the load compartment of the Journey can be expanded from 783 to 1610 litres, when all the seats are folded forward.
The seats of the second row are fitted with Tilt ´n Slide. This system can be shoved forward, so that there is enough room to access the seats in the back.
Meanwhile, the front seat can be folded forward, allowing the driver to place items of up to three-metres long in the back.
There are two additional compartments under the floor of the back seats, a double-sized glove compartment with a refrigerator as well as a central arm rest to place maps and bottles. To sum up, there are plenty of places to keep all sorts of objects.
The equipment is complete for a vehicle of its kind. It features automatic three-zone acclimatizer, with independent air vent regulation, eight inch DVD screen, a terrific Infinity high-quality six-speaker sound system and a solar electric roof.
The multimedia system of the Journey deserves a special mention. It merges audio with AM/FM radio, six disk CD changer; it reads DVD, USB port and auxiliary connector, plus wireless connection for cell phones. It also features a 30 GB hard drive, which allows downloading up to 6,700 songs and Jpeg images.
These files can be managed from the touch screen or from the steering wheel with easy to use menus. This display also shows the images it transmits onto the screens in the back of the drivers’ seat.
On the road, the Journey behaves with dignity; it has enough power and good brakes. Steering is precise. The driver’s position is perhaps a bit too tall for my taste, but Dodge want to take a share of the crossover market.
The suspension is independent, Mac Pherson in the front and multilink in the back, providing an excellent level of comfort onboard. Dodge says it really made an effort to reduce the sound levels in the cabin. The AWD system shows an excellent development on snow and ice, affecting its off-road capabilities. It turns on automatically when the Journey losses traction or when takes a curve between 40 and 85 km/h.
Meanwhile, the power to the back wheels is fewer, in order to curb consumption. The steering is very precise.
The RT version is fitted with a modern V6 2.7 litre engine, which develops 190CV and a torque of 26.3kgm. The performance of the engine is according to the expectations: very good acceleration registries and recoveries (the test was conducted with a strong crossed wind,” which is very useful for overweight on the route. It behaves as expected, similarly to a car or a hutch back vehicle in the city.
It is featured with an automatic double clutch six-speed transmission, which features electronic control and Autostick (Chrysler’s sequential manual option,) developed jointly with Gertrag, which made its debut with the Journey.
This transmission, more adequate for furious accelerations, is programmed to work progressively, without rough jumps, which does not punish torque, keeping front traction and speed.
In fact, when stepping on the accelerating pedal, the ratios are extended to the fullest before the gearbox changes the shifts. This could only be interrupted by lifting the right foot a bit, prompting the gearbox to change the shift.
On road, using the 6th speed, the engine shows a good development between 2,000 and 2,500rpm, keeping the cruise speed without any problems.
According to Chrysler, the gearbox allows a fewer consumption and six percent less CO2 emissions than a four-speed gearbox. Thanks to this combination of engine and gearbox, consumption on road is reasonable if we consider the mechanics of the vehicle, which is 2.480k heavy and had an aerodynamic coefficient of 0,368. In the city, it obviously increases a bit, but not too much.
The dynamic performance is adequate, and beyond its SUV dimensions (4,887mm long, 1,834mm wide and 1,692mm tall) it holds its line very well on curves, it brakes firmly and it gives a sense of control and safety to the driver. A significant part of this excellent behaviour is owed to the incorporation of stability systems ESP, TCS traction control system, driver assist ERM, ABS, BAS and others.
The Journey has several active safety equipments, such as front, side and curtain airbags for all the seats. This is why it received the five-star classification in front and side crashes in the United States.
The ABS braking system comes with the standard version, as well as the electronic traction control and ESP stability control, which has brake assist, turn-over prevention and balance absorption for the trailer. Whenever the trailer starts to move too much, this system triggers the brakes on the back wheels before we can even notice something is wrong, according to Dodge.
To sum up, the Dodge Journey is a vehicle in which travelling is a pleasures, and the family and the friends who use it, can really enjoy the trip.