TEST: Dodge Journey CRD

And one thing that American maker Dodge can’t dodge is that unless its cars are great value they face more of a struggle than most to find a place in the British market.

At present it has four cars on sale here, the Caliber, Avenger, Nitro, and Journey. The Journey is the latest arrival and is really the one that should be catching the eye of British drivers who still have money to spend and want something different. And, let’s face it, anyone with cash in the bank may as well be spending it as banks seem to let it depreciate even faster than car purchase will.

What sets the Journey apart from the other Dodge models is its seven seat layout. It is, of course, pretty massive although the first part of that description is not supposed to imply it is pretty. It’s not, well at least to most people.

Some asked me if it was a 4x4, which it isn’t, while others asked if it was practical, which it is. A lot of seven seat cars compromise on passenger space to fit the people but the Dodge avoids this.

But it still has the major shortfall in boot space with the seven seats in place that’s common to virtually all cars of this breed. You will get the cricket stumps, football and other play equipment in the boot to go on a family picnic but probably the only way to get all the food safely stowed is to get the kids to eat it all before you set out – unless, that is, one or more of them is habitually car sick when it might be better to scrub the whole idea.

I liked the Journey a lot, but then there’s a lot of it to like. Looks aren’t everything, you know - the lament of all ugly people, just as individuals challenged in other ways will tell you size doesn’t matter either.

The big thing about the Journey is that every seat has the space it needs. Too many other cars that try to fit in this niche just don’t achieve what they set out to do and would be better if they had remained honest five seaters.

The fact that some people asked if it was a 4x4 shows it has sufficient brawn to create the right impression where it needs to. Here are many who are still in love with SUVs and, for them, this is a car that looks the part but lets them salve their consciences as they can truly say it is not.

There’s plenty more of real substance to like about the Journey, not least its comfort most of the time. There was one occasion where it suddenly broke into a sort of end to end pitching motion for no apparent reason. It was certainly not something I had encountered in any other car on the same stretch of road, which I travel frequently.

But once it had settled its composure, the Journey never disgraced itself again over several hundred miles and gave a fairly smooth ride. It handles remarkably well for a car with such physical bulk and many will be surprised by just how agile it is. I’m not sure if bumps disappear with fright when they see it approaching or if Dodge has really cracked the problem of making these big and tall people carriers (remember when they were all called that) behave with decorum but after a quarter century of making the things they should have it right.

The biggest snag with the Journey is that, like other Dodge products, it uses a Volkswagen diesel engine that is of the old school – noisy, with unappealing vibrations, and economy that’s not at all brilliant.

The snag for American makers is that, until now, they have been producing cars for a nation of diesel haters so they have had to borrow the technology. The VW is no worse than Chrysler’s own 2.8 litre diesel (Chrysler is the Dodge parent brand) and at present there’s no cash in the pot to develop anything better.

So it is that the £19,795 Journey CRD SXT is stuck with an engine that struggles to give 34 mpg despite the six speed manual gearbox. The only thing that makes this attractive is the fact that the only alternative is a 2.4 litre petrol engine that’s likely to do worse still, although it does save £1,400 on the price.

Maurice Hardy

There’s nothing discreet about the Dodge Journey, stating with the huge chrome cross-shaped bars on the front grille and working all the way through to the back.

Even the wheel arches are massive and flared although, conversely, the side windows are quite shallow. The view out of them is good, though, so the car is not claustrophobic apart from in the very back row where the occupants peer out through privacy glass which, thankfully, is not very dark.

The test car was finished in a very bright blue which also helped make it stand out from the crowd and it’s the sort of car you’d never lose track of in a multi-storey, even if all the lights had failed and the place was pitch black as a result.

Cars for families need good stowage and the Journey has lots of places where stuff can be hidden away. There ‘s even two glove boxes, one of which holds two cans and has a chilling facility fed from the air conditioning.

Some of the interior plastics look cheap and feel hard but you get the impression they will remain childproof for a number of years. That’s important for families as durability is lacking from many family models these days.

Annette Hardy

Car: Dodge Journey CRD SXT

Does it fit your ego?...
0-62 mph: 11.6 secs
Top speed: 116 mph
Bhp: 138 @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 229 lb ft @ 1750 - 2500 rpm

...and your wallet?...
Price: £19,795
Urban: 33.6 mpg
Extra urban: 52.3 mpg
Combined: 43.5 mpg
CO2 emissions: 170 g/km
Insurance Group: 11