Dodge Journey cross-over

How much further can Chrysler go, expanding the finite scope of the SUV and people mover market segments?

Through the three marques (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep), the American importer already offers Australian buyers several dedicated SUVs -- at least one of which seats seven -- and a dedicated people mover that also seats seven. From next month, there'll be a third option for those who like SUVs -- but don't actually need to go offroad -- and do need to carry more than five passengers.

The Dodge Journey will be marketed in Australia with a choice of 2.7-litre petrol V6 or a 2.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder. Peak power and torque for the petrol engine will be 139kW and 258Nm, respectively.

Priced higher than the V6 variants, the turbodiesel Journey will develop 103kW of power and 310Nm of torque. The engine's turbocharger is a variable-geometry type and the injectors discharge directly into the combustion chambers.

Whereas the V6 will drive through a conventional six-speed automatic, the turbodiesel will be coupled to a six-speed twin-clutch transmission, very similar in general operation to Volkswagen's DSG transmission. This box in the Journey is the product of a joint effort by Chrysler and German transmission specialist, Getrag (more here).

Chrysler told the Carsales Network that the Journey will only be available with front-wheel drive in Australia. There is an all-wheel driver available in the US, but matched to the 3.5-litre V6 we won't be seeing here.

In our previous news item (more here), we compared the Journey to Ford's Territory, but Jerry Stamoulis, Chrysler's local Manager of Public Relations, tells us that the Journey is more like a smaller, sportier people mover with a lower stance.

"It's not quite like a Jeep Cherokee, this is more Mitsubishi Outlander meets Kluger," he said. "It's not a small vehicle, but it's not a tall vehicle. That's where it gets its sportier stance.

Chrysler is expected to price the Journey significantly lower than its larger people mover, the Voyager. An entry-level model, the V6 Journey SXT is trumped by V6 and turbodiesel variants in the R/T level of trim. The ballpark figure for the Dodge is around a starting price of $45,000 -- and that's one of the key points as to how Chrysler will market the Journey.

"People looking at Journey might not be able to afford Voyager," says Stamoulis. "Journey, you'd be expecting under the $45,000 mark. That answers the question, 'Will it hurt Voyager?' There are people who can't afford to get into Voyager. We're losing a piece of the market. Most of our Voyagers that are sold are 'Limited' [variants], which is just over the $70,000 mark. [With the Journey], we'll be getting into a market [in which] we currently don't compete.

For the Australian market, the Journey will come standard with ABS, ESP, Chrysler's own Electronic Roll Mitigation, multi-stage frontal-impact airbags for driver and passenger, seat-mounted side-impact airbags for the front seats, side-curtain airbags, and -- in the same way that the Voyager does -- plenty of storage space.

Storage bins abound, with one built into the seat base of the front passenger seat. To access this bin, the user flips forward the seat cushion. Two further storage bins are located in the footwells of the second-row seating, behind the driver and front-passenger positions. Both these bins -- which are fully removable for cleaning -- will hold wet items, including foodstuffs. A third storage bin is located in the floor, behind the third-row seat.

Second and third-row seats are mounted in a 'stadium' configuration for the ease of occupants observing the environment outside the vehicle. For access to the third row, the second row seating can be tilted forward with a single push of the lever on the side of the seat. The third-row seat folds in a 50/50 split and also offers occupants a reclining facility of up to six degrees.

Among other differences between the two levels of trim, Chrysler specifies stain-resistant cloth trim for the base Journey SXT and leather for the Journey R/T.

The Journey will go on sale locally with effect from late September.

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