New Dodge Journey has the goods

PAUL OWEN

What car company enjoyed one of the biggest increases in new vehicle sales on the New Zealand market during 2011? Almost unbelievably, it was Chrysler, which has now hit the comeback trail with a vengeance since the Obama administrations corporate welfare prevented it from going under in 2009.

Chrysler, which sells most of its vehicles under Dodge and Jeep brands in this market, experienced a 40 per cent increase in sales during 2011, the success driven by favourable currency exchange, aggressive marketing, and the increased quality of the cars it produces.

The first step in Chrysler's Lazarus-like comeback was the much improved new-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. However this month sees the arrival on our shores of a more affordable new vehicle that could drive the Dodge brand right into the heart of the suburban mainstream - the revised seven-seat Journey.

Unlike the current Grand Cherokee, the new Journey didn't result from a clean sheet of paper, and is outwardly recognisable as the previous model, circa 2008, from every angle except the front view where the new cross-haired grille distinguishes it.

Therefore, it's only when you step inside that you witness the huge steps forward since Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne took over the leadership of Chrysler.

One of Marchionne's first actions at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, was to gather all the company's interior designers and embark on an intensive four-week programme to fix all coming new models.

The long nights of hard work have certainly hit paydirt inside the Journey, where dull grey Fisher Price-mimicking hard plastics have been mostly replaced with soft-touch materials of more inspiring hues, and a Mercedes- Benz S-class design theme determines the pleasing shapes of air vents, instrument pods, and control panels.

Meanwhile the previous Journey's interior highlights remain the deep storage bins located under the sliding/folding second-row seats, the self-draining stowage for wetsuits and fishing gear, and the occasional third-row seats that have the potential to serve any car-pool well.

Like the original Journey, the wagon body's high waistline and chunky window pillars restrict the driver's sightlines, and this makes it almost mandatory to spend another $1500 on the one of the few options available for the model - a combined reversing camera/DVD entertainment system. The limited list of options on offer is simply because the new Journey is absolutely loaded with stuff out of the box, and the equipment inventory can withstand comparison with that of luxury-brand wagons.

Even the entry-level $39,990 SXT Journey comes with a touch- screen control interface, exceptionally clear Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, and three-zone climate control (two individual zones for those up front, and a third zone for the benefit of rearward passengers).

Step up to the $45,990 R/T version, and all seven seats will be leather-clad, the front row pews now contain heaters, the 17 alloys grow to size 19s, and a sub-woofer will be added to the six-speaker Alpine audio.

It's clear from the quality of the interior of the Dodge, its raft of standard equipment, and its value price positioning, that Chrysler's New Zealand distributor, Sime Darby Automotive, is passing on the favourable currency exchange (US dollar versus kiwi) it enjoys when purchasing the two new Journey models to consumers.

The Journey R/T has the potential to ask the hardest question of alternate buying choices like Ford's $54,990 2WD Territory TS: why spend the extra $9000 to sit on cloth instead of leather?

Performance-wise, the new Journey has the firepower to more than match other petrol six- cylinder seven-seat family vehicles.

Chrysler's 206kW/342Nm 3.6litre VVT-equipped V6 first made its debut here in the Grand Cherokee, where its riches instantly embarrassed the veteran V8 engine also on offer in the Jeep.

In a substantially lighter vehicle like the Journey, the new V6 is an even feistier drive when driving the front wheels via a six- speed automatic gearbox. Expect to reach 100kmh from rest in around eight seconds, and to top out at a claimed maximum of 208kmh if the Highway Patrol will let you. While fuel use in Australian lab tests conducted over the combined city-highway driving simulation was recorded at 10.4 litres/100km, my real world driving on test resulted in another litre being added to that figure.

The Journey's vehicle dynamics are also on the money, provided you like a lot of power assistance at the wheel. For me, this proved dead handy round town but not so welcome when driving at higher speeds on the open road.

Despite a slightly too-keen stability system that will ensure the Territory remains the choice of enthusiastic drivers, the chassis mostly impressed with its comfy ride and well-contained body roll control.

It all adds up to a lot of car for the money. At the time of writing, annual New Zealand sales of Chrysler vehicles looked destined to smash through the 1000-unit mark for 2011.

That's a huge increase on the 680 vehicles the corporation sold here in 2010, and the exceptional value that the new Journey models represent can only set up further success in 2012.

AT A GLANCE:

Price: Dodge Journey SXT: $39,990; Dodge Journey R/T: $45,990

Engine: 3604cc 90-degree 24V DOHC variable-valve- timed petrol V6 developing 206kW at 6350rpm and 342Nm of torque at 1750rpm.

Transmission: 6-speed automatic gearbox, front wheel drive. Fuel use over ADR 81/01 city/highway drive cycle: 10.4 litres/100km (CO2 output: 242g/km).

Hot: Punchy V6 powertrain, versatile 7-seat interior now furnished much more lavishly, some compact hatchbacks are more expensive.

Not: Same V6 engine produces seven more kilowatts and five extra newton-metres in Jeep Grand Cherokee form; no diesel or 4WD models in NZ range.

- © Fairfax NZ News