The Dodge Journey is one of the most veteran products of the FCA portfolio and the seven-seat family crossovers segment. However, it plays a crucial role in the offer of the American brand, and then we will show what it has to offer its GT version.
1. Engine more than enough
One of the best engines that Chrysler has done in recent years has been the Pentastar V6, a 3.6 aspirated of 283 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds that, for the specific case of the Journey, was a welcome update concerning other six cylinders which he had at the beginning of his commercial life.
Together with a six-change automatic transmission, the performance is more than enough for road use at a full load of passengers and luggage, as it is possible to make overtaking and incorporation to fast roads with peace of mind.
2. Between compact and medium
Although the price range, including Journey 2.4, is similar to that of compact SUVs starting at 449,900 pesos without applying for promotions, the Journey has the particularity of being much longer than average. For example, a compact SUV with the possibility of three rows, such as a Volkswagen Tiguan, measures 4.70 meters, while a medium SUV among the least bulky, such as a Kia Sorento or a Toyota Highlander, goes until 4.80 and 4.85 m, respectively.
A Journey, on the other hand, stretches to 4.88 meters, so with a compact SUV price, it is a medium-sized one, although, in dimensions such as width, it maintains the standard of a compact. It is a mixture a little strange but useful because the space in the last row does allow for an adult to fit. On the contrary to what happens in a Tiguan, his sister the SEAT Tarraco, or a Peugeot 5008.
3. Years in tow
To get an idea of the Journey’s age, when the old Daimler Chrysler consortium still existed, the platform of this crossover conceived as a team with Mitsubishi. The Journey is one of the few survivors of that project because vehicles such as the previous Chrysler 200 (formerly Sebring), the Dodge Avenger, the Caliber or the previous Jeep Compass with their sister Patriot, are already part of the market landscape of the used.
Of course, the Journey is not that it has remained unchanged since it appeared in 2008, and the already healthier FCA, wanting to become more competitive, updated the mechanical offer in 2011 and endowed the interior with a more successful design and better finish.
4. Indispensable
Eight years have passed since the last profound change to the Journey made in Toluca, and that makes us wonder. Why is it still being done? Because it still makes sense, and it is the middle step of size and versatility in the Dodge range and as a complement to Jeep. Because without the Journey, there would be nothing between a Neon and a Grand Caravan. Or anything more habitable than a Cherokee before reaching the more luxurious Grand Cherokee, but with a price between Renegade and Compass.
5. The interesting
We focus on the Dodge Journey GT because of its already commented advantage in space, good performance, and complete equipment. It looks like a sensible set before SUVs much more small, and a configuration of seven positions that are five real and two emergency or for children.
6. Weak point
One of the sacrifices of the cost/benefit ratio in the six-cylinder Dodge Journey is that dynamically, it is not the most prominent among what is comparable. Their brakes have never been the strongest, and the steering is no example of precision, so that power must use wisely.
7. Your strongest rival
Without omitting the variants with 2.4 engine, which we do not mention much because of its outdated four-speed automatic gearbox that both takes away points in accelerations and consumptions, we would say that the biggest headache they have in Dodge is the Kia Sorento, which with a four-cylinder alternative better resolved and a more modern six-cylinder, delivers a complete and high-quality proposal for close values, without so many ingenious details inside (a fortress of the Journey) but with serious arguments in finishes, standard accessories or guarantee