The 2009 Dodge Journey

The Journey begins here, but not now. Chrysler recently unveiled its newest crossover at the Frankfurt Auto Show, and it will be available in North American markets early next year.

Those first two sentences were packed full of information, whether you noticed it or not. First off, and finally, I must add, I no longer have to give my spellchecker fits by inserting the tedious “DaimlerChrysler” every time I refer to the corporate name of Dodge’s parent company. Since the divorce between Daimler and Chrysler a few months back, they’ve both reverted back to their previous corporate identities. Thank you very much. The fact that the Journey was unveiled in Europe speaks volumes about where Chrysler hopes to sell a bunch of these things. Here’s the corporate line, in all of its pie-in-the-sky hopefulness: “Caliber spearheaded the Dodge brand’s expansion into Europe and other international volume markets in 2006, followed by the Nitro and Avenger in the 2007 calendar year. By adding the Dodge brand to its international portfolio, Chrysler aims to achieve 1.4 percent market share in Western Europe by 2009—more than doubling the company’s share compared with 2005.” Numbers like that won’t exactly put Chrysler’s stock on the “must have” list, but any time you can actually double your sales, it’s a bonus, no matter how small the actual number.

Now, let our journey begin (did Chrysler advertising honchos foresee all of the silly plays on words when they came up with the name for this new car?). Hard to tell from the photo, but it rides a 113.8-inch wheelbase (about five inches longer than a Dodge Avenger, with which it shares a platform). The longer wheelbase helps allow for an available third row, making the Journey either a five- or five-plus-two passenger crossover. (I guess I could have just said five or seven, but Chrysler has slapped the “five-plus-two” moniker on the Journey, and I kind of like it.) It will come in SE, SXT and R/T models in the first quarter of next year. Sometime around the middle of the year, Chrysler will make good on its global intentions and make both left- and right-hand drive models available in markets outside of North America.

Standard Journeys will be front-wheel-drive. All-wheel-drive will be available in North American vehicles equipped with the 3.5-liter V-6. FWD models can also be had with the standard 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, or a 2.7-liter V-6 which can run on E-85 fuel. Markets outside North America will get Chrysler’s 2.0-liter turbo diesel. Don’t expect to see that engine here until emissions standards are either met or changed. The 2.4 is expected to get around 19 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway (or, if you want to be global, about nine liters per 100 kilometers). A six-speed automatic will be standard equipment. Turbo diesel Journeys will fare even better, rated at only seven liters per 100 kilometers, when mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The Journey has some neat features: available rear backup camera; Chill Zone cooled beverage storage bin (not sure how MADD will react to that one); available removable, rechargeable flashlight (something someone should have thought of years ago); illuminated cupholders (!); available 115-volt outlet which can run small household appliances (just imagine having your waffle iron at your disposal on your morning commute!); and this one, which I’d say from its description is my favorite, even though Chrysler in its press release doesn’t really explain just what it is: “Child Presentation Feature allows the driver to attend to a small child in the second-row seat when the vehicle is stationary.” Sounds good, eh?

Pricing was not yet available. Journey on to dodge.com for more info.