With Chrysler now under control of Europe's Fiat, and its immediate future assured, we can relax and concentrate on the vehicles this venerable automaker has in its current stable of products.
Among the best of this automaker's 2009 lineup is the Dodge Journey midsize crossover.
Built on a unibody chassis, the Journey — which arrived last year as an '09 model — joins the growing cadre of crossovers, a segment that is growing rapidly as consumers move away from traditional SUVs.
Crossovers are the hottest family-haulers on the market, mostly because of their fuel economy, which generally is much better than that of the truck-based SUVs that were so popular for more than a decade.
The Journey comes in three trim levels, the base SE, midlevel SXT and uplevel R/T, and prices range from $20,925 (plus $675 freight) for the SE to $29,335 for the R/T all-wheel-drive model.
Our tester was the SXT with front-wheel drive, with a base price of $23,925. With freight and options, the test vehicle rang up at $27,110, but it came with the key amenities that most consumers want.
Journey can hold up to seven people when equipped with the third row of seating.
Dodge aimed the Journey at a broad range of consumers, from young singles and couples to families and even empty nesters, many of whom have grandchildren and occasionally need the third seat. As with most three-seat vehicles in this class, the third row is limited to two people and is best suited for children.
Five adults can sit relatively comfortably in the first two rows, although the middle seat would be better for two on a long trip.
Cargo space abounds, including bins in the floor and under the front passenger-seat cushion. In the floor behind the front-row seats are storage bins that can hold 12 cans of beverage — on ice. They are waterproof and have latchable lids and removable, washable liners, making them essentially built-in coolers.
Among the Journey's standard safety features are front seat-mounted side air bags, roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for all three rows, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and electronic stability control.
Options include a back-up camera and all-wheel drive. Front-wheel drive is standard and offers the best fuel economy.
The base engine is a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder, which produces 173 horsepower and 166 foot-pounds of torque.
It's connected to a four-speed automatic transmission for the North American market and is it is EPA-rated at 19 mpg city/25 highway in the Journey.
The top engine is a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 235 horsepower and 232 foot-pounds of torque. This engine is standard on the SXT and R/T models. It's connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. In the front-drive models, EPA ratings are 16 city/23 highway; with all-wheel drive, they drop to 15/22.
The V-6 engine, while not having as much horsepower as its key competitors, nevertheless was powerful enough for everyday driving. The four-cylinder, though, should be adequate for most uses and offers the bonus of the higher fuel economy.
All models have a smooth, carlike four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts in front.
The all-wheel-drive system, which is not intended for serious off-road use, is offered only on the SXT and R/T models.
The Journey has Dodge's signature crosshair grille with the Ram's head logo. Other exterior features include quad halogen headlights. Optional are fog lights and 19-inch wheels. At the rear is a single-piece liftgate; and with the 3.5-liter engine, there are dual chrome-tipped exhaust outlets.
While the five-passenger seating arrangement is standard, and was included in our test model, the third seat is available on all trim levels. On the SXT, the third seat comes as part of the Flexible Seating Group ($995), which also adds a tilt-and-slide center seat that allows for easy access to the third row, automatic climate control and rear heating/air-conditioning controls.
The Journey's rear doors open 90 degrees for easy entry and exit. The seats are arranged theater style so everyone has a good view forward.
With the tilt-and-slide feature, the second row of seats can move 4.7 inches front to rear to give adults more legroom or to bring kids closer to the front seats.
This was the first vehicle in the midsize crossover class to have integrated child booster seats, a $295 option that puts two of these seats in the middle row and also adds daytime running lights.
Cloth seats are standard on the SE model, but optional is Chrysler's new YES Essentials stain- and odor-resistant upholstery. But that fabric was standard on our SXT model. Leather upholstery is standard on the R/T.
Other standard features include Chrysler's Chill Zone, which uses the air-conditioning system to help keep four beverage cans or bottles cold in the upper level of the glove box; and an AM/FM/compact-disc audio system with six-disc changer, MP3 playback and Sirius satellite radio. There also is a jack to allow connection of an iPod or other audio device.
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