When CAR magazine was offered its very first Dodge as a long term test car, we happily accepted. It’s a second “first” for me, as last year I was in charge of our first long term Suzuki. The full test of this Grand Vitara 3,2 V6 should be published in the May issue as we still have to publish the BMW 3-series 2,0D first.
Although we were expecting the Dodge, a Journey cross-over seven-seater, to be the 2,0 CRD diesel version with double clutch gearbox courtesy of Volkwagen, what arrived was the 2,7-litre V6 petrol R/T version. This engine produces 136 kW with 256 N.m of torque, so is well up to lugging the long, sleek body along. Even better is the great V6 sound that the engine makes.
The seven seats are quite spacious although a couple of lanky teenagers said it wasn’t very comfortable in the rearmost seats. This is usually due to sitting right above the rear wheels where you travel up and down with the wheels instead of sitting between the front and rear axle. When we tested the Journey in November 2008, the seat leather was in two-tone brown and beige.
The theme has now been “Germanified” to black, which does look classier and less ostentatious, even if all black interiors can be a bit dreary. The Dodge gets its introduction in the April issue of CAR magazine.
