New Dodge Journey shuns big MPV looks
Author: David Miles
Published: 20 August 2008
With the run up to the new 58 registration plate month of September now underway with finance offers, price cuts and lots of any incentives-to-buy the hard pressed UK car industry can think of, new and revised models are now appearing in car showrooms.
One of the more distinctive family transport model ranges now arriving in the showrooms is the new Dodge Journey, described by Chrysler UK as having the practicality of an MPV but doesn’t look like a conventional ‘people carrier’.
The front-wheel drive, five-door, Journey has a three-row, five + two seating layout but in style it looks a crossover between a high off the ground 4x4 SUV and roomy D-segment estate car, similar in length to a Ford Mondeo estate.
True to its all-American roots the Journey, like all Dodge models, has hard-line angular styling, muscular wheelarches, the distinctive upright front grille and overall portrays a brash in-your-face image. Journey prices start at £16,995 and rise to £22,995.
It is the Dodge brand image, together with high specification and competitive pricing, which has seen their sales rise by 60 per cent in the UK for the first seven months of this year to 2,643 units, most of them to retail customers.
The fledgling brand, consisting of the SUV style Caliber, the Avenger family-sized saloon and the Nitro 4x4, has only been in existence in the UK for less than two years and partners the Chrysler and Jeep brands,
In fact the growth of the Dodge brand has helped balance the books for Chrysler UK. Due to falling new vehicle sales and the public’s move away from large SUVs and fuel hungry cars, the Chrysler brand sales in this country have fallen by 16.4% and Jeep by 17.5%, but add in the additional Dodge sales and overall Chrysler UK is suffering a 5% reduction in registrations whilst the overall new car market is down by 3%.
Steve Mirfin, Product Manager for Chrysler UK said this week at the media launch for the Journey range, said, “The vehicle is aimed at young families who need an MPV but don’t actually want to drive one. For people who want a vehicle which reflects their own identity the Dodge Journey is the answer.”
He added that the distinctive Dodge styling, trendy and fun image, value for money comprehensive specification, clever seating combinations, useful underfloor storage compartments and crossover SUV and estate car looks answer many young families’ practical needs for an MPV type of vehicle, but without it looking like one.
Mirfin said that Dodge expected to sell around 500 Journey units in the UK this year and 98% of them would be the 2.0-litre CRD diesel model as opposed to the 2.4-litre petrol engine option, 40% would choose the new Getrag twin-clutch automatic transmission option and the middle of the range SXT specification should be the most popular.
At this stage in the rationalization process of the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep model line-ups Chrysler UK were unwilling to confirm the number of UK Journey sales for a full year until new Managing Director Federico Goretti has officially announced the revised sales targets to the UK dealer network in September. Under the initial model rationalization programme the Dodge Journey replaces the Chrysler Voyager in the combined brands’ line-up.
MPV registrations in the UK is one of only three sectors that has shown a growth so far this year, city cars and executive models being the other two. MPV sales have increased by 10% so far this year. The growth in the sector has come from fuel efficient, clever seating smaller and mid-sized models whilst the older and much larger people-carriers have dropped in popularity.
Mirfin added that the Journey would compete against MPVs such as the VW Sharan, Ford S-Max, Vauxhall Zafira, Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, Renault Grand Scenic and the Peugeot 807.
He said, “When compared with these models, with the price adjustment for specification taken into account, the Journey 2.0 CRD SXT Auto for instance priced at £21,195 was between 7.5 and 20% lower for the on-the-road price.”
See Also:
Click here for more Dodge stories
Click here for more MPV stories
Click here for more SUV stories
Specs, pictures and reviews of all MPVs on the roads.
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