2009 Dodge Journey

A late addition to an increasingly crowded crossover field, Dodge's handsome new Journey is surprisingly good

Go shopping for one of those newfangled "crossovers" today, and you'll be infinitely more confused than you might be shopping for a traditional, truck-based sport-utility vehicle. Some crossovers are based on cars; some are their own creations entirely. And instead of harmonizing around a few similar sizes, crossover vehicles have spread themselves thinly over every size category, from the relatively teensy Pontiac Vibe to the grosser Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

Somewhere near the middle of that baffling array of crossovers is the new Dodge Journey. Like some other medium-size crossovers--the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe come to mind--the Journey presents a tidier package than the largest vehicles in its class, while still offering three rows of seating. It's perfect for small families just starting out, Chrysler says, though older folks stepping out of larger SUVs might be attracted to it as well.

Now that Chrysler's out of the big-wagon business (it recently canceled the Dodge Magnum and Chrysler Pacifica), the Journey is its mainstay in a crowded group that also includes titans like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Subaru Forester and Saturn Vue. How does it measure up--particularly against the latter pair? Provided you don't go overboard on the options, the handsomely styled and crazy-functional Journey is a good choice, with a few notable flaws.

STYLING

There's little mystery in the styling of crossovers--take a wagon body and adopt some of the cues that define sport-utes, like wide wheel arches, a higher roofline, a taller grille and bigger lamps. Somehow, the Journey takes all these conventional steps and ends up being the most attractive vehicle spun from its basic set of mechanical parts.

The '09 Journey, you see, shares its flexible architecture with several other models, including the mid-size Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger sedans. The Journey not only sits a good bit higher than those four-door models, but stretches 1.7 inches longer, nose to tail, with an extra 4.9 inches added to its wheelbase, which now measures 113.8 inches.

It may not be as distinctive as the Nissan Murano, for example, but there's plenty to enjoy in the Journey's silhouette and details. The Journey's big crosshair grille is swept into big quad headlamps and carries a nice line over the top of pronounced wheel arches. Large taillights flank a lightweight, composite tailgate that's tastefully sloped earthward.

Inside, there's less happy news to report. The Journey's cabin is a touch better than the rental-grade Avenger, but only by a little. The Journey's been designed to be built for left-hand drive and right-hand drive, which dictates a squarish, old-fashioned shape to its instrument binnacle. Not only does the instrument package look inexpensive, it vaguely reminds me of the old Dodge Omni hatchback from the 1970s. The worst offense: the gauges themselves are slightly askew from the horizon set by the rest of the dash.

The brown plastic trim of our test vehicle didn't help matters at all. The center console is trimmed out in somber black buttons with a bare dash of chrome-look trim. The Journey's cabin is the rare case where the dash on the less expensive versions is a nicer proposition.

PERFORMANCE/FUEL ECONOMY

Click here to find out more! Depending on which Journey you take, you'll get either a four-cylinder or a six-cylinder engine. The four-cylinder is a 2.4-liter, with 173 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. It's a version of the "world" four-cylinder engine that Chrysler shares with Hyundai and Mitsubishi, and it's also found in the Dodge Caliber hatchback and Avenger sedan. It comes only with a four-speed automatic transmission, and checks in with EPA-rated fuel economy of 19/25 mpg.

We were unable to drive the four-cylinder Journey, and spent our road-test time mainly in the mid-line SXT model, which features a 3.5-liter V-6 with 235 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. This engine is also standard on the R/T version, which also offers optional all-wheel drive.