Category: Large MPV 
Price Range: £16,995 to £22,995
Practical, easy-to-use rear-seating system: plenty of kit; good value for money.
Bouncy ride, unsupportive seats, noisy engine around town, poor handling.
It's not wonderful to drive but if you have a large family, the roomy cabin makes this MPV fit for purpose.
Dodge tells us that its cars are 'about young people having fun' but if you're looking for a car to ferry your kids about, you don't want them having too much fun - particularly on long journeys to the grandparents.
Children, and all the paraphernalia that accompanies them, demand a lot from you and your vehicle. Simply getting them into the car to embark on a harmless shopping trip can be a pride-swallowing drama and if your vehicle can keep that drama to an absolute minimum then the battle has been half won. The Dodge Journey, with its easy-to-use tilt-n'slide rear heads the enemy off at the pass and potentially embarrassing supermarket car park tantrums should be a thing of the past. And, it's got seven seats: the third row is no token gesture offering enough legroom for average-sized adults.
On paper the Dodge Journey makes an awful lot of sense as well: from £16,995 to £22,995 it's cheap, it's got shedloads of kit, the favoured 2.0-litre VW-sourced diesel engine's got enough power to do the job asked of it and it's reasonably frugal and clean.
There's plenty to choose from as well. There's a 2.0-litre diesel, a 2.4-litre petrol, three trim levels (SE, SXT and R/T) and three gearbox choices comprising five- and six-speed manuals and a six-speed automatic.
So where's the catch? The Dodge Journey has its flaws in the driving department and if driving pleasure is up there in your list of priorities Ford's S-Max is the default choice - the Journey simply can't compete.
Then there's the looks. Mmm, we're not sure. This is an MPV but the Journey definitely has that 4x4 look about it. That might appeal to some - indeed Dodge campaigns this as a major selling point describing it as a 'muscular family vehicle', but it is an awkward looking design. Still, if a 'muscle MPV' floats yer boat, then a Dodge Journey it is.
