Autoblog

Click the image above for a gallery of the 2009 Dodge Journey.

Dodge's next entrant into the Crossover soirée will come in under $20,000 when sales begin in the first quarter of next year. The base model 2009 Dodge Journey SE will be priced at $19,985 (including the $625 shipping charge), equipped with a 2.4-liter inline four sending power to the front wheels.

The 3.5-liter V6-equipped model with a six-speed automatic is available in SXT or R/T trim and comes in at $22,985 and $26,545 respectively. Both top-end models will be available with all-wheel-drive, with the SXT priced at $25,530 and the R/T coming in at $28,295.

All the pricing and trim details are available after the jump in Dodge's press release.

click above image to view high-res gallery of the Dodge Journey

Chrysler fired its biggest salvo yet in the CUV wars by officially unveiling the Dodge Journey in front of a throng of mildly interested in journalists. Truly, if you've seen one CUV, you've seen them all, and the Dodge Journey is all kinds of derivative. Coming from the automaker that brought us the Viper, Charger, Magnum and Challenger Concept in recent years, the Journey's design comes off as eminently safe. Perhaps Dodge is playing to the middle with this one, hoping to boost sales by appealing to the masses. What will sell the Journey are some of its clever interior storage solutions, including two bins in the floor directly behind the front seats, and more storage underneath the front passenger seat cushion. While the Journey could seat seven in a pinch thanks to its optional third row, it's obvious after having seen it in person that those venturing aft must be small and limber. What won't help the Journey is its powertrain lineup, which includes a 2.4L World Engine four-cylinder with unimpressive fuel economy, a 2.7L flex-fuel V6, and a 3.5L V6 that produces a meager 235 HP. The latter mill is mated to a six-speed automatic, but is still noticeably underpowered compared to other 3.5L V6 engines offered by its competitors while not delivering an appreciable gain in fuel economy to make up for it.

Europeans, however, can also choose 2.0L turbo diesel producing 140 HP and 229 ft-lbs. of torque, which is then mated to a trick dual-clutch six-speed automatic. Sigh... the grass sure is greener over here in Frankfurt, at least for Dodge Journey customers.

It's car debut week, apparently, for Autoblog Podcast #76. As we start winding up for the car show season, news is beginning to break. We start with the Ford Verve, Ford's B segment concept that will be the new Fiesta in Europe. It will be coming to the US, as well, even though Ford Europe's designers didn't imbue it with the three-bar grille. Just send it. We also saw the production result of Chrysler's JC49 in the surprising Dodge Journey CUV. It's got some very cool packaging in the interior, and the styling is successful, if not heart-pounding. Cross your fingers that it doesn't get saddled with the same materials in the rest of Chrysler's interiors - you know, plastic that makes milk jugs laugh. We finally got to see the Jaguar XF sans camo, too. Let's hope it runs like a scalded cat (with the AJ V8 in supercharged and naturally aspirated forms, it should do pretty well), because it's got the face of one. The amalgam of borrowed cues work well together, and it's a huge improvement from the overtly retro S-Type. Maybe it will serve as a tipping point, moving Jag from a nostalgically styled brand to a bolder, more cutting edge look, Last but not least, we're competing in the 24 Hours of LeMons. We've got an '88 RX-7 that's going to get torn to shreds. We can hardly wait, look for updates on the preparations, as we head toward the event on October 20th and 21st. And we're out - 44 minutes of punditry.


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click above image to view new high-res pics of the 2009 Dodge Journey

We're still divided on our feelings about the 2009 Dodge Journey, and after reading the comments can tell that many of you are, too. To help us decide one way or the other, Dodge has released some new pics of the CUV, all of which show the vehicle being driven on the open road. Truthfully, these shots were conspicuously absent from the batch we received when the Journey was unveiled a few days ago, as it always helps when judging a design to see it in the environment we expect it to be used.

The design of the 2009 Journey is by far the safest introduced by Dodge in a long time. This is the brand that brought us the Charger, Avenger, Nitro and Caliber, all of which stand out in their segments for better or worse. Perhaps Dodge knows that the CUV market is ripe, and just offering a product in the segment will attract sales. With that in mind, they may have settled on the design that was least offensive to the masses in order to maximize sales.

[Source: Dodge]

click above image to view high-res gallery of 2009 Dodge Journey

Meet the 2009 Dodge Journey, a new crossover from the crosshairs brand that will debut early next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. Why the international debut? The 2009 Journey will be an international vehicle, sold both in the U.S. and Canada, as well as markets outside North America. The new Journey is one of those vehicles that wants to look like an SUV, haul stuff like a station wagon and ride like a passenger car.
Known by the code name JC49 for months, the Dodge Journey is actually based on an Avenger chassis with a wheelbase lengthened 4.9 inches. That provides extra room for an optional third-row seat for "occasional use". The Journey also includes some clever features like a large storage bin beneath the front passenger seat cushion, as well as two in-floor bins behind the front seats big enough to carry a 12-pack each and some ice.

Dodge designed the Journey with a traditional crossover look, eschewing the amped up machismo look of many recent Dodge looks. Of course, the monochromatic R/T looks the best, especially wearing 19-inch wheels. The interior of the 2009 Journey is also not traditional Dodge fare. While we can't comment on how the materials feel, it does appear the Journey is sporting new switchgear, and a lot of it. The audio and HVAC controls are a barrage of buttons that could be intimidating to some.

More info after the jump, along with VIDEO, Dodge's full press release and the gallery of high-res pics below.

[Source: Dodge]