Dodge Journey

The Dodge Journey is the first crossover SUV of Chrysler’s Dodge division. Because the short-wheelbase Dodge Caravan was discontinued shortly before the introduction of the Journey, some say the Journey is replacing the short-wheelbase minivan, though the form factors are substantially different. It is similar in size to the compact Nitro but is priced well below the Nitro. It is the only Dodge SUV with an available four-cylinder engine, which is coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission. The Journey is being built at the Toluca, Mexico factory on the same assembly line as the PT Cruiser. The two vehicles can be made one after the other with no retooling lag even though they share few parts and are on completely different platforms and architectures. The Dodge Journey made its debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, and North American sales of the Journey will begin in February 2008, with European sales beginning in the summer of 2008. The 3.5 liter V6 is only available in North America, with the six-speed automatic transmission. Other markets will have the six-speed automatic transmission with the flex-fuel E85 compatible 2.7 liter V6. All wheel drive will only be available with a V6. A Volkswagen-sourced diesel engine will be available outside of North America with an automatically shifted dual-clutch manual transmission, which may be the first appearance of this transmission. The dual-clutch transmission was engineered chiefly by Chrysler, with some involvement from long-time partner Getrag, which will eventually be building the transmission in the United States.