NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Alluring to Kiwis

By Jacqui Madelin
Herald on Sunday·
11 Oct, 2008 03:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Dodge Journey. Photo / Supplied
Dodge Journey. Photo / Supplied

Dodge Journey. Photo / Supplied

KEY POINTS:

What's new?

The Journey is the first Dodge to offer widespread appeal to Kiwis.

Very soft-roader in dimensions (similar to the Ford Territory and Toyota Highlander), it's a front-drive wagon with three rows of seats, family-friendly features and a pair of engines powerful enough to cope without gulping fuel at too greedy a rate.

The company line

Macho looks with family-friendly performance; Dodge expects to make the Journey its biggest seller here, although that's not difficult given the current line-up. Marketing manager Stephen Bowater says the R/T will be the most popular.

What we say

The $39,990 SXT base car is impressive. The central second row makes a better armrest than a regular seat, but the Journey offers three rows of pews, with the rears easily accessed and all or any folding flat into the floor.

We'd go for the SXT, powered by the 2.7 V6 petrol engine with 136kW and 256Nm, mated to a six-speed auto. Claimed thirst is 10.3l/100km - and I saw 10.9 at launch.

The $45,990 petrol R/T offers more goodies such as heated leather seats and bigger wheels, as does the $51,990 2.0l turbo diesel, with its 7.0l/100km thirst and double-clutch auto transmission made with Getrag. Cheaper to run, but it'll take a while to make up the price premium.

Still, the Journey is family-friendly. There's stain-resistant seat cloth, six airbags including three-row curtain airbags, ESP and ABS, as well as electronic roll mitigation and trailer sway control. That means the electronic nannies will detect the boat trailer is starting to fishtail, and use brake and throttle control to bring it back into line.

On the road

The punchy diesel is well-matched to the clever transmission, but the petrol also does a decent job of shifting this big wagon. Neither engine will set your undies alight but they will accelerate or overtake happily and offer quiet open road cruising.

Otherwise, forget flabby Americans; the Journey gets a tighter, Euro-flavoured suspension tune. It's not an incisive corner carver but that's not what family-friendly wagons are about. It's a comfy ride, with not too much noise on our coarse chip roads which bodes well for when the Journey hits New Zealand on October 23.

Why you'll buy one

You'll like gizmos such as the optional $3500 MyGig entertainment system with its reverse camera and ability to keep the kids happy via DVDs or PlayStation, plus Bluetooth headsets.

If you need a big wagon, you need the adaptability of fold-flat seats, yet standard MPVs look too boring and you don't need thirsty 4WD. You will appreciate the storage: the can-chillers, underfloor bins, rechargeable LED torch and so on.

Why you won't

If you want four-wheel-drive, or a true three-seat second row; you don't like the cheap-looking dash plastics or the diesel's hefty premium.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM
New Zealand

‘Rare opportunity’: Wellington’s floating boat cafe up for sale

16 Jun 06:01 AM
New Zealand

'I’m gonna see you burn at the stake': Paramedic bit partner on the nose, then strangled her

16 Jun 06:00 AM

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Why Kevin Costner says he'll never stop working
Entertainment

Why Kevin Costner says he'll never stop working

16 Jun 05:33 AM
Vietnam lawmakers abolish district-level government
World

Vietnam lawmakers abolish district-level government

16 Jun 05:27 AM
Tasmania police officer shot dead during routine duties
World

Tasmania police officer shot dead during routine duties

16 Jun 05:23 AM
'Loveable rascal': Family, school mourns 6yo boy lost in boat tragedy
New Zealand

'Loveable rascal': Family, school mourns 6yo boy lost in boat tragedy

16 Jun 05:18 AM
50-year secret unveiled: Gardener who murdered pensioner had killed before
New Zealand

50-year secret unveiled: Gardener who murdered pensioner had killed before

16 Jun 05:01 AM

Latest from New Zealand

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM

What started a fatal house blaze in Waihī is still being investigated.

‘Rare opportunity’: Wellington’s floating boat cafe up for sale

‘Rare opportunity’: Wellington’s floating boat cafe up for sale

16 Jun 06:01 AM
'I’m gonna see you burn at the stake': Paramedic bit partner on the nose, then strangled her

'I’m gonna see you burn at the stake': Paramedic bit partner on the nose, then strangled her

16 Jun 06:00 AM
'Loveable rascal': Family, school mourns 6yo boy lost in boat tragedy

'Loveable rascal': Family, school mourns 6yo boy lost in boat tragedy

16 Jun 05:18 AM
How one volunteer makes people feel seen
sponsored

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search