All-New Dodge Journey Gets Cash-Back Offer

Releasing incentives on a brand-new model could be considered an admission of market failure. No automaker wants to do it, but sometimes it makes sense to help spur sales. A quick glance at Dodge's incentives page reveals the ugly truth: It's kicked off the 2009 incentive season with $1,000 cash back on the Journey, its first three-row crossover.

This is usually the time when we'd mock an automaker for producing a dud, thus forcing itself to roll out incentives on a 2009 model in March 2008, but perhaps some of the blame belongs to the down economy. We’ve seen cash back on brand-new models before, but it never makes the automaker look good.

Dodge Incentives (Cars.com)
Dodge Journey Rockets to First in Incentives (Jalopnik)

Dodge Journey Priced Under $20,000

Dodge’s all-new three-row crossover will go on sale in the first quarter of 2008 in a segment that is getting more and more competitive. Price will be one factor in buyers’ minds and Dodge hopes its base price of $19,360 will be an attractive point of entry.

That prices is for the base SE trim which comes with a 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine while SXT and R/T models come equipped with either a 2.7 liter engine or a 3.5 liter V-6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. All models come with stability control, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS and side airbags standard.

Full pricing below.

Up Close With the 2009 Dodge Journey

• I know from photos that the Dodge Journey looks pretty good, but for any new car — especially a Chrysler (including Dodge and Jeep) product — the interior quality is an important consideration. This is a new model and another chance for Dodge to step it up, and my first impression is blah. Overall, the materials don't knock me out.
  
  Oddly enough, the dash top is soft to the touch, but it doesn't look great. More often we see surfaces that look pretty good but don't pass the touch test. Most puzzling is the LCD screen, which appears at the bottom of the center control panel. This one appeared to be audio only and not a navigation system, but I'm not sure it matters. This is awfully low for a driver who's supposed to be watching the road. — Joe Wiesenfelder, 4:02 p.m.

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More on the 2007 LA Auto Show
2009 Dodge Journey

More Dodge Journey Photos, Info

Over the weekend we posted our first look at Dodge’s all-new crossover, called the Journey. While we were down on the name and the apparently sub-par interior, that doesn’t mean it’s not the right type of vehicle for the Dodge lineup. We’ve updated our photo gallery below with new images of the Journey in R/T trim with roof racks and the traditional red paintjob that Dodge always uses for new models. We’re also listing the available engine types and their respective fuel economy.

2007 Frankfurt Auto Show: All-New Dodge Journey Crossover

• Competes with: Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Veracruz, Toyota Highlander, Ford Edge
• Looks like: Dodge wasn’t happy with its Dodge Durango SUV or Magnum wagon, so it met somewhere in the middle on this one
• Drivetrain: 235-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic; 186-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 flex-fuel engine or 173-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder with four-speed automatic; front- or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Early 2008

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know the name would be so … 1980s. That’s right, the all-new crossover Dodge is hoping will compete with the Toyota Highlander and newcomers like the Hyundai Veracruz has the unimpressive name Journey, just like the 1980s rock band. Unlike most new crossovers on the market, the Journey comes standard with seating for five, with a two-seat third row optional. Having that choice is good for consumers, but before we start talking about the Journey — no, we can’t restrain ourselves from writing the name over and over — we’ll just point out the fatal flaw: It has three engine choices that are all less-powerful and just as thirsty as the competition. Perhaps the Journey will be to the gas station.

OK, enough of that. The new crossover has a nice look to it, with a profile reminiscent of the Dodge Magnum wagon and a much more pleasing shape than the bulbous Dodge Durango SUV. The interior, however, looks just as plastic-laden as most of Dodge’s current products we’ve tested. Without seeing the Journey in person we can’t say for sure that the quality is as poor as, say, the Avenger sedan, but the photos make us believe it is.

Instead of improving its interiors, Dodge delivers more gadgetry in the Journey. Like the Caliber’s Chill Zone glove box and the Nitro’s Load ’N Go floor, the Journey has a nifty new feature we’ve never seen before: There’s a drink cooler built into the floor in front of each of the second-row seats. Both can hold 12 cans of soda and ice, and can be removed and washed out. Oh, and the Journey has the Chill Zone glove box, too, just in case 24 cans of soda isn’t enough.