Category: Large MPV 
Price Range: £16,800 to £22,700
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.
The Dodge Journey simply isn't dynamic enough on the road and if you want performance, a compliant ride and decent cornering ability you'll steer clear of the Journey. The reality is the Vauxhall Zafira, Ford S-MAX and the Volkswagen Sharan are all better to drive.
The suspension is the main problem and it yields a very bouncy ride on pretty much all road surfaces. If you are on a less-than-smooth carriageway you'll feel the vibrations coming through the very flat and unsupportive seats and it's not pleasant. If you are on an undulating A-road that hasn't been maintained for a while you'll find the constant bobbing around monumentally irritating. It's just about tolerable in the front but if your kids don't have strong constitutions those sitting in the most rearward seats will be turning a shade of green after 45 minutes' driving.
It's not softly sprung, it's just that the suspension isn't complaint enough to absorb the bumps - they merely transfer the road inconsistencies straight through to the cabin.
The Journey is reasonably ok around corners: sure you'll get lots of body lean if you slam it into a bend, but at sensible cornering speeds it stays fairly flat.
The steering is well-weighted and feels a little dull, but the brakes feel solid and the gearchange smooth.
We tested the 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel and it offered decent levels of performance: it doesn't labour and if you need a bit of go to overtake those infernal caravanners there's easily enough torque (229lb-ft at 1750-2500rpm) at your disposal. It'll take you from 0-60mph in just under 12 seconds.
The SE uses a 2.4-litre engine which produces a maximum power output of 168bhp at 6000rpm and maximum torque of 162lb-ft at 4500rpm. It's more urgent than the diesel and if you plant your wellie on the floor with a manual 'box you'll complete the 0-60 sprint in 10.1 seconds.
