Is it an SUV or an MPV? The Dodge Journey is tough to pin down but think of it as an MPV that looks like an SUV and you'll be near the mark. It has strong practicality, a decently finished interior by American standards and is more exciting to look at that your average seven-seater. The driving experience is less impressive and the petrol engine option has little to offer.

There's nothing very trendy or dynamic about a seven-seat people carrier. One step down from a minibus and not too far removed from a full-blown Routemaster double-decker, these big MPVs are bought by people with vast, sprawling families that stubbornly refuse to fit into anything else. Recently, however, manufacturers have taken steps to minimise the frumpiness inherent in this kind of vehicle and with some success. Ford's S-MAX took a sporty approach, delivering attractive looks with a fun driving experience and now there's the Dodge Journey, a big MPV with off-roader overtones.

Don't get me wrong. It would be a brave or foolhardy individual that ventured off the asphalt in a Dodge Journey. The car is essentially a Chrysler Grand Voyager with a shorter wheelbase and is strictly front-wheel-drive. What it does have is the look of a 4x4 with its squared-off frontage, blistered wheelarches and roof-bars. It's certainly not your typical MPV shape.

The Journey is propelled by one of two engines, a petrol or a diesel. The 2.4-litre petrol option is nothing to get over-excited about and is included largely to deliver an attractive entry-level price and to sate those who still can't abide diesel. It has a respectable 168bhp at its disposal but with 220Nm maximum torque at 4,500rpm, it's well down on the low-end muscle of the diesel which produces 310Nm at 2,500rpm. The oil-burner is a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre direct injection unit with 138bhp. It's the pleasanter engine from a driving perspective but is substantially noisier than the petrol alternative.

"You'd have to say that the Dodge Journey drives like the big American MPV-come-SUV that it is.."

You'd have to say that the Dodge Journey drives like the big American MPV-come-SUV that it is. Many will read that as a damning indictment and sure enough the big Journey lurches and pitches around if driven with any fervour. It's comfortable on the straights though and so long as you take things easy, will be adequate for family use. The diesel engine is available with the twin-clutch gearbox pioneered by Volkswagen but it isn't particularly smooth and the six-speed manual that comes as standard is probably a better bet. The entry-level petrol model gets a five-speed manual 'box.

It's the interior that Dodge Journey buyers will be most interested in. There are seven seats and all present a decent amount of space so long as you're not intending to keep a pair of adults cooped up in the third row for any length of time. The all-important middle row is particularly spacious. It can be split 60/40 with each section able to slide individually back and forth. Access to the rearmost seats is also very good with a tug on the lever on the outside seats of the middle row prompting them to fold and slide right forward leaving plenty of room to enter with dignity. If luggage is your priority, all of the seats can be folded flat to present an extensive load floor. This includes the passenger seat which can be dropped down to further boost the available volume or give parents an unrestricted view to the little monsters in the back.

American cars don't enjoy a great reputation when it comes to interior quality but the Journey is amongst the best you'll encounter. It's not up with the leading lights in MPV land if you're after classy finishes and super-solid build but the design is pleasant and there's generally very little to complain about. The Journey also serves up an array of storage options including a pair of under-floor cubbies and some wide door bins shaped to hold a drinks bottle. The way the Journey looks externally will likely prove a key selling point with its off-roader styling cues creating a more dynamic impression than your typical seven-seat people carrier.

Prices for the Journey kick off at a very attractive level (from £16,995) and the old American tactic of supplying lots of metal for the money has obviously been central to the thinking behind the vehicle. Equipment is hardly lacking either with three-zone climate control, tyre-pressure sensors, a 6 CD stereo and electric everything all coming as standard. Another boon is the safety kit which includes ESP stability control and curtain airbags running the length of the vehicle.

Dodge would have us believe that the Journey is a 'crossover', a woolly industry term which you can take as meaning 'the best of both worlds' or 'neither one thing nor the other'. It depends on your point of view. In market terms it goes up against other seven-seat MPVs but aims to win sales with its 4x4 inspired styling and attractive value proposition. Dodge predicts that 2,000 buyers annually will take the plunge.

The diesel engine that's offered in the Journey is the one to choose if you're concerned with costs. The 2.4-litre petrol engine isn't the most efficient of units and its 32mpg with 209g/km emissions may initiate a few second thoughts. The oil-burner comes up with a far more creditable 43.5mpg and a 170g/km rating for CO2.

If you like the idea of a large MPV with its multiple seating and storage options but have been turned off by the less than dynamic image that these models also bear, Dodge might have the answer. The Dodge Journey is a seven-seat people carrier with exterior styling that's overtly off-roader in origin. The Journey can't offer a particularly sparkling driving experience but it's big, well-equipped and tightly priced.

Despite that 4x4-a-like exterior, the Journey is a conventional front-wheel-drive MPV and inside it has all of the features that buyers would expect. All of the passenger seats can be folded flat to create a level load floor and there are handy under-floor cubbies to keep everything neat and tidy. The driving experience leaves something to be desired from a handling perspective but the Journey rides well enough on decent surfaces and is perfectly comfortable on long motorway trips. We'd avoid the 2.4-litre petrol engine and choose the Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre diesel.

TOP 5 JOURNEY DEALS

The results below show the top JOURNEY deals on buyacar

	Dodge Journey 2.4 SE 5dr People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £308	Saving £987	Price £15,647
	Dodge Journey 2.0 CRD SE 5dr People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £319	Saving £1,080	Price £16,532
	Dodge Journey 2.0 CRD SXT People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £358	Saving £1,259	Price £18,310
	Dodge Journey 2.0 CRD SXT 5dr Auto People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £381	Saving £1,361	Price £19,384
	Dodge Journey 2.0 CRD RT 5dr Auto People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £1,522	Price £20,984

typical 11.98% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000