Dodge News

Mopar’s SEMA concepts bring a retro-styling twist, while highlighting Mopar accessories and parts.

One of Jeep's most successful ever marketing campaigns will be put out to pasture, with the focus to turn onto the brand's 75-year heritage in the lifestyle space.

Sales figures show our car market is becoming more like the US.

It's not only Jeep customers — such as the creator of the hit YouTube video "I made a mistake I bought a Jeep" — who are upset with the company's customer service.

The first shipment is gone but there are more on their way.

American Ram pick-ups will be on Australian roads in right-hand-drive soon — with factory-approved conversions by the company that builds Holden Special Vehicles.

A group of three Melbourne Jeep dealerships that allegedly received $2.495 million under former Fiat Chrysler Australia boss Clyde Campbell, is now taking the car maker to court for blocking the sale

Global Jeep bosses approved $30 million in spending in car industry scandal, new court documents claim

Owners of luxury European models and are up to four times as likely to be caught breaking the law compared to Japanese or Korean makes.Analysis of SAPOL and Transport Department figures shows Mercedes drivers are by far the worst in the state, recording 0.824 fines per vehicle in 2014/15.This compares to the least-fined of the large manufacturers, Isuzu with only 0.186 fines per car.Experts at a loss to explain the bias against luxury cars, and police have denied they give the drivers special treatment.Some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid accelerationIt is the first time the figures have become available because of a Weatherill Government reform called "open data", in which government departments are forced to release large amounts of information on their websites.RAA Senior Manager Road Safety, Charles Mountain said the nature of luxury cars, rather than driver behaviour may be to blame."Modern vehicles, particularly some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid acceleration and insulate the driver to such an extent that it may mask a driver's perception of speed," he said."Irrespective of the vehicle being driven, whether it be a luxury import or a reasonably priced runabout, it is important for their safety and that of other road users that they drive to the conditions and abide by the prevailing speed limits on the roads on which they are travelling."The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offendingWhen asked a series of questions about the issue, SAPOL issued a one line response: "The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offending".While Holden drivers amassed the most fines in 2014/15 with 72,847 there are 239,804 Holdens on the road.In comparison, Mercedes drivers were hit 13,157 times for only 15,959 registered vehicles.Only two non-luxury brands were in the top ten and six in the top 20 fined-per-registered-car for 2014/15.Other than Holden, which was the eighth most fined vehicle on the road, none of the large-volume, inexpensive makes is in the top 25 of most fined vehicles.There are some exceptions however, with the low-volume Dodge and Proton makes ranking second and third, Ferrari ranking thirty fourth and Jaguar thirty eighth.One of the cheapest vehicles on the road, the Chinese Great Wall is ranked highly at sixteenth.(Make - fines per car - total fines)1 Mercedes - 0.824 - 13,157 2 Dodge - 0.377 - 3183 Proton - 0.356 - 2684 Renault - 0.350 - 11495 Saab - 0.346 - 3886 Range Rover - 0.345 - 3517 Audi - 0.326 - 20748 Holden - 0.316 - 72,8479 Mini - 0.313 - 33110 Fiat - 0.309 - 31011 Daewoo - 0.305 - 147512 Jeep - 0.313 - 227013 Lexus - 0.293 - 95114 SsangYong - 0.289 - 21415 BMW - 0.284 - 503216 Great Wall - 0.284 - 290

Based on the topline Journey R/T, the Blacktop has a gloss black front fascia, headlight housings, split-crosshair Dodge grille and exterior mirrors. Our favourite is the one with a full black body, but it's also offered in other colours, the red and black edition looks pretty good as well.In American talk Dodge Journey is a minivan. It comes with either two or three rows of seats and the ability to carry up to seven adults. Four adults and three children is a more realistic load, but that's not unusual in this class.The second row seats three and can slide back and forward to let you juggle either legroom for those in the back or vary the people/luggage space ratio. Entry and egress to the third row seats isn't too bad, but those who are getting on in years may find it a struggle at times. Foot-room in rear isn't particularly good, again suggesting the area is really best left to kids.Though it's relatively large by Australian standards, the Dodge Journey is easy enough to driveThe second and third row seats each sit slightly higher than the one/s in front, giving good visibility for those occupants. Some drivers' rearward vision is restricted by the higher rear seats and their large headrests. So make sure to adjust the door mirrors to fill in the blind spots.There are plenty of stowage areas for various items, including two bins under the rear floor, one in the floor of the rear compartment. The backrest of the front passenger seat folds down leaving a work area for a laptop, etc.Though it's relatively large by Australian standards, the Dodge Journey is easy enough to drive, though forward-side visibility is hampered by large windscreen pillars that sit a long way forward of the driver's seat.As the Dodge Journey R/T on which the Blacktop is based is an upmarket machine it comes with satellite navigation, leather trim, heated front seats, keyless entry and start, a reversing camera as well as rear parking sensors, automatic headlights.The multimedia system uses an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The second-row overhead 9.0-inch video screen with wireless headphones is a big hit with the junior travellers.A turning circle of almost 12 metres can make manoeuvring in carparks a real problemPower comes from a V6 petrol unit with 206kWr and 342Nm, transmitted through a six-speed automatic.Handling is competent enough, but there's not a lot of interest for the sporty minded person. Unless the driver does something really silly they aren't likely to get into trouble.A turning circle of almost 12 metres can make manoeuvring in carparks a real problem, the aforementioned visibility problems could aggravate this.Journey's safety items include multi-stage driver and front-passenger airbags, active anti-whiplash front seat head restraints and an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP).The Journey is a versatile vehicle that's packed with practical featuresDodge Journey is built in Mexico to a reasonably high standard. It has a good paint finish and panel fit, but the trim materials aren't always as neat and accurate as in Japanese and Korean vehicles.The Journey is a versatile vehicle that's packed with practical features. The Blacktop adds excitement so those who need to carry more than the average number of people and who enjoy an active lifestyle may find it fits the bill nicely.Dodge Journey is now on sale and has a recommended price starting at a pretty reasonable $38,500.You may also like to consider the Fiat Freemont. A close cousin to the Dodge Journey it has styling changes that give it a more Italian flair. (Chrysler / Dodge is controlled by Fiat these days after getting into serious financial difficulties during the GFC.)