When the Dodge Journey debuted here in the U.S. market a couple of years ago, it looked decent from the outside. Sadly, the interior was pretty atrocious and the performance and fuel economy were mediocre at best. For 2010, Journey buyers can get up to 37.3 miles per gallon, combined, at least if they live in the UK. Meanwhile, Americans are stuck with Chrysler's unloved 2.4-liter I4 or the old 2.7-liter V6 with EPA numbers of 19/25 mpg or 16/24 mpg respectively.
How do the Brits do so well? Diesel of course. European-spec Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles are available with diesel engines. The Journey gets a 2.0-liter turbodiesel I4 with a choice of 6-speed manual or Getrag dual clutch gearbox (DCT). It's possible to get a 2.4-liter gas engine, but almost no one buys that so it doesn't matter. For 2010, the manual transmission diesel drops CO2 emissions by 5 g/km and DCT is cut by 10 g/km. In both cases, the vehicle now drops into a lower tax band (based on CO2 emissions), which reduces registration fees for owners. Perhaps Fiat will one day allow Americans a chance at a diesel Journey – along with a new interior.
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