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Journey Back To Dodge With The Journey R/T
There’s station wagons, there’s SUVs, there’s people movers. Then there’s the Dodge Journey/Fiat Freemont twins. A SUV look with people mover capability, station wagon style room and in R/T spec, rear seat DVD screen entertainment for (presumably) the kiddies. Punted along by a 206kW/342Nm 3.6L V6 engine alongside a six speed auto, there should be little to dislike. I “journeyed” to the Australian Alps and dragged the family along for the ride.
It’s a good sized veehickle, with a 4.9m length, 1.7m height and 1.8 metre overall width encasing over 1.4m of shoulder room for the front and 
mid row seats; yes, it’s a seven seater (an option) body however 
the test car came fitted with five, allowing some useful cargo space at the rear.It’s a user friendly and family oriented device, with washable storage lockers in the floor behind the front seats (ideal for canned drinks), one in the seat itself under the passenger seat cushion and where the rear seats in the seven seater would be. There’s enough here to suit some finely chopped firewood…At the front is the aforementioned 3.6L engine. Although 342 Nm sounds reasonable, it has to haul around a kerb weight of over 1900 kilos and with two adults, tow kids, luggage, it doesn’t mind a drink. The 78 litre tank was drained at a best of around 9.5L per 100 kilometres and at worst, you’d be better off towing a fuel station behind you. With such a relatively low torque figure, through just six speeds and inside a vehicle that’s not exactly a lightweight, unfortunately consumption will be in the negative. If Mitsubishi can offer a seemingly 
miniscule 2.2L diesel with 360 Nm that kicks off from around 1500 revs (peak torque from the 3.6L is high at over
4300 revs), then surely there’d be something suitable within the Chrysler/Fiat family? The transmission itself was mostly smooth, however sometimes felt, at certain rev points, that it was being strangled, holding gear and refusing to shift up or down and extra engine work was required, plus there were some clunks and shunts, almost as if something wasn’t meshing properly. There were some instances of thrashing from the engine, almost as if the revs needed to overtake weren’t being fed properly to the transmission when the loud pedal was prodded loudly.
The exterior is solid, bluff, squared off and looks somewhat masculine with the front bumper being pumped out at the corners, housing the driving lights and a integrated skid plate in the centre. The Dodge family grille bisects a squared off headlight cluster before leading into a not unattractive profile, wrapped in premium pearlescent paint, before finally finishing in a workmanlike if blocky looking rear, whilst rolling on “tuning fork” 19 inch alloys. Of note are the wide opening doors, with the second row opening up to 90 degrees and allowing superbly easy access and egress. On top was the optional sunroof, sadly not used during the cold weather however the R/T does get heated wing mirrors. The meaty and leather wrapped tiller is on a reach and rake adjustable column, and if it was heated as well, I couldn’t find the switch. All seats in the R/T are leathered up, with the second row adjustable for angle and and can be moved forward and aft as well. 
Vision from the driver’s pew (leather clad and heated, thank you kindly) is broad, obscured to the rear by the fold down DVD screen when 
in action. Perhaps rear seat passengers would be better suited with headrest screens as that’s a real safety issue. What isn’t an issue is the 8.4 inch navitainment touchscreen; it’s largely intuitive, controls most of the onboard functions and is linked, in the R/T’s case, to a thumping Alpine audio system with a decent depth and clarity. DVD playback is also visible when the car is in park however the controls didn’t seem to always work in conjunction with the disc menus. Set and forget aircon for the rear seats, LED lighting a another storage locker in the mid row centre fold down add value to the family package.
The GPS system was also largely user friendly however the search parameters seem a bit arse about when dialling in an address. For the 
driver there’s a handy info screen, operated by steering wheel mounted buttons, with info such as fuel consumption, messages from the bluetooth linked phone and tyre pressure. That last one made a lot of difference as the front left seemed well under the other three. Going from 28 psi to 36psi helped the ride, especially with the load onboard. Having said that, with the usefulness of the rear under cover cargo space coming into play, on the 
Pacific Highway on NSW’s south coast, the rear did bottom out onto the bumpstops a few times thanks to the undulations. Under normal circumstances, the meaty rubber (225/55/19s) provided grip like superglue and it’s mostly neutral handling. Feedback through the tiller is reasonable but sometimes felt isolated from the road, feeling s omewhat numb on centre although loads up nicely offcentre. Noise from the tyres and wind was fairly muted, allowing good conversation levels and, for the kids, no need to ramp up the quite nice sounding headphones. Dive and squat were well controlled under heavy braking and hard acceleration plus body roll was minimal when tossed around. The brakes themselves lacked bite, however that could be more to do with the 2000kg plus load they needed to haul in.
At $36500 (RRP + ORCs) for the R/T ($32500 for the SXT), you’ll get a three year/one hundred thousand kilometre warranty and service 
intervals at six monthly cycles. It’s extraordinarily good value with the DVD, plenty of room and trim levels, but let down, badly, by the “hole” in the fuel tank and the occasional indifference of the transmission. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a flexible, usable, family vehicle but one that could improve with the option of a low revving, torquey, diesel, a diet and a less restrained transmission.
For info: http://www.dodge.com.au/vehicles/journey
For pricing options, speak to your Dodge dealership, or contact Private Fleet and for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q35Xrn_KahI&feature=youtu.be.
To The Winter Wild…
As we head towards the end of the 2013/2014 financial year and you’re all looking at new cars and contacting the friendly, knowledgeable staff at Private Fleet, it’s also the end of the first month of June. The southern part of Australia is being swept by an almost Antarctic blast of cold, high speed winds and with the Australian Alps copping snow in levels that haven’t been seen in years, it’s apt that we take a look at driving in winter.
First up, tyres. These are, criminally, the most underrated part of any car on the road. Tread depth is the first thing to have a look at; check out the outside and inside part of the tread, is it worn, looking feathered? Across the tyre, does the tread look shallow, the rubber shiny? Just about any tyre retailer can assist in giving you some idea about this even if you don’t know the first thing. Then there’s the tread pattern itself. Cheaper tyres tend to have both lesser quality construction and average tread patterns, effectively offering up a less than ideal compromise when it comes to handling. Better brands will be designed to give better grip, with the tread (or block) pattern holding on better.
Oil change time is a given; oil comes in different “weights” and oils designed for winter or cold climate usage will have a W in the code. If you were to pick up, most commonly,a five litre container of oil with something like: 10W – 30, it means that the first number is rated for the viscosity of the oil under winter conditions and the second at 100 degrees Celcius. This is called a multigrade oil and the higher the second number the THICKER the oil will be. It’s more likely that your car will already have multigrade oil in it, but a yearly (or even six monthly) change will go a long way to looking after your engine.
I’m sure we’ve all heard of spark plugs and these little fellas can be responsible for making your car run smoother when they’re new. When everything else is running as it should be, a properly set spark plug can measurably help in the overall efficiency of the fuel consumption. Sure, they may cost a bit, but it’s money well invested and, over a longer period of time, will give you more value than the equivalent once off cost of a night out with a good dinner. Part of the cost goes towards the actual material used, such as platinum or neodymium, rare earth metals that have an astonishing cost per kilo. There’s also “heat temperature” range plugs, designed to burn or ignite across a range of combustion temperatures and tend, nowadays, to be for older generation cars.
When we drive we should be looking through a nice and clean windscreen, however when it rains, even a little, we should be using the windscreen wipers. But if they’re old, they’re accumulated dirt, possibly become brittle and may scrape against the glass, which will then make it more prone to sludge and dirt not being easily washed away. Periodically you should also be checking your wiper fluid levels and putting in the proper cleansing agent (Windex is NOT considered the right one). You may have noticed, as you drive around, how many vehicles seem to have faulty indicators. When a bulb is blown the ticking noise you’ll hear inside the car will be quicker, a simple sign something’s not right. Any auto electrician can sort you out and remember, indicators are NOT fitted as an optional extra. Same goes for headlight and tail light bulbs; have someone stand a few feet from the front and rear of the car, turn on your headlights and flick between the parkers to low to high beam. Use the brakes and if any bulb is out, visit your local auto sparky.
Driving a car safely is one thing, driving a safe car is another. With weather conditions during winter so changeable, a few simple steps to check out your chosen chariot could make a lot of difference to fuel consumption and, importantly, the safety of yourself and others on the roads.
End Of Financial Year Sales
It’s that time of year again, where manufacturers and their dealerships do their best to lure you into the office and sign on the dotted line, with that signature an offer to buy a new car. There’s always savings to be had, especially on vehicles about to be superseded such as the Nissan Dualis but beware, not all vehicles are easily available and think about service costs as well.
Before you go shopping at a dealership then come back to Private Fleet, set yourself a list of what you want versus what you need. When, in a previous life, I was a car salesman, I was at one dealership that sold four brands. We would have people come in and ask for a diesel, automatic, people mover and immediately head to a petrol, manual five seater SUV….why? Because it was close to $16000 cheaper, BUT it wasn’t what they asked for. At another dealership I had some potential clients, a family, shopping for a car for mum and dad. The car they were looking at was a small five door hatchback. No problem with that, the problem was that they were morbidly obese and restricted quite severely in their movements. The car they were eyeing off was unsafe and unsuitable. Another thing to think about is the distance you drive and considering most people use their car to drive to and from work, the question will be either petrol or diesel. Diesel certainly has a couple of immediate advantages, being a flat cost (not subject to the price cycle petrol inexplicably has) and economy. However, if you drive short to medium distances constantly, the diesel engine’s particulate filter isn’t brought up to the correct operating temperature and will end up clogged, potentially causing engine damage.
In the city or micro car class there’s a few cars to think about, such as the Mitsubishi Mirage, Suzuki Alto, Nissan Micra or Hyundai’s i20. These cars tend to have small engines, around the 1.2L capacity so can be quite frugal. However, as they’re intended to be used in urban areas, they’re generally not considered ideal for country runs. Another thing to look out for here is the transmission. The Australian obsession with automatics is generally brought up straight away, however most of these kind of cars tend to only come in manual as the torque output makes a traditional auto useless. The growth of CVTs (constant variable transmission) in this class is rising though, allowing more choice. Then there’s the type of fuel they run; the Alto is specified to run only on Premium, which at the peak of a price cycle can make the running costs considerable. For something like the Mirage, which is powered by a three cylinder engine, it comes standard with a five year warranty and requires a dealer service only once a year, saving on costs. And then, like any car, there’s the choice of paint. This is one of my personal bugbears; with so many cars offered in a broad range of colours and having virtually all of them in a metallic paint, it seems ridiculous to ask for an extra few hundred dollars.
When it comes to small cars there’s always plenty to choose from, with the Mazda3 competing against the Toyota Corolla, Kia Cerato, Hyundai i30, Holden Cruze, Toyota Yaris and more. This is where some savings can be found but not, in this case, with the Mazda and Toyota. Why? There relatively new and not readily available, therefore dealers aren’t prepared to negotiate as hard on these volume sellers. Holden’s Cruze is now into its Z Series mode, which hopefully indicates an update isn’t far off as it’s dating badly against better and more value packed opposition.
In the SUV class there’s a car for everyone; Mitsubishi’s Outlander is petrol or diesel or hybrid and comes in five and seven seater configurations. Holden’s aging Captiva is close to the same, with five and seven seats and either petrol or diesel, however the Captiva’s age counts against it. Nissan has the new X-Trail so there’s no doubt a few of the still brand new but superseded version around and Ford has the Kuga, Kia the Sportage (due to be updated soon) and the sister car, Hyundai’s ix35. Kia offers capped price servicing for five years but Hyundai currently offers just three.
In the mid sized category Holden’s Malibu has been struggling against cars such as the Toyota Camry. 
It’s not a bad drive but hasn’t inspired people to buy it nor is it as fuel efficient. But, as a result, dealers will be more eager to help you into one, as will Private Fleet. The next step up is the Commodore/Aurion/Falcon trio, still exceptionally good cars although the market has shifted towards SUVs. Holden’s decision to drop the pricing on the VF Commodore has helped move plenty of metal however the venerable Falcon should be a consideration as Ford would be willing to sell as many Falcons as possible, especially with the new and, sadly, final model, not far away now. For a bit of a sporting look and feel, the XR6 should be a serious consideration, especially with the automatic being available, if you twist the sales manager’s arm enough, for the same price as the slick shifting manual and there’s capped price servicing to consider.
For the tradies there’s the usual suspects to consider, with the locally made utes due to finish in the next couple of years there’s some good buys out there, plus, in the 4WD style, the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton are due to end their current model cycle very soon, so pricing on them will be sharp. Mitsubishi are doing driveaway pricing on the Triton and a cashback offer, in an effort to entice buyers back to the older chassis. Ford’s Ranger is a cracker and has suffered from a relative lack of supply, but now there’s benefits available for those looking at this Blue Oval ripper. With increased supply and sharper pricing from some competitors some fancy negotiation can help you save some dollars. There’s the Colorado/D-Max twins to consider as well but take them for a drive first and benchmark them against better on-roaders like the Amarok.
As always, Private Fleet is here to help you look for a new car and will do everything possible to get you the best price. 
Powerflaw: Outlander PHEV
Technology is a wonderful thing, especially when it goes hand in hand with common sense. It’s when something simple is overlooked, not designed well or just plain forgotten that technology bites. Hybrid cars are a great example; use a battery pack and electric engine or two to power the car along, use a petrol engine to back it up and charge the battery when required. Plug it in overnight….except, with the Outlander 
PHEV (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), it’s potentially impossible for over 90% of Australian homes. You see, Mitsubishi provides the PHEV with a charging cable suitable for 15 amp power sockets; however, where the car is expected to reside, Aussie homes, this idea immediately hits a bump as virtually all homes have 10 amp sockets… 
This immediately reduces the potential this car is expected to have by a massive factor, as the idea of a hybrid drivetrain is to try and reduce fuel consumption. But if you can’t charge 
the car overnight by a cable then you’re solely reliant on the 2.0L petrol engine fitted to be the battery’s generator, which uses fuel. The Outlander PHEV gives you the option of running the petrol engine as a charge unit or allowing it to kick in and out, almost seamlessly, when required. Given that there’s little charge in the battery without the plug in bit,
guess which other option uses more fuel? Mitsubishi’s official ADR figures quote 1.9L per 100 kilometres, from a reduced in size 45L tank. In the space of four days, including pickup from the dealership to home (say 70km) and including a return run to Canberra and back, over a tank and a half of fuel was used, with a worst figure seen of over 12L/100km. The expected range from a full charge is said to be 50 to 60 kilometres, so you can see the lack of a suitable for most Australian homes charging cable really hurt.
A Wheel Thing was handed the key to the Outlander Aspire PHEV, complete with satnav, electric seats and sunroof. Like all Outlanders of the current design, there’s plenty of room for the front seat passengers and easily two on the back seat, it’s mostly ergonomically well thought out, 
with dials and buttons pretty much where you’d expect to find them. Of note, at least in this household, was the placement of the interior door handles to open the door. Almost every instinctive reach would result in a look to see where it was, feeling as if it’s an inch too low. There’s adjustable height seatbelts, with the plastic shroud on the test car provided vibrating and rattling. Plastics are of good quality although the shade of grey on the doors is unusual. The dash 
display is modified to show the drives in operation, fuel usage and expected range from battery and petrol, accessed via a button on the dash just above the driver’s right knee. Instead of a tacho or rev counter, there’s a dial that gives an idea of being in economical or charge mode. The petrol engine itself is barely noticeable when on charge mode but becomes quite buzzy when utilised for acceleration. It’s no rocket engine, with maximum power and torque, 87kW and 187Nm, both coming at 4500 rpm, whilst generator power is 70kW. Ride quality is decent although there’s a definite sensation of mass at 1800 kilos (kerb weight), with the the suspension (McPherson strut front, multilink rear) absorbing most bumps well, although the short throw travel of the front is noticeable at low speeds over bigger speed bumps. 
Rubber is 225/18/55s wrapping some very tidy looking alloys. Of some concern is the electric tailgate; there’s a button on the keyfob to raise the tailgate but it failed to activate in around 80% of attempts. Of more concern is the fact that the ‘gate also failed top open at the press of the normal rubber pad in half of the attempts, requiring a lock and unlock of the doors to reset.
The drive system is a combination of two electric motors, with 60kW and 162Nm each, mounted front and rear (the PHEV is still off road capable) along with the aforementioned petrol engine. Transmission is a single, fixed gear automatic, with acceleration under full throttle being leisurely yet linear. The Outlander PHEV is fitted with a 
regenerative braking system, with energy being fed back to the battery under braking or rolling downhill, with the amount of brake adjustable via two paddle shifts; in this case they adjust the “grab” from zero to quite a bit and each step can be felt on the press of the up or down paddle. The actual engagement of the drive system is simple: foot on brake, hit start, move the fighter jet joystick to the right to select Drive or Reverse, go. Just ahead of the selector is a 
Park button, push that and push the stop button and your journey is done. As usual there’s Mitsubishi’s safety suite, including collision avoidance, driver’s knee airbag, hill start control and reverse camera. The satnav is seen on a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen, which folds out to access the CD drive, plus there’s Bluetooth and USB media. The driver’s seat is oddly uncomfortable, even though fully adjustable it never seemed to be in the right spot and the squab has the driver sitting on, not in, the cushion.
The Aspire, in its own right, is a decent car with plenty of luxury style spec, as one would expect for a price in the mid $40K range, normally (Aspire diesel $46K). It’s around the $53K bracket in PHEV specification; it drives well enough, looks a bit better after a mid model freshen up but the lack of a 10 amp charge cable (Holden’s Volt comes with one standard) severely and seriously restricts its flexibility and therefore its useability.
For PHEV info:http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/vehicles/outlander-phev/faqs .
For pricing options contact www.privatefleet.com.au and for A Wheel Thing TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvJ4SXWrZ3g&feature=youtu.be
Level 2, 9 Help Street