Mother Proof's view

When I was little, my dad always carried a red Swiss Army knife in his pocket. I was fascinated by the amount of stuff in there – knives of several sizes, scissors, nail clippers, nail file, mini saw, corkscrew, bottle opener, screwdriver, the all-important (albeit totally gross) infinitely reusable toothpick. Every time he whipped that knife out it revealed a new feature I’d never seen before.

Just like a Swiss Army knife, the Dodge Journey is full of features I never knew I needed, but which now that I’ve had I couldn’t possibly live without. Let’s start with the important stuff: safety. The Journey has tons of safety features. Some of the standard ones include front, side and side curtain airbags (for all three rows), antilock brakes, an electronic stability system, Electronic Roll Mitigation, Trailer Sway Control and a tire pressure monitoring system. All told, the Journey has 35 safety features and a five-star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Swiss Army Journey strikes me as the perfect camping-mobile. For starters, for just $19.95 (OK, it’s a little more than that) plus shipping and handling, you too can have the following features, and Dodge will even throw in three free slicing and dicing vegetable choppers perfect for cutting veggie cubes to cook over the campfire! A few of my favorite covert, flip-out and fold-up tools stashed in the Journey include:

– In-floor storage bins in the second row: These lift out and are dishwasher safe. Throw your kids’ shoes in there after they step in feral cat poop during your hike, then hose the whole package down when you get home.

– Chill Zone: Located above the glove box, the Chill Zone has a panel that flips up to reveal a perfect spot to keep snacks (like trail mix with melty M&Ms) and drinks optimally cool.

– Flip-n-Stow in-seat storage in the front passenger seat: The seat cushion flips up to reveal a hidden storage bin where you can hide valuables (like iPods and video games) while out on the trail.

– Observation mirror: This mirror flips down from the overhead console to help you keep an eye on your backseat campers.

– Integrated child booster seats: A favorite feature of mine, pop-up booster seats limit the amount of seat-swapping that has to happen when you bring additional scouts along for the ride. The downside, of course, is that if your kids sleep in the car there’s no seatback to help with the inevitable and painful-looking head slouch.

– Park View rear backup camera: Available in the $695 Safe & Sound package, this feature is totally worth its weight in gold. With the Journey’s stadium seating, rear visibility isn’t great when all three rows are in place. You wouldn’t want to back over any porcupines (or kids).

– Remote start: Bundled into a $940 package that also includes heated front seats and an auto-dimming rearview mirror, remote start lets you start your vehicle before you even get into it. It’s great for getting a head start when trying to escape an angry mama bear, or for warming up your car before driving to school or work in the morning.

– Ninety-degree-opening rear doors: The opening these doors leave is so wide you can easily squeeze in that extra cooler that won’t fit in the already full cargo area, or, even better, a getting-larger-every-year convertible child safety seat.

– Removable flashlight: This is a great feature for finding that last square of chocolate you lost in the dirt and need in order to make the last s’more of the night (hush – that’s not nearly as icky as that nasty toothpick).

Like my dad’s Swiss Army knife, the Journey offers all that capability in a package that’s pretty bland in the style department. Form must follow function, though, and I can accept this crossover’s plainness for all its shockingly functional features. It’s campy, even if you just use it for camping in the driveway.

*For more information on the 2009 Dodge Journey and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5-7

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Good Times

Specs

2009 Dodge Journey SXT AWD

Base price: $24,905

Price as tested: $31,890

Engine: 235-hp, 3.5-liter V-6

Fuel: 15/22 mpg

Length: 192.4″

Width: 72.2″

Ground Clearance: 8.1″

Turning Radius: 19.5′

Cargo space: 10.66-67.64 cu. ft.

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: 5 Stars

Passenger’s side: 5 Stars

Side Impact

Front occupant: 5 Stars

Rear occupant: 5 Stars

Rollover resistance: not rated