Fiat's version of the Dodge Journey goes by the name Freemont. It is a large and spacious cross between a van, station wagon and suv for seven passengers. This is now also available with four-wheel drive, but it is only available in combination with an automatic transmission. It offers a lot of comfort and flexibility. Driving characteristics in the background, and the price of 36,850 euros is not the lowest.
Fiat version a big one seven-seater it is adapted to the European taste, the tester had a Fiat unit under the engine. In terms of design, it is closely related to the American, also because the Italians were in a hurry, as they were planning good sales results with Freemont in Europe.
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The American influence is felt
The robust and muscular look is an American recipe that can "ignite" in Europe as well, especially since the look has been upgraded with versatile utility. Basically it is mounted on 17-inch wheels, behind but they shine LED lights. It measures 4.88 meters in length, the wheelbase is 2.89 meters, which is a guarantee of comfort in the interior, which is always intended for seven passengers. There are so many seats. They are missing let's say electrically sliding tailgate, which we expected quite a bit considering the final price of the vehicle, especially considering the American roots and the American way of life and preferences regarding cars.
A real seven-seater
The seats are arranged in three rows, each of them is slightly raised for better viewing. In the third row, thanks to the rear doors, which open wide to an angle of 90 degrees, easy entry, but the elderly will have problems due to the high step to squeeze into the third row, which is not exactly luxurious with room for the knees. The driver and passenger sit high on the front seats, which are ergonomic, unfortunately there are not three seats in the second row, but like the third row, it folds into a flat bottom. Trunk you can from the basic 167 liters easy increase to 427 or 1461 liters, if we knock down the second row as well.
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It's for fun the bench in the second row is longitudinally movable, and the side seats can be quickly raised and transforms into child seats. Another trick with the seats is found under the driver's seat, where it is large storage drawer. Usability improves even more twenty landfills, which they swallow a total of 138 liters trinkets.
Regarding equipment in the foreground, advanced technology is missing
Americans like to emphasize size, which confirms it a touch-sensitive screen with a diagonal of as much as 11 centimeters, and practically everything can be controlled by touch, even in series tri-zone air conditioning, which can also be operated using classic buttons. An image with reversing cameras for parking assistance that works with front and rear sensors, a picture does not spoil with high resolution. We praise good and loud audio system, the materials are softer and more pleasant to the touch than we know in models intended for the American market.
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However, he did not get rid of his American origin. The air conditioning is regulated in the back far away from the hands of children, as the console is attached to the ceiling, there is only one steering wheel lever, It is a "manual" brake in the case of freeomont "foot", which is difficult for the European buyer to get used to. Among the otherwise rich list of equipment with the exception of the camera no state-of-the-art advanced safety aids, such as detection of vehicles in the blind spot, chassis stiffness adjustment or radar cruise control. Safety is ensured with ESP systems, six airbags, anti-rollover system... standard equipment also includes fog lights, cruise control, keyless unlocking and start, anti-theft alarm and anything else you could find. However, there is more equipment than the average for the class, and excesses are to be found in the leather upholstery and electrification of the driver's seat, which is not perfect. The angle of the backrests must still be adjusted manually by the driver
Due to the mass, a more powerful diesel is necessary
It was under the hood of the tester the more powerful of the two two-liter four-cylinder diesels with 125 kilowatts, who has to fight with a weight of more than two tons. The good side of the unit is that it is tall torque 350 newton meters, which is already available at low revs, which improves the flexibility of the engine and solid acceleration, but also economy. The latter is better in the case of a manual gearbox. The automatic transmission in the tester during dynamic driving gives the feeling that the power is being transferred to all four wheels too slowly, then a lot of noise penetrates into the interior of the vehicle, which only increases with speed.
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Top speed it is relatively low, 183 km/h. Surprise fairly straightforward hydraulic servo the steering wheel, which is adapted for European drivers, is only disturbed by its size, which requires adjustment. Unlike large European SUVs, it is less agile and manageable when cornering, there is too much lean. With comfortable damping, it excels on the highway and poorly maintained trails.
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She was on the test circuit consumption 9.1 liters of gas oil, with the manual gearbox we used almost a liter less on average. The price of the tester is 36,800 euros, with the oa discount it is 2,500 euros lower. Cheaper and a more rational choice is a combination of an equally powerful aggregate and manual gearbox, which transmits power to the road on two wheels. It is from a four-wheel tester cheaper by almost five thousand. So we would prefer the latter, since the automatic transmission does not excel, and the four-wheel drive would be needed so rarely that it is not worth paying extra for it. Also, departures from well-maintained roads due to the relatively "big belly" will not be very frequent for the vast majority, that's why think about whether you really need AWD, or are you only paying for something that is nice to have, but is rarely used.
Price of the test vehicle: 36,290 euros, with discount: 33,790 euros
