Viewed from the front, many Yankee SUVs are shaped in that Rambo-butch styling with truck-like grilles, the Dodge Nitro being a classic example.

In line with its crossover positioning, the Dodge Journey instead has a softer looking 'crosshair chrome grille' while still managing to offer a rather bold and powerful feel.

That macho feel is mirrored in the cabin with touches of WWII dictatorial 'severe deco' detailing — massive, squared and dominant.

For those in the know, the R/T nomenclature normally meant the rampageous ’68 Dodge Charger R/T of ‘Bullitt’ movie fame. But much water has passed under the bridge since then with this soft SUV/MPV crossover R/T probably now more a Mom's taxi than anything else.

It is rather good at that function though, with a spacious 5+2-seat interior with a high level of flexibility and plenty of storage space.

So it might be an R/T, but there's no '425' Hemi V8 under the bonnet this time around. Instead you get a refined VW-sourced 2.0-litre turbo-diesel with high pressure direct fuel injection and variable-geometry boost.

With this set-up you'll impress every 'Green' with its frugal fuel habits and low 186g/km CO2 emission levels. Pity though that the rather effective six-speed dual clutch sequential gearbox at times gets confused when you floor the happy pedal at low revs — but thankfully it does assist in keeping fuel consumption in check.

And even though the Journey has a monocoque body structure, MacPherson struts up front and multi-link rear suspension layouts, road-feel still seems distant, especially via the numb steering feel with those slow turn-in qualities. It may also have a comfortable ride but this adds to some wallowing over humps at speed.

However the biggest let-down is turbo-lag which, thanks to the combination of our Reef altitudes, smallish engine, automatic transmission, turbocharger and corpulent 1680kg body, is a negative. In fact there is a gap of some two to three seconds to proper pull-off after the happy pedal is floored.

Also to be kept in mind is that in torque to weight terms, the Journey is no star compared to similarly priced rivals.

Safety features include multi-stage front airbags, low-risk deployment airbags for smaller and out-of-position occupants, front seat mounted side airbags and supplemental side airbag inflatable curtains.

Also in place is ABS, ESP, Brake Assist and Traction Control — the latter at times not that effective with the Journey's tendency to torque steer when the turbo does kick in just after pull-off.

What does seem rather odd though is the same model being available with a similarly powerful 2.7-litre V6 petrol powered engine at some R60 000 less. Even though the petrol consumes 3.3 litres more per 100km, it's going to take some very serious mileage before that eats into the money you saved opting for the V6.

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