(October 24, 2010) AUBURN HILLS, Mich.  — The Dodge Journey has been one of Chrysler Group's attractions amid otherwise slim product pickings, offering a comfortable and stylish family crossover.

Dodge has announced some Journey upgrades for the 2011 model year that should make an already attractive mid-sized CUV even better.

The Journey receives a major performance overhaul with a completely redesigned and retuned suspension, and a new V-6 engine. A new interior should also add to the vehicle's appeal. And that’s not all. Journey also features the latest vehicle connectivity and customization with the Chrysler Group’s new PowerNet electrical architecture. Owners will feel like they have the world at their fingertips with the Journey’s available touch-screen command center, Uconnect Touch.

The Journey gets the new Chrysler Pentastar V-6 making 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Dodge says it delivers a 20 percent boost in power over the V-6 engine it replaces. And it is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Dodge says the Journey is nimble, composed and handles well in all driving and road conditions. Chrysler Group engineers improved routine ride handling by re-engineering the suspension geometry, adding new, improved premium tires and redesigning the steering for a more precise and coordinated response.

Drivers also will be treated to a smooth, quiet ride. Engineers reduced noise, vibration and harshness by installing new, premium sound-deadening treatments and insulation throughout the vehicle.

But perhaps the most rewarding surprise is Journey’s new interior. Dodge proclaims that customers will step into world-class levels of craftsmanship and comfort. A beautifully crafted one-piece instrument panel sets the tone.

A new, larger cluster with standard electronic vehicle information center is positioned in the center of the new gauges. It’s a full-color display backlit in Dodge red lights, giving it a soft glow unlike any in the segment. New, integrated center stack bezels are less angular and more sculpted, and designers softened the radius to make more room for the driver’s knees. The heating and cooling outlets are also redesigned to make them better looking and better functioning.

The center console gets a lot of extra cushion on the tilt-and-slide armrest. Lift the lid, and there’s a larger center storage bin with a 12-volt outlet and USB port where owners can hook up their MP3/iPod charging connections and hide them away.

As before, the Journey can be configured in a three-row format to accomodate up to seven passengers.

The Journey is built in at Chrysler Group’s Toluca Assembly Plant in Toluca, Mexico. It will arrive in U.S. dealerships later this fall.