radon360

Aside from the fuel economy and obvious difference in tractive effort, one pro and one con to consider: Pro: The lifetime powertrain warranty covers it all. So although there's more moving parts, the warranty covers it. Con: After test driving a FWD and an AWD, I felt that the engine was noticeably pushing more drive train. The FWD has more get-up-and-go, in my opinion. Now a few words about traction anyway: If traction is a concern, remember that regardless of your drivetrain choice, the Journey comes with ESP (electronic stability program, or something to that effect) which will moderate throttle input and will brake the spinning wheel somewhat to help transfer the power to the other wheel(s). This can be a tremendous help when getting moving with slippery conditions. I know I may catch the ire of the AWD supporters, but I'll say it regardless. AWD is nice on slippery/icy conditions, it nearly eliminates tire spinning when getting started on wet or snowy road surfaces. In some designs, it can help with handling, particularly in cornering on a curvy road. But it does has two potential shortcomings. It can get you into trouble faster because it becomes harder to sense deteriorating traction conditions, which in a FWD configuration is more noticeable when your tire (singular) begins to slip when accelerating. Second, it doesn't help much with deeper snow conditions because the ground clearance isn't there as with the traditional 4WD SUV/truck. In fact, I noticed that the Journey AWD configuration appeared to sit about an inch and a half LOWER than the FWD, though I'll add the disclaimer that I was comparing an AWD R/T with the 19" wheels and touring suspension against a FWD SXT with 17" wheels and the standard suspension at the time. AWD cars around here seem to get hung up in snow drifting across a country road almost as well as 2WD cars. I live in an area that averages 60" of snow a year (with over 100" this past winter), but I still purchased a FWD. While admittedly I have a full-size 4WD pick-up to fall back on when conditions are REALLY bad, my past experience is that FWD is adequate to get around in most slippery conditions, particularly when there's traction control, ESP, or whatever alphabet soup acronym system that is helping to manage a reduced traction condition. The best thing you can do for winter, regardless of the drivetrain type is to put GOOD winter tires on.

If you do a 60 month repayment, figure roughly $100 for every $5,000 of car. I'd recommend that you go price one out at www.dodge.com using their vehicle configurator. It will give you the MSRP, plus whatever discounts are currently in effect. From there, go to edmunds.com, and enter same configuration as close as you can. It will give you a rather good estimate of what the invoice price is, as well as what something like what you want would generally go for. At that point, you should have a reasonable idea on what price you need haggle out with your dealer.

Going by MPG calculated from miles driven since the last fill, I'm getting 20-21 with my V6 SXT with daily driving (typically a 35 mile commute each way with a mixture of driving conditions). The dash computer is showing 22-23MPG. Past experience with my Rams has led me to believe that the onboard fuel economy display tends to exaggerate by a MPG or two. I have a bit of skepticism for anything over 24 MPG at expressway speeds with the V6...unless you're drafting a truck. B)

I've noticed something similar when making a moderate to hard left turn. It sort of reminded me of a cavitation sound in the power steering. Not certain as to where it's coming from. It could also be a problem in the CV joint. I only experience it in left turns though.

Look, there's some aspects that the reviewers did get right, but there's plenty they just chose to overlook or just plain got wrong. 1. The interior: Yes, it suffers from the same problem that afflicts all Dodge models right now. It looks cheap! It's not poorly put together, just the textures and choice of materials makes it look rather plain and uninspired. Combined with the fact that the Journey is designed to be setup as a right-hand drive vehicle (think foreign markets), the dash is rather symmetrical with the instrument cluster jammed onto one panel in the dash. The R/T spruces things up with a few simulated chrome accents, but by no means passes as a luxury interior. 2. The seats: I've read reviewers complaining about the seats as hard and unsupportive. I do not find this to be the case. Yes, they are not as plush and have the cushiness of a Lazy-boy, as perhaps found in the seats of some cars, but really I have to say that some seats are often made too soft to make up for a poor suspension system, and ultimately don't support you enough to properly drive. It's really a matter of preference, but I find that they're fine in the comfort department. A tangent on seating: The seats in the Journey sit higher off of the floor pan than any other crossover I tried. The first time I sat down in a Journey, it felt much like sitting in the seat of my Ram. With your feet flat on the floor, your thighs are horizontal, not up in the air. The leg room is ample in the first and second rows, unlike many of the imports. FWIW, I stand 5' 10". So, if you like how you sit in your Dakota, you'll probably appreciate how you sit in a Journey. 3. Fuel economy: Yes, it's a couple clicks below a RAV-4, but a RAV-4 is also several clicks smaller. I have the 3.5L V6 and am getting 20-21MPG with everyday driving, which I expect to improve slightly as the engine loosens up. They can say what they want about the economy, but the truth is that it's virtually inline with anything comparable. You want 30+? Start looking at cars, or the wannabe crossovers that have even a difficult time seating four. 4. Reliability: So it's a new model...so what? This closet skeleton never seems to go away like the notion of avoiding cars built on a Monday or a Friday. 3/36,000 bumper to bumper and a lifetime powertrain warranty (engine, transmission, CV joints). If reliability for some reason becomes an issue, you're probably not going to have to pay for it. The 3.5L engine isn't new, having been around for at least a decade, though mildly updated through the years. The platform isn't new either. It's the Avenger, with a slightly longer wheelbase. I think the reviewers often overlooked a lot of the little things that were originally rolled out in the Caliber, such as the "chill zone", rechargeable flashlight, and all of the ample storage compartments scattered throughout. The ride is very quiet, and quite smooth, even with the touring suspension and 19" tires. Acceleration is good for this type of car, and the engine noise at high RPM still remains just above a whisper (unlike the RAV-4 Limited I tried). Ultimately, you need to try one (or several differently equipped ones) out yourself. For the price, I think you'll be mildly impressed by the value. One last thing that may not be applicable (but was for me): I put my daughter's rearward-facing car seat into every vehicle I tried. Only in the Journey could I have the driver's seat all the way back and still not hit the car seat. In contrast, the Subaru I tried, not only could I not get the LATCH system to work, but the car seat still didn't even fit with the driver's seat all of the way forward!

Any strong transmitters nearby? Radio/TV stations? Ham radio operator? Someone with an illegal CB setup? Cable television lines strung nearby (virtually overhead). The fact that you mention that you had a difficult time with both transmitters would point to a problem at the receiver. Strong radio signals on adjacent frequencies is often a likely culprit. The next question is: Do you experience this problem everywhere you try it, or just in one particular area, such as at home?

If you've shifted a motorcycle (or a formula one race car), you already have the basics on how it works. Your instrument cluster has the typical P R N D on the lower right, with the gear circled. When you drop the shifter into the autostick position, number with the circle around it will appear to the right of the P R N D. The number indicates the current gear that the transmission is in. You can shift from drive into the autostick position at any speed, including stopped, and the autostick will be in whatever gear that the transmission was in when it was in D (fully automatic mode). To use the autostick, momentarily push the stick to the right to make the transmission shift up a gear, or push it momentarily to the left to shift down a gear. If you want to shift down two gears, for example, then you have to push the stick to the left twice. The number on the instrument cluster will change to show what gear you're in. Just as with a manual transmission, 1 is the lowest gear, 6 is the highest gear. One nice aspect, compared to a fully manual transmission is that the electronic control for the transmission is still watching over things, so you can't over rev the engine, nor stall it out, as it will make shifts for you if you top out in a gear. So don't be afraid to play with it...after the engine break-in. During the break-in period (first 300 miles), just use D, pay attention to the tachometer, and take notice where the transmission likes to shift on its own under various conditions. It will help you get a little bit of a feel as to what engine speeds you'll want to shift gears for the situation at hand.

I was reading on another forum and came across a comment about similar problems. They recommend updating the system software. I'm not certain if the dealerships are setup to do this (yet), but if you want to attempt it yourself, you can download the files and burn an update disk yourself at this site: http://mofv.com/mygig/ (Thanks to XPhyle for sharing this site). My only suggestion is that you are meticulous about the whole process and download the update that is specific to your radio type so that you don't brick your radio. -Ray

Thanks for the link! The Gracenote updates are particularly handy. Important note: Match the firmware (software, technically, since it's stored on a HDD) radio type with your radio type, which is the three letter code usually found on the lower right corner of the radio faceplate, usually something like RER, REN, REU, etc. depending on your model.

In addition to trailering and low traction conditions, I've found it to handy when setting up for a pass. You can put the transmission into a lower gear immediately before you make the pass instead of "surprising it" when you trounce on the accelerator. It's a nice feature, but still not as fun to drive when compared to a true manual transmission.

I see in the manual there is mention of a retractible, roll-up cover that will keep items in the back out of view. I asked my salescritter if this was an accessory that can be purchased, since mine didn't come with this piece. He didn't know and mentioned that he hasn't seen one come in with that particular feature. The accessories catalog mentions nothing about it. Anyone know if this is available or will be made available in the future?

Check the connector inside your glove box on the left side. Does this fit into your shuffle? It's supposed to fit into the iPods so that you can leave the iPod in the glove box and run it completely through the radio. I don't know what the connector on the bottom of the shuffle looks like, but I'm quite certain that it WON'T work through the USB port on the faceplate. That's only good for mass storage devices like USB jump drives and the like.

THIS IS ONLY SPECULATION: But if the camera system works like I have seen on aftermarket systems, the system switches over to the camera view when the monitor detects a video signal. The video signal is only present when the camera is powered up. Given the location of the camera, it's possible that it's powered from the back-up light circuit directly and not through the cable running to the radio. If this is the case, your only option is to separate the camera power from the back-up lights with a blocking diode, then add some additional means of powering up the camera by itself. Regardless of all of this, the camera tends to look down more than it looks back, so it's not very useful for anything beyond 25 feet behind the vehicle most of the time. If you're keeping an eye on a trailer, it might be helpful, but it would make for a rather poor substitute for a rear-view mirror with traffic, especially if you didn't get the navigation option which moves the screen to the top of the dash.

No. Your lifetime warranty is not endangered if you properly follow the 6k change requirement. Just be sure to have the 5 year inspection done to keep the warranty in force. I suspect your dealership either didn't read the service notes for the Journey or they're looking to get you into the shop more often. The technology in engine oil has improved to the point that it lubrication properties last longer and perform better (see link below). Additionally, engine machining tolerances have continued to improve over the years, resulting in less combustion soot getting into the engine oil. Seeing the increased interval doesn't surprise me, as it's becoming more commonplace on many other brands, too. I'm told that GM now recommends to change the oil when the car "tells" you to, which I am hearing is roughly 6 - 10k. My 2003 Cummins severe duty schedule calls for 7.5k (up from the 3,750 of the previous engine generations), even though I still change it about every 4k. There's nothing wrong if you want to change your oil more often, other than you'll be paying for it. If you plan on using synthetic, it would probably support the position of going with the longer 6k interval. One other thing about synthetic that I'd recommend is that you use the recommended standard oil (with no modifiers like Slick 50) the first change or two to allow the engine to fully break in. Although the initial break in is 300 miles, the engine continues to "loosen up" for the first couple thousand miles. Synthetic is sometimes "too good" of a lubricant and can prevent engine parts from properly seating. Story about oil change intervals: http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2...ange_intervals/