smitty77

Haven't tried but oddly enough was wondering the same thing. I ave a 2010 AWD SXT that I was very briefly contemplating bringing out to the Cape Cod National Seashore but am too chicken to test it myself.

Everything counts, even wet bathing suits and sandy beach blankets. A few opinions/pointers if I may: -- Having a trailer with a dry weight close to the vehicle's GVWR towing rating is asking for trouble. Everything you want/need for a week worth of fun can add up to a substantial weight. -- Two big concerns when towing are trailer sway and stopping power/control. Towing at or above your GVWR limit greatly increases your chances of having problems controlling the trailer in a sway or panic stop. As someone who has been in a near-catastrophic trailer sway situation (as a passenger) I can tell you there is nothing more scary than a trailer that is trying to drive your vehicle. There are methods to correct sway when it happens, but the safest measure is to not tow more than the vehicle is capable of. You can also mitigate this problem by having sufficient tongue weight, by using load-distributing hitches, and using trailer brakes and a brake controller. -- If you are towing beyond the Dodge's GVWR and are in an accident, you can be cited (and possibly ruled at fault) if you are exceeding weight recommendations in a number of areas. GWVR, tongue weight, vehicle (!) GVWR, GAWR (gross AXLE weight rating) etc. Even towing without a weight-distribution hitch if the weight of the trailer calls for one. Most people don't take into account all of the gear/people crammed into a car for a weeklong vacation. If you're fully loaded down and towing a trailer, you could potentially exceed your vehicle's weight rating. -- There's been many reports of Dodge using a sub-standard braking system on these vehicles (some say the pads and rotors are borrowed from the smaller Caliber). That fact alone wouldn't fill me with the utmost confidence that I can safely bring a trailer that heavy to a safe stop in a panic. If it were me, I would be looking for a GVWR of 3500 pounds or less and I would CERTAINLY be asking to take my short-list of choices on an extended test pull to be sure your comfortable towing it. Good luck and let us know what you get and how it pulls. We love our Journey!

You have the AWD version, right? If so, I wouldn't expect it to do that excessively as the manual states the AWD system shift power to the rear under hard acceleration. You might get a little pull in that case. If you just have the FWD I would say it's common - our '02 PT cruiser would do that with reckless abandon when you let out the clutch and put it to the floor. For a little 4 cyl you could squeal one tire really good, but you also had to be mindful of an unanticipated lane change especially if the wheels were pointed anywhere but dead straight. It was strong enough to jerk that wheel around in your hands if you weren't ready for it.

For what it's worth, my REQ radio came Sat-ready and activated form the dealer. I also have a Sirius subscription for two other stand-alone units, and was curious if they would throw me a bone and credit my account if I agreed to add the new car onto my current subscription now instead of after the trial-year of service. I'll try to sell it as Sirius gets a guaranteed 3rd radio added to my subscription, or I'll just let it lapse and move my stand-alone back and forth like I did for the previous 3 years. I doubt they will, but am going to try anyhow.

Same here, streaking the day after we drove it home (and I bought it with 5 miles on the ODO around Thanksgiving). Crappy wipers for sure. I'll deal with it for a little while until the snow is gone and get some new blades in the spring.

We upgraded from a 2002 PT Cruiser, which I heard is a similar ride to the caliber, and I can say this vehicle is far above the PT in terms of quiet and comfort. I had no complaints with the PT, we owned since new for 7 years and it served us well, but this is a much nicer ride (IMO) for not a lot more money. Like you, we got it for the extra room with 2 growing kids, all of their activity gear, and carting mom-in-law around on the weekend. We really grew out of the PT over the years, and while we wanted the 7 passenger Journey, I got a deal too good to pass up on a deep-water-blue 5-passenger. It seats 5 comfortably, even with 2 kids in booster seats. The cargo space is enormous compared to the PT.

Yeah, mine does it too (2010 SXT with 3.5L V6) and it drives me a tad nuts. My 2005 F-150 will hold at the speed, +/- 1mph and will only run away from itself on long downhill grades greater than 5%. The Journey will drop at least 4mph before it shifts. And it bugs be how stretched 6th gear is and yet only give 20-22 mpg on the highway. The slightest incline has the car wanting to shift when not on CRUISE, and after a few seconds it shifts back up to 6th. Thank goodness for the autostick! When the car downshifts on a longer hill I just pop it into "manual" and hold it in 5th until it crests the hill. I lose a few tenths on the mpg, but at least it doesn't shift 5 times while getting to the top of the incline. Other than that, I'm really happy with the new ride. Avoided a near t-bone collision the other night using a hard swerve to the left and then right, using the opposing travel lane to avoid the idiot who didn't think his STOP sign applied to him (thankfully no on-coming traffic!) and the Journey handled like a pro, felt totally under control through the incident. No tire squeal or any indication that the stability control was required, despite the aggressive maneuver which shook up my 7 y/o enough to cause a few tears (the same kid who LOVED the GM Test Track ride at Disney...)

As a rescuer, we used to carry seatbelt cutters for this "emergency" and I NEVER had to use one, nor have I known anyone that has. The release mechanism ALWAYS worked. Not to say that it won't happen, but your chances of being thrown from a car in a rollover are much greater. The outcome for passengers that leave the vehicle, whole or in part, during a rollover event are rarely good. Up here in the northeast, we already had one icing event this fall where I saw 9 accidents on my 1:20 commute to work, 4 of them were upside down. I log 45k-50k miles a YEAR, so my risks of having a crash are far greater than most. I hedge my bets that the only sure way to get home to my 2 kids is to wear the seatbelt. That, and it's the law in Mass and Conn. They even set traps on off-ramps in CT and pull you over then and there for your ticket - $50 plus "unsafe driver points" for your insurance. OUCH! Back on topic, I know my F-150 has a procedure written in the manual to turn the warning chime off, and you can do one or both front seats. I didn't see one in the Journey's manual, but may have missed it. Does anyone know if such a procedure exists?

And take your chances with some of the idiots on the road? I trust the belts a lot more than I trust the doofus in the lane next to me who is on his cell phone and shaving-while-driving in rush hour traffic. Like motorcycles, it's not your own driving that you need to worry about, it's everyone else on the road. A co-worker got hit head-on while driving to work at 3am by some girl high on drugs. He tried to avoid her at the last minute and she clipped him in the drivers fender/door area at roughly 60 mph, and separated the front corner of the bed from the frame. He was driving a fullsize pickup and suffered 4 broken ribs, a concussion, and took 13 stitches to his head despite wearing his belt and the airbag. Looking at the wreck you never would have guessed he was able to call 911 himself. I used to work on a rescue ambulance and have cut more than a few folks out of wrecks and I've seen a huge increase in the severity of injuries to those not restrained. Even with the airbag you'll bounce off of a few things (usually the A-pillar) in an accident. The evidence that they work and save lives is overwhelming, and you may only get one chance to learn the hard way, but in the end it is your choice. Stay safe and keep the shiny side up! Matt

If you're looking to keep the crosshairs, I like 3 better than 2. 2 looks too busy, IMO. I like #1 the best, makes it look a lot like the Ford Flex from the front, which I think is an awesome looking ride. Just my opinion though. Let us know which you settle on, and post some pics!

A co-worker has to turn off his traction control in his Ford to make the steep climb up his driveway in the winter - lots of speed and wheelspin are required when it's snowy or icy. Think of it this way - when your wheels spin the ESP senses this and slows the wheels, and if the wheels still spin the car slows some more. Eventually you hit a stale mate where you push on the accelerator and get wheel-spin at 2 mph and the car won't move. Yes this will occur, I've seen it happen. Other instances are when you're stuck and want to "rock" the vehicle, and sometimes a little spinning is essential to get up some momentum to free yourself. Instead you're fighting the ESP until you disable it.

I'll second what BLM said. We live a tad further south in north/central Massachusetts, so we get a little more ice and mixed precip than they do in Vermont where it's mostly snow. We ran Blizzak REVO-1 tires on my wife's PT Cruiser and it made a world of difference! Traction on packed snow and ice was outstanding! Most everyday tires are branded M+S (mud and snow) or "All Season" but there is no comparison to the traction offered by the softer rubber compound of winter tires, IMO. And the REVO-1 doesn't have a super-aggressive tread design so they ride and handle about as good as all season tires. No annoying humming on the highway at all. We just bought a 2010 AWD SXT and I'm torn over getting through the first winter with the factory Kumho's (only 370 miles on them right now) or to go out and get a set of Blizzaks. We don't drive much in the snow, but with the AWD we might be more tempted. The REVO-1 are now are now referred to by a different name, but here's the write-up at TireRack.com: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+REVO+1 And TireRack is awesome to deal with. I bought tires from them twice, and the service has been excellent. Shipped by UPS ground and they arrived on my doorstep in 2 days for the snows. My summer combo of alloys and BF Goodrich tires came in 3 days, mounted and balanced by them. If you look for deals, they're often cheaper after shipping than most local shops around me for the same tire. Good luck! Matt