QuarterSwede

Metra does have a Turbokit to add a double DIN space where the climate control knobs are. I had it installed professionally and it works a treat. I had them put in a Pioneer AVH-4100NEX. Anyone who thinks the stock system is fine is out of their minds. The amp is muddy and the factory speakers are utter garbage. I ended up putting in Infinity Reference dash speakers, Infinity Primus 6x9's, and reused my old 5.25" Kenwood eXcelon speakers from my last car. Just need to add a sub. I will say that the factory UI is fantastic. It really is easy to use. The Metra Kit keeps the 4.3" screen and uses it mainly for climate control and system settings. So now I have climate always visible and my CarPlay UI in use constantly. I really like it.

Same. I was a bit miffed, I'll admit, when I figured out it didn't have it. Though the well is there taking up space underneath still. However passenger seat folds flat.[Edit] I have found mine does, indeed, have the seat that flips up and the storage bin! I had worked on the speakers and lost a bit to the bin that was sliding back and forth while driving. I was poking around the forum and found that the fabric latch pull is often tucked in and how to unlatch it from the back of the seat. I went under there and flipped the latch open. The seat opened right up! This year is starting out right!! Sorry OP. Looks like you'd have to change the seat out after all.

3 kids here too. We can fit all of them in the second row with the 15 month old behind the passenger seat and it isn't even all the way forward. He's in a Peg Perego without a base (belt goes over the top in notches designed for that use). My oldest son is in a fairly slim booster seat in the middle and my middle daughter is in a cheap Walmart front facing seat behind the driver. My son sometimes prefers the back. I sure do as they're hard to get buckeled when sitting next to each other.

Reeeeeeaaaaaaly. That's a damn shame. Stow-n-go is great but I'd gladly pay extra for the option to swap that out for AWD. I realize that would change the chassis. Still, it's a shame Toyota is the only (expensive) option for an AWD minivan.

I just got done installing my Christmas gift. 3.5" Infinity Reference dash speakers and 6x9 Infinity Primus speakers for the rear. I already had installed my old 5 1/4" Kenwoods Excelons in the front door. Now it sounds clean, tight, and punchy. All I need now is a sub to fill in the 20Hz-45Hz gap I've got. I'm thinking of getting the factory 8" sub mount and putting a Pioneer 8" sub in it. I'll use a Kenwood mono amp (small and great for the price) and be set. I just have to figure out where the hole in the firewall is.

Whoops. I meant Neon. Edited. Thanks.

I get that and I'm talking about at the factory, not at a dealership. I work in retail merchandising for a large corporation so I know all about that. Having a good educated guess as to how much some of these parts cost to make and the ease of coding is maybe why it irks me so much. I realize they offset the cost to cover R&D and such but I think it's shortsighted.I believe they'd do much better in the long run if they narrowed the trim levels down to 3, 4 with off road capable. - Basic (bare bones, mainly rental market and people on major budgets) - Well equipped (this is what they're pushing most people to anyway) - Loaded (literally everything) Exception: - Off Road (off road capable platforms could keep an off road trim. Not everyone wants it) It would save them a ton in configuration costs because it would give them a more efficient building process and simplify the buying process which customers would reflect on their customer satisfaction surveys.

Yeah. It's too bad because I believe they'd serve their customers better by making a lot of the cheap to implement features standard like Tesla does. Their customer satisfaction would certainly skyrocket which in turn would generate more customers. It seems they're an option though. It's on the parts list for sure. Thanks. It seems it's a fairly underrated car which is unfortunate as its one of Dodge's better ones. Now if they could only drastically improve the city MPG ...

The idea for my 2000 Dodge Neon was to drive it into the ground before I took on a car note (I've never had one more than 3 months). While I didn't literally acheive that goal a faulty temp gauge and heater that stopped working and wasn't the valve was the last straw. It was a great commuter car and had seen its transmission replaced, 156K miles, and desperately needed a new paint job. 2 weeks ago my wife and I walked into a dealership looking to buy a 2015 Crossroad they had on the lot for 2 months. It had all the features we wanted, leather seats, heated steering and front seats, 8.4" UConnect system, Auto headlights, remote start, etc. However, someone had bought it the night before. So we settled on a black SXT and had an aftermarket Pioneer NEX system installed by the dealer (3rd party but under warranty). I didn't get the heated package but it doesn't really need it anyway as it heats up quickly. In fact, I find it too hot most of the time even with the fan on 1. I swore I'd never buy another black vehicle after my black 99 Honda CRX Si without working A/C. Super fun car to drive ... I miss her. So I hope the A/C cools as fast as it heats. What I love: + Push button start is underrated. It's easily one of my favorite nice touches. Grabbing the handle and having it unlock is magical, especially when you have 3 kids. + It's super quiet (great sound proofing) for a very affordable vehicle. + The exhaust sounds fantastic. Has that guttural quality of expensive muscle cars. + It's smoother over pot holes than expected. + It's fun to drive. That 3.6L, 6 speed transmission, AWD give more power and grip than expected. Not sure why critics say it's just okay to drive. It's no BMW or Audi but I think it's been unexpectedly fun. Maybe it's the AWD that makes the difference. This is my first AWD vehicle. Only other regular experience is a 3.7L 4x4 Jeep Liberty (it truly has to much power). + It's effortless to drive. It feels like Dodge nailed that. It really is a man van. + The interior fit and finish is fantastic for the price range. Especially the black & beige two tone. + Telescopic steering wheel + The storage is great. + The door panels are incredibly easy to pop off. Adding my aftermarket speakers was a breeze. + Oil changes 3K to 10K miles depending on driving conditions. I'm used to changing it every 3K so that being the lowest end is excellent. + Under door lights were unexpected and surprisingly useful + LED brake lights. Things I don't like: - No oh sh!t bars. How is this NOT standard!? - No auto lights on my trim level. That's probably $25 in parts, if that. I'm tired of auto makers making cheap for them options only available on higher trim levels to upsell. - No auto wiper option at all. I drove a Ford Focus in Germany that had that option and it was freaking fantastic. One of those, once you've experienced it you never want to do it manually again, things. - No turn indicator on the mirrors like many CUVs and SUVs. Safety is a no brainier Dodge and that's a cheap option implement. Plus it looks cool. - The 3 blinks lane switch indicator can't be lengthened. I'm sorry folks but 3 simply isn't long enough for proper lane changes. It's a good option, just not long enough for me. 5 seems about right for my driving habits. - Stock speakers are absolutely horrendous as is the amp. Mopar hasn't gotten any better which is embarrassing considering I just drove a rental Hyundai Accent (super cheap) that delivered surprisingly good balanced audio. I'm changing out the speakers anyway but I didn't think stock would be that bad in the interim. Overall, my 2 week review is that I love this vehicle. I can't believe we got it under $20K base with low mileage. Even though it's more basic than what I wanted it's still one of my favorite vehicles that I've owned. My kids and wife also love it. It's comfortable, quiet, and easy to drive. Just what a guy in his mid 30's with a wife and 3 kids needs.

I'm not a fan of chrome on modern vehicle rims myself. I much prefer the alloy look over even the blacktop versions, although when done well it does looks nice. Chrome reminds me of gold teeth (cheesy).

We just got a 2015 certified pre-owned Journey SXT and one of the requirements I had was for the center stack to get upgraded (they didn't have an SXT that had the 8.5" UConnect in it). We could've gone for the 8.4" upgrade but the amp is muddy and it was $2500 without an aftermarket amp to clean it up. Stay with me here: My wife has a 2005 Jeep Liberty, which we love, and had a factory head unit that constantly ate CD's. On the third swap she finally asked me to put in an aftermarket head unit. I did and not only does it sound a lot better on the factory speakers but it never has had an issue with the CD player (thank you Pioneer). Back to the Journey, we decided to go with an aftermarket upgrade for $1600 instead (under warranty install). Now I've got a great Pioneer NEX head unit that I know I can trust to deliver great sound (sounds fantastic) and is reliable (this is my fourth Pioneer head unit). The only disappointment is the loss of the excellent factory climate controls which was replaced by a squishy aftermarket version that sits in the well in front of the cup holders. That's thanks to how Dodge designed the center stack guts. There isn't depth room for the head unit where the 4.3" display sits. It's a really aftermarket unfriendly design.

I disagree. The 1st gen Journey's had a boring interior that was reminiscent of earlier and simpler Chrysler vehicles. As a younger adult that really doesn't appeal to me. I love the 2nd gen interior though, especially the two tone black/beige one. Now they just need to make the exterior look as nice as the interior.

Unless you also need AWD and are unwilling or unable to pay for a $35K AWD Toyota Sienna. If Dodge made an AWD option on the Caravan we would've gone that route.