Following is a description of my first couple of months and 10,000 miles of ownership experience. It's not intended to do anything other than provide my perspective as an owner, which may prove helpful to those looking at the Journey. I can be long winded, and this description is certainly a reflection of that habit. My apologies.
Vehicle
2010 Dodge Journey SXT AWD with Premium Convenience Group
Ownership Background
2 months and 10,000 miles at the time of this review.
Obviously I put more than a few miles on my vehicles each month, and about 90% of it is highway and Interstate driving. No towing. Mostly just myself, but occasionally occupants go along for short around-town runs. In the first 10,000 miles, I completed six long trips of 9 hours or more each way at 100% freeway at 75 mph. I live and drive at altitude, usually 4,000 feet or higher, and encounter little traffic. I use most of the amenities the Dodge offers with the following exceptions: Bluetooth, seat heaters (it’s summer, after all), roof rack, and AWD (again, it’s summer). Everything else has been utilized at some point.
Fuel Economy
Lifetime = 22.51 mpg calculated, 23.04 mpg computer
High = 24.12 mpg calculated
Low = 19.269 mpg calculated
Not bad considering the vehicle weight, aerodynamics, and motor rating. I use mid-grade fuel as recommended in the manual. I think it’s possible to average 25 mpg in ideal circumstances with no hills, cruising between 60 and 70 mph. Around town, in traffic, and in the hills the gas mileage tanks into the teens, which brings my average down. The mpg meter is one of the most accurate I’ve come across when compared to calculated values.
Interior
Without a doubt styling is subjective, but I’ll throw my 2 cents in. In this one person’s opinion the Journey is trying to be non-offensive. The dash feels 80ish, and some of the chrome accents look cheesy and reflect light into my eyes far too often, forcing me to cover the shifter or shifter trim with my right hand to stay in control. I’m actually considering texturing the chrome to reduce dangerous reflections. For the most part the interior is simple, straightforward, and non-obtrusive.
I have to give kudos to the engineering team for their successes in the storage department. The hidden cubbies under the passenger seat, under the cargo floor, and under the rear foot wells are awesome and I use them quite often. I do wish the foot well storage wells had a drain option for melting ice, but aside from that, the storage accommodations are fantastic. I tried the can cooler in the dash, but felt it made too little difference to be worthwhile, so I use the space for other purposes.
The chromed door release handles feel good and I don’t mind the finish since it never reflects into my eyes. However, I noticed that when you pull the handle at anything less than light speed, there’s an unnatural grating feeling, almost like something is grinding. I’ve noticed it on all four handles, and even in the new Jeep Cherokee. Must be a cheap Chrysler parts bin thing. The radio works well and sounds great. I’m taking advantage of the free Sirius membership and also have hooked up my iPod. No complaints here other than a dated looking but still very functional fascia.
The auto climate control works fairly well. I’ll adjust it +- a few degrees F between the cool mornings and hot afternoons, and occasionally manually raise the blower speed. For the most part, though, I don’t think about it and it does its job.
The seats are just OK. I have to periodically adjust my driver seat in a long trip to prevent aches and pains, but the power seat has plenty of position possibilities to do so. Usually seat comfort is not an issue for me. I think the seats, particularly the second row, could benefit from additional support and firmer cushioning, but each person is different and these are adequate for the price point.
The elbow rests could be softened to provide additional comfort and I’m thinking about adding a layer of cushion for my long drives.
I love how the rear seats fold. Easy to do and they lay down nice and flat. I especially appreciate the sliding and reclining rear seat to maximize cargo or people space when needed. Speaking of cargo, my cargo floor is starting to warp, so I’ll need to have that checked under warranty. The floor is divided into three sections, and the middle one is caving into the space below.
The interior LED illumination is both cool and helpful, especially the cup holder and foot well lighting. I really enjoy the folding passenger seat that allows me to prop up my feet from the back, and the 110v converter for plugging in my laptop charger. Great features all those are.
It’s quiet, too. NVH is nicely contained. Going over rough patches can unsettle some components which you hear in the form of a pop or crack, but no other unwanted noises to speak of.
Exterior
The front resembles the Grand Caravan minivan too closely. Dodge went way, way conservative when styling this CUV and it shows in lack of emotional impact or excitement on my part. It’s a bland blob that no one seems to notice. That’s probably a good thing for someone who drives many miles and prefers to avoid moving violations as often as humanly possible. The wheels are fairly easy to clean thanks to their clean lines and wide spoke spacing. I’ve noticed the white paint is pretty weak with a number of nicks already showing, and winter hasn’t even hit yet. It’ll be interesting to see how the finish survives snow control measures (salt, sand). Thinking about it, the bumpers are the most easily nicked, which might have something to do with the agents added for paint flexibility. Paint match between metal and plastic parts is decent (typically off by a shade or two with most manufacturers). Not as bad as Toyota, not as good as Audi.
The headlights are effective, the doors open wide, way wide in fact, and the door handles feel beefy. Speaking of wide opening doors, I recommend overseeing kids opening doors next to other cars. They’re likely to accidentally cause deep door dings to unfortunate neighboring vehicles when the door swings wide, wide open. Be careful on windy days, too. Those wide opening doors do help with loading cargo and people, though.
Performance
This part is where you’ll read the most negativity. The drive train is terrible as judged by myself compared to modern equivalents. It’s not like it doesn’t move or I’ve had mechanical problems. Quite the contrary. When I originally read the stats for the motor I was pretty optimistic, but in real life on real roads, the drive train handles more like an underpowered 4 cylinder rather than the 235 hp V6 it purports to be. The motor doesn’t hit a decent power response until 4,000 rpm. Getting into that sweet spot is laboring and staying there is a challenge. The transmission shifts at awkward times, and rather harshly at unpredictable times. Calling for power in the 20ish mph range is an exercise in patience as the tranny refuses to downshift and holds the same gear all the way to redline, unless you lift your foot the slightest, and then it will upshift into a zone with no power. That’s a result of the throttle response mapping which feels artificial and makes you wonder if the programmer had ever stepped away from the video console long enough to drive a real car.
Climbing hills sucks. The cruise control lets the vehicle speed wander +-5 mph before doing anything about it, and it won’t downshift enough to compensate for steep inclines. I’ve learned to override cruise control at the slightest incline, and the transmission wanders all over the place hunting for the right gear, which is never found.
I recently traveled to some local ski resorts for summertime fun, with about 20 minutes of canyon carving, and my companion, who is not a car nut like me, remarked how terrible the tranny handled the twisting incline. Even a non-car-person couldn’t understand why the tranny had to shift every few seconds. “Welcome to the Journey” I remarked.
I suppose I could drive with the autostick all the time, but really, I’m too lazy to do that. Give me a real manual tranny if that’s what’s required for the transmission to handle decently.
The suspension is also disappointing, but I’m adjusting. Driving it back-to-back with any number of alternatives will leave you wanting more from the Journey. It floats and bounces its way down the road and leans heavily through corners. It’s good for cruising since it won’t beat you up like a Nitro, but it does remind me of those big old American floaters of yesteryear.
Brakes are just OK. They stop decently, but they are wearing very, very quickly and leave as much nasty brake dust on the wheels as BMW (the worst offender for brake dust, in my opinion). What’s strange is how many of my accumulated miles are highway, and I’m already concerned about brake wear. I’m thinking the pads are simply undersized for a 4,200+ lb vehicle.
Steering needs upgrading as well. Turning the wheel in a parking lot while moving at very slow speed, like when pulling out of a parking space, creates a shuddering throughout the cabin. Once at speed I never feel a shudder, and the steering is otherwise linear and predictable. Occasionally I feel an oscillation in the steering wheel while cruising, but it’s intermittent and difficult to associate with any driving behavior or road condition in particular. Taking my hand off the steering wheel while it oscillates shows a side-to-side movement of about 1/4” taking place a couple/few times a second.
Reliability
So far so good. No complaints yet. I’ll keep an eye on the brakes, of course, and I’ll have the cargo floor replaced at some point. Aside from those two items, everything seems assembled well and I haven’t heard any rattles.
Summary
Given the price point of the Journey I do believe you get a lot of vehicle for your money. The conveniences, the storage options, and the overall vehicle size make for a compelling package. On paper it looks great. Even in the show room it’s not too bad. If basic transportation and interior flexibility are paramount to someone, then I would recommend the Journey. But, for me, I want more from a vehicle when it comes to the drive train and suspension. There are a lot of options in this popular category that I’d pay a little extra to get so much more enjoyment. Since I’ll be living with the Journey for the next couple of years, though, I’ll make the most of the useful features and learn to play nice with the drive train.
Your mileage, and experience, may vary.
