First 2000 mile report

[Mopar54]

So, My odomoter crossed the 2000 mile threshold yesterday. I have to say I am loving the Journey thus far.

Some high points:

- Since I'm in sales I frequently drive around with papers, catalogs, manuals etc on the front seat. Flipping the seat up and placing all my documents in the storage area has elimnated the dreaded "slam on the breaks and watch your papers fly into the passenger wheel well" phenomenon that anyone in sales is all to familar with. No longer do I need a milk crate seatbelted into the passenger seat to organize my junk.

- I've done a couple long trips and the Journey has handled extremely well. Comfort is good, seats stay firm and comfortable throughout the trip.

- The Journey is at home piling up miles on the highway. The Journey is quiet, responsive and just a pleasure to drive. One thing that is a big plus is that I can adjust the seat height, and steering wheel position very well with the power drivers seat and telesocopic steering wheel. This helps on long trips so I can adjsut how I sit and stay comfortable.

- AWD handling in heavy rain is fantastic. The journey was surefooted in some pretty driving rain, and i was able to maintain 70mph on the interstate without feeling the least bit uncomfortable.

- Road noise is very well controlled. The Journey is quiet. Wind noise starts to creep in above 75 mph, and I think its mostly from the mirrors.

Some Low points;

- The Journey is not at home in twisty curvy roads. I definitely notice some drastic body roll when trying to corner at a decent speed. I feel as though the car can handle it well, however the seat doesn't give adequate support.

- Fuel Mileage, I knew the fuel mileage wouldn't be fantastic, and perhaps prices rising so rapidly right as I bought the car may be another factor, yet I'm averaging about 20.5 mpg on the highway (average 75mph speeds)

Thanks for reading, I'll probably be passing 4000 miles in another couple of weeks. (I'm reasonably sure that with as much as I drive for work, I may be putting on 25,000 miles a year.) Good thing I have that Lifetime bumper to bumper additional warranty.

[kconnors]

Mopar 54,

Thanks for the update. It all sounds very positive especially since I'm getting an AWD as well.

I'm not worried about the curvey roads too much because I will save those for my Motorcycle Riding.

Gas miliage and prices on the other hand is a worry for all of us. Where is it all going to end?

A lot of us are thinking of buying scooters for back and forth to work. Maybe 5 years from now Canada and the USA will look like Europe with a scooter in every driveway. Who knows?

I know people in Sales will still require a large vehicle because of their job but a lot of people are trying to do conserve gas by travelling less and using smaller vehicles.

Keith

[Mopar54]

One thing about cars for salesmen is that crossovers have been extremely popular. Especially in a poosition where you may need to load up customers, products, who knows what, a crossover is perfect. Chrysler Pacifica's may have been a dud, but they were popular with the sales set.

That being said, a lot of my co-workers have been eyeing my Journey and the flip up passenger seat is one of the most popular features thus far. They all love it.

As far as the curvey roads, the Journey has the ability to hold a line on them with some speed. Unfortunately though, the seats are the limiting factor. The seating position is well above the center of gravity, so you as a driver get thrown into the door or center console depending on the turn. However, its a mild complaint that acutally will end up saving me from doing something stupid anyway. You're right, I should save the fun in the twistys for a motorcycle.

Gas mileage is within expectations, I just think $75-$80 fill-ups are going to take some getting used to. Good thing I get paid for mileage.

[jaymista]

You may be looking at $100 fill ups this summer the way things are going!

[Snow_Runner]

Wow, $70 to $80 fillups???

That must be nice, and I thought the Canadian dollar was higer?????

80Litre fuel tank. 1.28/Litre. $102.40 fillup right now. I can just imagine what it will be here in the summer.

Rick.

[Xphyle]

I'll be picking up my Journey on Tuesday at the dealer along with my "Refuel America" card that you get for buying a Dodge prior to June 2nd. That will lock gas prices at $2.99 for me for the next 3 years, and was also a major deciding factor for me when shopping for cars and deciding on the Journey.

Can't Wait!

Xphyle

[crh47]

We just took our first road trip, or Journey, I should say, to Nashville and back over the weekend. It is a 5 hour drive one way with lots of rolling hills that should be murder on gas mileage. However, we were pleasantly surprised. The Journey averaged 24 mpg on the first tank, which icluded the trip up, lots of downtown driving for two days, and half way home. I stayed between 65 and 70 using the cruise most of the time. While on flat highway, the average actually hit 26.3 a couple of times.

[Snow_Runner]

crh47, I have a question about the mini computer that comes with the SXT. I know on the R/T you get the EVIC, but does the mini computer also display MPG?

What else will it display?

The EVIC shows each tire pressure, but what does the mini computer show?

I know, so many questions, so long to wait to see for myself!!!!!!

Thanks,

Rick.

[crh47]

It displays average mpg, drive til empty, direction/temp, and a trip timer (which I have never seen before). It also has a tire monitor.

Only weird thing is the drive til empty screen, once you get below 25 or 30 miles, just starts flashing LO FUEL. It won't keep monitoring it until 0, like my parents caravan.