MM Review: 2011 Dodge Journey
06-17-11, 03:37 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
MM Review: 2011 Dodge Journey
By special CL-member-request, a review of the 2011 Dodge Journey.
http://www.dodge.com/en/2011/journey/index.html
IN A NUTSHELL: Roomy, versatile, smooth/quiet/refined, a plush interior, but with sloppy handling and iffy reliability.
I received a request from a well-respected CL member for a review of the new 2011 Dodge Journey. This small-to-medium unibody car-based SUV is sometimes overlooked in a sea of more-or-less similiar competitors (literally dozens) with American, European, Korean, and Japanese nameplates. It was introduced for the model year, so it has not been on the market that long. Like some other Chrysler products, in those two years, it has not had a good reputation for build quality. Initial 2009 models, according to Consumer Reports, were well-below-average in reliability, particularly in body/hardware, brakes, suspension, paint, and power-equipment.....2010 models were only average at best. I examined them, of course, but did not formally write-up prior versions of the Journey, as there was not much CL interest in them. However, for 2011, and especially under the new Fiat management that has produced substantially better interiors, paint-jobs, and overall fit/finish on a number of Chrysler products, we also see some of those substantial improvments for the new Journey as well. Gone are the old El-Cheapo, El-Plastico interior, rattles/squeaks, ill-fitting parts, and (hopefully) the Customer-be-Damned attitude.
The new interior, of course, uses some of the same new gauges, trim, and parts that are found on other new Chrysler products, but nothing necessarily wrong with that....it is a huge step-up in quality from last year's interior (I'll get into more of that below). For 2011, the Journey is offered in five trim-lines.....Express, Mainstreet, R/T, Crew, and Lux. Express Models come with a 2.4L in-line 4 with 173 HP and 166 ft-lbs. of torque, a 4-speed automatic transmission, and FWD. The others come with Chrysler's new 3.6L V6 with 280 HP and 260 ft-lbs. of torque, a 6-speed automatic, and a choice of FWD or AWD. No manual transmissions are offered. Base prices start at $22,245 for the Express model and run to $33,645 for a Lux AWD. Why the R/T model, presumably the most sport-oriented version of the line, has the same V6 and power-level as the other versions beats me, but that is the way Dodge markets it.
The review request specified a V6 (presumably with AWD), a sunroof, no NAV, and foglights. 2011 Journeys are not readily in stock at local Dodge dealerships here in the D.C. area, but there was a silver V6 Mainstreet AWD model available with AWD, no NAV and no sunroof....to check the headroom with sunroof, I sat inside a white NAV-equipped Lux model with sunroof and leather. Fog lamps are not available on the Mainstreet model...you must move up to the Crew/R/T/Lux models to get them. R/T models, BTW, are listed on Dodge's web-site, but not in the sales-brochure....they don't seem to have been released yet. So, I did most of the review/test-drive with the silver Mainstreet model, and cross-checked the Lux on some interior/sunroof features.
Overall, it was a good review. I was generally pleased with this vehicle, though a few annoying and cheap/cost-cutting features still tempered it a little. The interior, drivetrain, comfort, and overall refinement are worlds ahead of many Chrysler products of just a few years ago......Sergio Marchionne, Fiat/Chrysler CEO, must be paying out bonuses to a number of his designers. But, of course, reliability still remains to be proved. Details coming up.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2011 Dodge Journey Mainstreet AWD
BASE PRICE: $26,145
OPTIONS:
Flexible Seating Group: $995
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $750 (about average)
LIST PRICE: $27,890
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transverse-mounted 3.6L V6, 280 HP @ 6400 RPM, Torque 260 ft-lbs. @ 4800 RPM, 6-speed automatic Sport-shift transmission with Side-stick.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 16 City / 24 Highway
EXTERIOR COLOR: Bright Silver Metallic
INTERIOR: Black/Light-Frost-beige Cloth
PLUSSES:
Smooth, quiet, refined, torquey V6.
Silky-smooth, refined 6-speed automatic Select-shift transmisssion.
Good wind-noise isolation.
Low road/tire noise.
Very smooth ride by small-SUV-standards.
Firm, effective brake pedal.
Plush, attactive, well-trimmed interior.
Cushy, comfortable, form-fitting front seats.
Nice-feeling seat-fabric.
Nice fabric headliner.
Leather-wrapped, comfortable-to-hold steering wheel.
Nicely-padded dash and upper-door panels.
Attractive, clear, easy-to-read gauges.
Nice (but not killer) stereo sound quality.
Much better interior hardware than past Chrysler products.
Well-designed, simple buttons/***** (but video-functions for the buttons are complex).
Push-button engine-start even on Mainstreet model.
Generally well-finished cargo area.
Space-efficient back seat and cargo area.
Built-in Child-Booster rear-seats on Lux model.
Excellent front and rear headroom.
Good rear-seat legroom for tall persons.
Solid-closing hatch lid.
Body-surround lower-cladding protects paint from road debris.
Long Chrysler 5/100 Drivetain Warranty (3/36 on the rest of the vehicle).
Extensive dealer network.
MINUSES:
Numb steering feel.
Brake pedal not ideally located for big feet.
Roly-Poly handling.
Fairly slow steering response.
Awkward step-on left-foot parking brake.
No cargo-comparment cover to hide valuables.
No body-side moulding for parking-lot protction.
Manual hood prop-rod instead of struts/springs.
Temporary spare tire.
Poor underhood layout.
Battery almost completely unaccessable.
Inconsistant paint jobs, depending on the color/texture.
No locking gas-cap or filler-door.
Zig-zag transmission shift-lever.
Wobbly overhead rear-climate-control assembly on Lux model.
Complex video-screen, even on non-NAV models.
Tinny-closing rear doors.
Third-row seat primarily for children.
Cheap hard sun-visor material.
No wood-tone trim, even on the Lux model.
Peek-a-Boo tunnel rear-vision, even with the squarish rear-styling.
Iffy reliability.
Sport-oriented R/T model has same V6 engine as the non-sporting models.
EXTERIOR:
I liked the simple, no-nonsense styling of the Journey's exterior. Its conventional-SUV, somewhat-squarish shape, without a lot of aero/jelly-bean swoops, helps make for good space efficiency in both the cabin and rear-cargo-area (more on that later). The outside sheet metal feels reasonably solid, especially on the hatch lid. The two front doors close with a reasonably solid thunk, while the two rear doors feel and sound a little tinny. There is no lock for either the gas cap or the small circular filler-flap, which could be a siphoning-issue with $4-a-gallon gas. The paint jobs are reasonably good (much better than Chrysler paint jobs were just a couple of years ago), but, like with a number of vehicles, the black paint has a significant orange-peel texture. The general quality of the paint job seems to vary with the color and texture. And the Pearl paint-jobs cost $295 extra. Seven factory paint colors are offered...the only one I cared for was the Mango-Tango, an Orange-metallic, though the Dark Cherry Red Pearl wasn't bad either. The others are the usual whitish/silver/black hues. For some reason, Dodge doesn't offer the stunning Crystal Red on the Journey, an extra-cost but stunning paint job similiar to the beautiful Matador red on some Lexus products. All of the available seven factory colors, however, are available on all of the Journey models....something that not all manufacturers allow. There are no standard body-side-mouldings to help ward off parking-lot dings, though the Dodge people there said they could be dealer-added as an accessory. The twin side-mirror housings, as on most other Chrysler products (and many American-designed vehicles), have a hollow, flimsy feel and don't swivel and lock with a slick, smooth feel like those on, say, Hondas and Acuras. The outside trim and hardware is reasonably solid and well-attached, again, much better than on Chrysler products of just a few years ago. The grille, of course, is the big, ubiquitous Dodge cross-hair pattern that, along with the Ram symbol, has become the division's trademark. A nice, though narrow, flat-black lower-body cladding runs around the entire vehicle to help protect the paint from road debris. And there is plenty of room and ground clearance to get a hose underneath to wash off salt and dirt after a run on less-than-clean road surfaces.
UNDERHOOD:
Lift up the hood, and you must fumble with a manual prop-rod instead of nice struts or springs. There is a nice undehood insulation pad to help absorb engine noise. The general underhood layout is not good...and the battery location is unbelievably poor (more on that in a second). The transversely-mounted 3.6L V6 fits in on the tight side, with a big plastic engine cover on top that hampers top-engine access. Lower-engine components around the sides of the block are not readily accessable either. I couldn't believe where they stuck the battery....down on the right, under the fuse-box assembly and a couple of other components. These components (including the fuse-box assembly) must be disassembled and unbolted just to reach the batery (which is still a log stretch down). Mr. Marchionne (Fiat/Chrysler CEO) probably would not think much of a design like that....he was also the one, of course, behind the campaign to get better interiors and fit/finish in Chrysler products. Fortunately, all of the fluid-reservoirs, filler-caps, and dipsticks are easily-reached and readily-accessable.
INTERIOR:
The 2011 interior, as I've alluded to above, is light-years ahead of the 2009 and 2010 models in attractiveness, comfort, and the quality of the trim/hardware, and is easily one of the car's best features. I thought the beige-fabric seats on the Mainstreet model I did most of the review on actually looked and felt nicer than the LUx's black-leather seats I cross-checked. The seats were comfortable, plush-feeling, form-fitting (even with my big rump/torso), and didn't feel loose or flimsy like in some Chrysler products. The steering wheel was well-shaped, well-trimmed with solid-feeling silver-plastic trim, and well-wrapped with a smooth leather that was comfortable to hold. The gauges were clear, easy-to-read, and done in an attractive red/black/white/silver pattern. The upper-dash surface, part of the lower-dash, and most of the four door-panels were well-padded with pleasant-to-touch materials. The ceiling headliner was a nice fuzzy-fabric material. The stereo-sound quality, though not a killer like the Mark Levinson or Harmon-Kardon units, was nice enough.....you don't want to listen to Alice Cooper through junk. The buttons/***** were large, well-marked, and easy to use. There was plenty of headroom for tall people, both front and back, in both the sunroof and non-sunroof versions. Legroom/footroom, likewise, was quite good in both front and rear seat. The silver-tone trim on the dash and door panels was excellent and didn't look/feel cheap at all, though I missed not having wood-tone trim...it is not offered at all, even on the Lux.
Of course, no matter how nice the interior, all is not sugar and spice inside....the designers, IMO, missed in a couple of spots. The hard-surface sun visors look and feel unpleasant. The video-screen in the center of the dash, with some of the stereo and climate functions, is a somewhat complex companion to the nice easy-to-use buttons just underneath. The parking-brake is a left-foot step-on pedal, which can be awkward for big legs.....I don't know why automakers seem to be giving up nice easy-to-use pull-up levers on the console for those awkward pedals. And, on the Lux model with the rear climate-controls, the whole box-assembly containing the **** controls, mounted in the ceiling over the rear seat, feels a little loose and wobbly, like it could fall off.
CARGO AREA/TRUNK:
Open the solid-feeling hatch, and the Journey's squarish rear-end and high ceiling contributes to a relatively roomy and space-efficient cargo area. The floor is nicely-finished in a black, fairly plush-feeling carpet, and the walls though not carpeted, have a generally pleasant-looking/feeling surface. The split third-row seats, along with the second-row, fold down to form a flat floor for added cargo-space. A couple of convienient pull-straps help get the third-row seats back up again when needed. The full-size but temporary spare tire (sorry, no real spare) is located underneath the rear bumper.....a latch/lever under the floor, using the jacking tools, releases the spare so you don't have to physically crawl under the back end to undo it. There is no cargo-compartment cover to hide valuables from prying eyes, but that's probably not much of a problem.....you can just toss a blanket over whatever you want to keep hidden. Like many hatch-lids today, the lid has hand-grips built into the lower-rim to help pull it down.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the refined 3.6L V6 with a nice engine START/STOP button (even the fairly low-grade Mainstreet model has a button), and the engine comes to life and idles smoothly and quietly. It stays smooth and quiet on the road too, with low engine and exhaust noise, even on fairly brisk acceleration, though not quite to tomb-quiet Lexus levels. Though the engine's peak torque of 260 ft-lbs. doesn't come till 4800 RPM (higher than I usually spin a brand-new engine, the torque-curve is flat enough that you can feel it even pulling away from low speeds. This engine definitely has enough spunk to easily handle the load on it, though I wouldn't necessarily rate its acceleration as powerhouse. Still, if you need to pull into traffic, you can generally do so, even with the vehicle's weight, automatic transmission, and AWD, without too many fears of getting hit in the rear.
The 6-speed automatic, though with an awkward zig-zag shift-lever motion and the Chrysler/Mercedes side-stick manual-shift feature, is otherwise smooth, quiet, refined, seamless, and as much of a delight as the engine. The side-to-side bump-stick feature for manual-shifting, of course, is unusual (it is only used in Chrysler and Mercedes products), and takes a little getting used to, but, after a few minutes, comes naturally. The shift lever is handsomely-shaped and trimmed.
The chassis-engineering and tires are clearly set up for ride comfort over handling (That's just the way I like it......something that is getting increasingly rare and hard-to-find in today's vehicles). The ride was quite smooth by small-to-medium-size SUV standards, even with the tire pressures a couple of pounds above the 36 PSI recommendations (the tires had been sitting in the sun, which heats up the air in them and expands the PSI). Bump-impacts, though still slightly noticeable, were much softer than that of many typical SUVs, and there were no discernable porposing fore/aft ride-motions, another common SUV trait. Road feel from the power-steering, though, was numb and lifeless, and, of course, the penalty for the Cream-of-Wheat suspension/tires and relatively high center-of-gravity was slow steering response and Roly-Poly handling. In my book, though, that's fine......this vehicle was not intended to be a sports car. Many vehicles today simply do not pay enough attention to ride-comfort, though some, like BMW and Mercedes, have an exellent ride-handling balance. The quiet noise-level, with decibels from both wind-noise and road-noise well-controlled, helped compliment the comfortable chassis/tires, and the ride stayed fairly quiet even on porous surfaces, though road noise increased slightly. The brakes, likewise, were generally a pleasure to use, with a firm, effective, linear-feel to the pedal, and no discernable sponginess. The pedal, though, like on many vehicles, was mounted a little too close to the gas pedal and too high for my big feet and circus-clown size-15 shoes. There was a small but noticeable hang-up of my big shoe on the bottom-right-side of the brake pedal going from gas to brake, but you get used to it after a minute or two and brake accoordingly.
THE VERDICT:
As you have by now probably guessed, I was quite pleased with the space efficiency, the new interior, and driving-manners of the 2011 Journey. To be honest, though, it was not a complete surprise.....other new 2011 Chrysler products I have sampled recently, such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram pickup, and Dodge Charger R/T, have showed much the same improvements. It shows that the company, under Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's new management, is getting serious about improving its image, which Mercedes management really didn't let them do much in the past. Some of the new Chrysler interiors, such as that on the Chrysler 300 (I briefly looked at one of those today, too, but didn't drive it), have to be seen to be believed. The Journey's interior, of course, is not quite as plush and jewel-like as that on the new 300, which is a borderline-luxury sedan, but is still head and shoulders above the junk interiors on many Chrysler products up to just a year or two ago. I was also quite pleased with the comfort-oriented road manners of the Journey, just as I was with the new Ram pickups compared to the older ones.
But there are still a couple of flies in the ointment. The battery-location under the hood is ridiculous, and there's little excuse for it. A number of small items around the vehicle that could have been added for security or convienience have been omitted because of cost-cutting. Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealer-service is not known for being particularly good or customer-friendly. And, of course, the vehicles now have good interiors and road manners, but the old Chrysler reliability bugaboo may not be completely licked yet.....only time will tell. The experience of one of our own CL members, BTW, with a new Jeep Gran Cheokee has not been very good either, with some unresolved reliability problems and the manufacturer's response to them. So, only time (and numbers) will tell if the new Chrysler products, which are better than the older ones in so many ways, will also spend less time in the shop.
And, as always.....Happy Car Shopping.
MM
http://www.dodge.com/en/2011/journey/index.html
IN A NUTSHELL: Roomy, versatile, smooth/quiet/refined, a plush interior, but with sloppy handling and iffy reliability.
I received a request from a well-respected CL member for a review of the new 2011 Dodge Journey. This small-to-medium unibody car-based SUV is sometimes overlooked in a sea of more-or-less similiar competitors (literally dozens) with American, European, Korean, and Japanese nameplates. It was introduced for the model year, so it has not been on the market that long. Like some other Chrysler products, in those two years, it has not had a good reputation for build quality. Initial 2009 models, according to Consumer Reports, were well-below-average in reliability, particularly in body/hardware, brakes, suspension, paint, and power-equipment.....2010 models were only average at best. I examined them, of course, but did not formally write-up prior versions of the Journey, as there was not much CL interest in them. However, for 2011, and especially under the new Fiat management that has produced substantially better interiors, paint-jobs, and overall fit/finish on a number of Chrysler products, we also see some of those substantial improvments for the new Journey as well. Gone are the old El-Cheapo, El-Plastico interior, rattles/squeaks, ill-fitting parts, and (hopefully) the Customer-be-Damned attitude.
The new interior, of course, uses some of the same new gauges, trim, and parts that are found on other new Chrysler products, but nothing necessarily wrong with that....it is a huge step-up in quality from last year's interior (I'll get into more of that below). For 2011, the Journey is offered in five trim-lines.....Express, Mainstreet, R/T, Crew, and Lux. Express Models come with a 2.4L in-line 4 with 173 HP and 166 ft-lbs. of torque, a 4-speed automatic transmission, and FWD. The others come with Chrysler's new 3.6L V6 with 280 HP and 260 ft-lbs. of torque, a 6-speed automatic, and a choice of FWD or AWD. No manual transmissions are offered. Base prices start at $22,245 for the Express model and run to $33,645 for a Lux AWD. Why the R/T model, presumably the most sport-oriented version of the line, has the same V6 and power-level as the other versions beats me, but that is the way Dodge markets it.
The review request specified a V6 (presumably with AWD), a sunroof, no NAV, and foglights. 2011 Journeys are not readily in stock at local Dodge dealerships here in the D.C. area, but there was a silver V6 Mainstreet AWD model available with AWD, no NAV and no sunroof....to check the headroom with sunroof, I sat inside a white NAV-equipped Lux model with sunroof and leather. Fog lamps are not available on the Mainstreet model...you must move up to the Crew/R/T/Lux models to get them. R/T models, BTW, are listed on Dodge's web-site, but not in the sales-brochure....they don't seem to have been released yet. So, I did most of the review/test-drive with the silver Mainstreet model, and cross-checked the Lux on some interior/sunroof features.
Overall, it was a good review. I was generally pleased with this vehicle, though a few annoying and cheap/cost-cutting features still tempered it a little. The interior, drivetrain, comfort, and overall refinement are worlds ahead of many Chrysler products of just a few years ago......Sergio Marchionne, Fiat/Chrysler CEO, must be paying out bonuses to a number of his designers. But, of course, reliability still remains to be proved. Details coming up.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2011 Dodge Journey Mainstreet AWD
BASE PRICE: $26,145
OPTIONS:
Flexible Seating Group: $995
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $750 (about average)
LIST PRICE: $27,890
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transverse-mounted 3.6L V6, 280 HP @ 6400 RPM, Torque 260 ft-lbs. @ 4800 RPM, 6-speed automatic Sport-shift transmission with Side-stick.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 16 City / 24 Highway
EXTERIOR COLOR: Bright Silver Metallic
INTERIOR: Black/Light-Frost-beige Cloth
PLUSSES:
Smooth, quiet, refined, torquey V6.
Silky-smooth, refined 6-speed automatic Select-shift transmisssion.
Good wind-noise isolation.
Low road/tire noise.
Very smooth ride by small-SUV-standards.
Firm, effective brake pedal.
Plush, attactive, well-trimmed interior.
Cushy, comfortable, form-fitting front seats.
Nice-feeling seat-fabric.
Nice fabric headliner.
Leather-wrapped, comfortable-to-hold steering wheel.
Nicely-padded dash and upper-door panels.
Attractive, clear, easy-to-read gauges.
Nice (but not killer) stereo sound quality.
Much better interior hardware than past Chrysler products.
Well-designed, simple buttons/***** (but video-functions for the buttons are complex).
Push-button engine-start even on Mainstreet model.
Generally well-finished cargo area.
Space-efficient back seat and cargo area.
Built-in Child-Booster rear-seats on Lux model.
Excellent front and rear headroom.
Good rear-seat legroom for tall persons.
Solid-closing hatch lid.
Body-surround lower-cladding protects paint from road debris.
Long Chrysler 5/100 Drivetain Warranty (3/36 on the rest of the vehicle).
Extensive dealer network.
MINUSES:
Numb steering feel.
Brake pedal not ideally located for big feet.
Roly-Poly handling.
Fairly slow steering response.
Awkward step-on left-foot parking brake.
No cargo-comparment cover to hide valuables.
No body-side moulding for parking-lot protction.
Manual hood prop-rod instead of struts/springs.
Temporary spare tire.
Poor underhood layout.
Battery almost completely unaccessable.
Inconsistant paint jobs, depending on the color/texture.
No locking gas-cap or filler-door.
Zig-zag transmission shift-lever.
Wobbly overhead rear-climate-control assembly on Lux model.
Complex video-screen, even on non-NAV models.
Tinny-closing rear doors.
Third-row seat primarily for children.
Cheap hard sun-visor material.
No wood-tone trim, even on the Lux model.
Peek-a-Boo tunnel rear-vision, even with the squarish rear-styling.
Iffy reliability.
Sport-oriented R/T model has same V6 engine as the non-sporting models.
EXTERIOR:
I liked the simple, no-nonsense styling of the Journey's exterior. Its conventional-SUV, somewhat-squarish shape, without a lot of aero/jelly-bean swoops, helps make for good space efficiency in both the cabin and rear-cargo-area (more on that later). The outside sheet metal feels reasonably solid, especially on the hatch lid. The two front doors close with a reasonably solid thunk, while the two rear doors feel and sound a little tinny. There is no lock for either the gas cap or the small circular filler-flap, which could be a siphoning-issue with $4-a-gallon gas. The paint jobs are reasonably good (much better than Chrysler paint jobs were just a couple of years ago), but, like with a number of vehicles, the black paint has a significant orange-peel texture. The general quality of the paint job seems to vary with the color and texture. And the Pearl paint-jobs cost $295 extra. Seven factory paint colors are offered...the only one I cared for was the Mango-Tango, an Orange-metallic, though the Dark Cherry Red Pearl wasn't bad either. The others are the usual whitish/silver/black hues. For some reason, Dodge doesn't offer the stunning Crystal Red on the Journey, an extra-cost but stunning paint job similiar to the beautiful Matador red on some Lexus products. All of the available seven factory colors, however, are available on all of the Journey models....something that not all manufacturers allow. There are no standard body-side-mouldings to help ward off parking-lot dings, though the Dodge people there said they could be dealer-added as an accessory. The twin side-mirror housings, as on most other Chrysler products (and many American-designed vehicles), have a hollow, flimsy feel and don't swivel and lock with a slick, smooth feel like those on, say, Hondas and Acuras. The outside trim and hardware is reasonably solid and well-attached, again, much better than on Chrysler products of just a few years ago. The grille, of course, is the big, ubiquitous Dodge cross-hair pattern that, along with the Ram symbol, has become the division's trademark. A nice, though narrow, flat-black lower-body cladding runs around the entire vehicle to help protect the paint from road debris. And there is plenty of room and ground clearance to get a hose underneath to wash off salt and dirt after a run on less-than-clean road surfaces.
UNDERHOOD:
Lift up the hood, and you must fumble with a manual prop-rod instead of nice struts or springs. There is a nice undehood insulation pad to help absorb engine noise. The general underhood layout is not good...and the battery location is unbelievably poor (more on that in a second). The transversely-mounted 3.6L V6 fits in on the tight side, with a big plastic engine cover on top that hampers top-engine access. Lower-engine components around the sides of the block are not readily accessable either. I couldn't believe where they stuck the battery....down on the right, under the fuse-box assembly and a couple of other components. These components (including the fuse-box assembly) must be disassembled and unbolted just to reach the batery (which is still a log stretch down). Mr. Marchionne (Fiat/Chrysler CEO) probably would not think much of a design like that....he was also the one, of course, behind the campaign to get better interiors and fit/finish in Chrysler products. Fortunately, all of the fluid-reservoirs, filler-caps, and dipsticks are easily-reached and readily-accessable.
INTERIOR:
The 2011 interior, as I've alluded to above, is light-years ahead of the 2009 and 2010 models in attractiveness, comfort, and the quality of the trim/hardware, and is easily one of the car's best features. I thought the beige-fabric seats on the Mainstreet model I did most of the review on actually looked and felt nicer than the LUx's black-leather seats I cross-checked. The seats were comfortable, plush-feeling, form-fitting (even with my big rump/torso), and didn't feel loose or flimsy like in some Chrysler products. The steering wheel was well-shaped, well-trimmed with solid-feeling silver-plastic trim, and well-wrapped with a smooth leather that was comfortable to hold. The gauges were clear, easy-to-read, and done in an attractive red/black/white/silver pattern. The upper-dash surface, part of the lower-dash, and most of the four door-panels were well-padded with pleasant-to-touch materials. The ceiling headliner was a nice fuzzy-fabric material. The stereo-sound quality, though not a killer like the Mark Levinson or Harmon-Kardon units, was nice enough.....you don't want to listen to Alice Cooper through junk. The buttons/***** were large, well-marked, and easy to use. There was plenty of headroom for tall people, both front and back, in both the sunroof and non-sunroof versions. Legroom/footroom, likewise, was quite good in both front and rear seat. The silver-tone trim on the dash and door panels was excellent and didn't look/feel cheap at all, though I missed not having wood-tone trim...it is not offered at all, even on the Lux.
Of course, no matter how nice the interior, all is not sugar and spice inside....the designers, IMO, missed in a couple of spots. The hard-surface sun visors look and feel unpleasant. The video-screen in the center of the dash, with some of the stereo and climate functions, is a somewhat complex companion to the nice easy-to-use buttons just underneath. The parking-brake is a left-foot step-on pedal, which can be awkward for big legs.....I don't know why automakers seem to be giving up nice easy-to-use pull-up levers on the console for those awkward pedals. And, on the Lux model with the rear climate-controls, the whole box-assembly containing the **** controls, mounted in the ceiling over the rear seat, feels a little loose and wobbly, like it could fall off.
CARGO AREA/TRUNK:
Open the solid-feeling hatch, and the Journey's squarish rear-end and high ceiling contributes to a relatively roomy and space-efficient cargo area. The floor is nicely-finished in a black, fairly plush-feeling carpet, and the walls though not carpeted, have a generally pleasant-looking/feeling surface. The split third-row seats, along with the second-row, fold down to form a flat floor for added cargo-space. A couple of convienient pull-straps help get the third-row seats back up again when needed. The full-size but temporary spare tire (sorry, no real spare) is located underneath the rear bumper.....a latch/lever under the floor, using the jacking tools, releases the spare so you don't have to physically crawl under the back end to undo it. There is no cargo-compartment cover to hide valuables from prying eyes, but that's probably not much of a problem.....you can just toss a blanket over whatever you want to keep hidden. Like many hatch-lids today, the lid has hand-grips built into the lower-rim to help pull it down.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the refined 3.6L V6 with a nice engine START/STOP button (even the fairly low-grade Mainstreet model has a button), and the engine comes to life and idles smoothly and quietly. It stays smooth and quiet on the road too, with low engine and exhaust noise, even on fairly brisk acceleration, though not quite to tomb-quiet Lexus levels. Though the engine's peak torque of 260 ft-lbs. doesn't come till 4800 RPM (higher than I usually spin a brand-new engine, the torque-curve is flat enough that you can feel it even pulling away from low speeds. This engine definitely has enough spunk to easily handle the load on it, though I wouldn't necessarily rate its acceleration as powerhouse. Still, if you need to pull into traffic, you can generally do so, even with the vehicle's weight, automatic transmission, and AWD, without too many fears of getting hit in the rear.
The 6-speed automatic, though with an awkward zig-zag shift-lever motion and the Chrysler/Mercedes side-stick manual-shift feature, is otherwise smooth, quiet, refined, seamless, and as much of a delight as the engine. The side-to-side bump-stick feature for manual-shifting, of course, is unusual (it is only used in Chrysler and Mercedes products), and takes a little getting used to, but, after a few minutes, comes naturally. The shift lever is handsomely-shaped and trimmed.
The chassis-engineering and tires are clearly set up for ride comfort over handling (That's just the way I like it......something that is getting increasingly rare and hard-to-find in today's vehicles). The ride was quite smooth by small-to-medium-size SUV standards, even with the tire pressures a couple of pounds above the 36 PSI recommendations (the tires had been sitting in the sun, which heats up the air in them and expands the PSI). Bump-impacts, though still slightly noticeable, were much softer than that of many typical SUVs, and there were no discernable porposing fore/aft ride-motions, another common SUV trait. Road feel from the power-steering, though, was numb and lifeless, and, of course, the penalty for the Cream-of-Wheat suspension/tires and relatively high center-of-gravity was slow steering response and Roly-Poly handling. In my book, though, that's fine......this vehicle was not intended to be a sports car. Many vehicles today simply do not pay enough attention to ride-comfort, though some, like BMW and Mercedes, have an exellent ride-handling balance. The quiet noise-level, with decibels from both wind-noise and road-noise well-controlled, helped compliment the comfortable chassis/tires, and the ride stayed fairly quiet even on porous surfaces, though road noise increased slightly. The brakes, likewise, were generally a pleasure to use, with a firm, effective, linear-feel to the pedal, and no discernable sponginess. The pedal, though, like on many vehicles, was mounted a little too close to the gas pedal and too high for my big feet and circus-clown size-15 shoes. There was a small but noticeable hang-up of my big shoe on the bottom-right-side of the brake pedal going from gas to brake, but you get used to it after a minute or two and brake accoordingly.
THE VERDICT:
As you have by now probably guessed, I was quite pleased with the space efficiency, the new interior, and driving-manners of the 2011 Journey. To be honest, though, it was not a complete surprise.....other new 2011 Chrysler products I have sampled recently, such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram pickup, and Dodge Charger R/T, have showed much the same improvements. It shows that the company, under Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's new management, is getting serious about improving its image, which Mercedes management really didn't let them do much in the past. Some of the new Chrysler interiors, such as that on the Chrysler 300 (I briefly looked at one of those today, too, but didn't drive it), have to be seen to be believed. The Journey's interior, of course, is not quite as plush and jewel-like as that on the new 300, which is a borderline-luxury sedan, but is still head and shoulders above the junk interiors on many Chrysler products up to just a year or two ago. I was also quite pleased with the comfort-oriented road manners of the Journey, just as I was with the new Ram pickups compared to the older ones.
But there are still a couple of flies in the ointment. The battery-location under the hood is ridiculous, and there's little excuse for it. A number of small items around the vehicle that could have been added for security or convienience have been omitted because of cost-cutting. Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealer-service is not known for being particularly good or customer-friendly. And, of course, the vehicles now have good interiors and road manners, but the old Chrysler reliability bugaboo may not be completely licked yet.....only time will tell. The experience of one of our own CL members, BTW, with a new Jeep Gran Cheokee has not been very good either, with some unresolved reliability problems and the manufacturer's response to them. So, only time (and numbers) will tell if the new Chrysler products, which are better than the older ones in so many ways, will also spend less time in the shop.
And, as always.....Happy Car Shopping.
MM
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-17-11 at 03:51 PM.
06-17-11, 08:28 PM
#2
Dysfunctional Veteran
I was the one who requested the review, and I appreciate it very much, Mike.
Those right there kill it for me. If the wife cant see, she cant drive it. This one would be for her. And the battery placement kills it for me because if I cant do my own basic maintenance, it has no place in my driveway.
But MAN that interior looks amazing compared to this:
HUGE improvement. Lots of focus on Chrysler these last few months. They should keep up the good work IMO.
Originally Posted by MMarshall
-Peek-a-Boo tunnel rear-vision, even with the squarish rear-styling.
-Ridiculous Battery Placement.
-Ridiculous Battery Placement.
But MAN that interior looks amazing compared to this:
HUGE improvement. Lots of focus on Chrysler these last few months. They should keep up the good work IMO.
06-17-11, 08:55 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Those right there kill it for me. If the wife cant see, she cant drive it. This one would be for her. And the battery placement kills it for me because if I cant do my own basic maintenance, it has no place in my driveway.
The battery is not necessarily impossible to reach, but will definitely require some work by unbolting everything on top of it to get to....and then re-bolting everything back together again. I agree with you to some extent......even with your Army experience servicing vehicles in the motorpool, you would still probably find it a PITA.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-17-11 at 08:59 PM.
06-18-11, 02:59 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Trending Topics
06-19-11, 06:20 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
thanks as always for the review.
i'm not a big fan of chrysler products although the new ones certainly 'seem' nice. however, you mention iffy reliability in the 'nutshell' and 'minuses' as if a fact, but then in the 'verdict' you say it may be a problem. i think in fairness to chrysler you should say 'may' in your nutshell and minuses too, since as you say, only time will tell.
IN A NUTSHELL: Roomy, versatile, smooth/quiet/refined, a plush interior, but with sloppy handling and iffy reliability.
...
Iffy reliability.
...
THE VERDICT:
... And, of course, the vehicles now have good interiors and road manners, but the old Chrysler reliability bugaboo may not be completely licked yet.....only time will tell. The experience of one of our own CL members, BTW, with a new Jeep Gran Cheokee has not been very good either, with some unresolved reliability problems and the manufacturer's response to them. So, only time (and numbers) will tell if the new Chrysler products, which are better than the older ones in so many ways, will also spend less time in the shop.
...
Iffy reliability.
...
THE VERDICT:
... And, of course, the vehicles now have good interiors and road manners, but the old Chrysler reliability bugaboo may not be completely licked yet.....only time will tell. The experience of one of our own CL members, BTW, with a new Jeep Gran Cheokee has not been very good either, with some unresolved reliability problems and the manufacturer's response to them. So, only time (and numbers) will tell if the new Chrysler products, which are better than the older ones in so many ways, will also spend less time in the shop.
06-19-11, 06:34 AM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
http://www.dodge.com/en/2011/journey...ent_avoidance/
06-19-11, 02:46 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Sure. Anytime.
Well, as far as word definitons go, in the sense that I am using them here, "iffy" and "may" pretty much means the same thing. The point is that, while, thanks to CEO Sergio Marchionne, latest-generation Chrysler products seem to have licked the old fit/finish, cheapness-of-design, and sloppy-assembly bugaboos, the same cannot (necessarily) be said for reliability, especially long-term reliability. As always, there is only one way to gauge that........time, customer experience, and good reliability charts like those in Consumer Reports. Compared to other auto-makes, not many members here on the CAR CHAT forum own and drive brand-new Chrysler products. We do, however, have the relatively bad experience that one of our members (I don't remember his/her call-sign) had with a new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. But Josh, though (ArmyofOne), has a relatively new Dodge Ram Pickup (just a couple of years old) and apparantly has been quite pleased with it. 
i'm not a big fan of chrysler products although the new ones certainly 'seem' nice. however, you mention iffy reliability in the 'nutshell' and 'minuses' as if a fact, but then in the 'verdict' you say it may be a problem. i think in fairness to chrysler you should say 'may' in your nutshell and minuses too, since as you say, only time will tell.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-19-11 at 03:12 PM.
06-19-11, 03:19 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
i really don't know, and can't figure it out, because dodge's website is so awful, but it says you can get the 'uconnect' without nav, so doesn't that still have the backup camera? and it says there's 4.3" and 8.4" uconnect versions.
http://www.dodge.com/en/2011/journey...ent_avoidance/
http://www.dodge.com/en/2011/journey...ent_avoidance/
06-19-11, 04:45 PM
#12
Dysfunctional Veteran
Sure. Anytime.
Well, as far as word definitons go, in the sense that I am using them here, "iffy" and "may" pretty much means the same thing. The point is that, while, thanks to CEO Sergio Marchionne, latest-generation Chrysler products seem to have licked the old fit/finish, cheapness-of-design, and sloppy-assembly bugaboos, the same cannot (necessarily) be said for reliability, especially long-term reliability. As always, there is only one way to gauge that........time, customer experience, and good reliability charts like those in Consumer Reports. Compared to other auto-makes, not many members here on the CAR CHAT forum own and drive brand-new Chrysler products. We do, however, have the relatively bad experience that one of our members (I don't remember his/her call-sign) had with a new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. But Josh, though (ArmyofOne), has a relatively new Dodge Ram Pickup (just a couple of years old) and apparantly has been quite pleased with it.
Well, as far as word definitons go, in the sense that I am using them here, "iffy" and "may" pretty much means the same thing. The point is that, while, thanks to CEO Sergio Marchionne, latest-generation Chrysler products seem to have licked the old fit/finish, cheapness-of-design, and sloppy-assembly bugaboos, the same cannot (necessarily) be said for reliability, especially long-term reliability. As always, there is only one way to gauge that........time, customer experience, and good reliability charts like those in Consumer Reports. Compared to other auto-makes, not many members here on the CAR CHAT forum own and drive brand-new Chrysler products. We do, however, have the relatively bad experience that one of our members (I don't remember his/her call-sign) had with a new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. But Josh, though (ArmyofOne), has a relatively new Dodge Ram Pickup (just a couple of years old) and apparantly has been quite pleased with it.
Honestly, my Ram has been more reliable than my Honda Civic. I am not joking. The civic was in and out of the shop with constant little stuff. Alternator, wheel bearings (which of course never go bad all at once, instead they go out 3-6 weeks apart, one at a time), window/lock motors, paint issues, etc.
My truck has been sound as a pound, and I dont feel like I have to worry about it constantly. The civic just gave me the impression that I couldnt beat the hell out of it, that it was fragile. I probably could have, but didnt for fear of breaking it.
The truck I can take out, thrash it to hell, and then drive it to work the next day.
EDIT: to add to this, I use my dealer for all services that I cant do myself (due to living in an apartment complex, its quite a bit. I am pretty much restricted to tire rotations and spark plugs DIY). I have been to a few dealerships across the states (needed a key on the way here from NY because I dropped mine in a puddle LOL), and the prices are always reasonable and the staff is wonderful. I am sure its not up to lexus standards, but then again, not much is. I have noticed that if you have one of the higher end models, you (I) tend to get treated better. I DO think this is wrong. The guy sitting next to me paying you to work on his $19,000 Dodge Caliber, should be treated EXACTLY the same way as I get treated when I am paying you to work on my $40,000 truck. I am not just imagining it, because while they were doing my key, they noticed my serpentine belt was bad and asked me if I would like them to fix it. Being that I was in the middle of a 3,500 mile road trip, I agreed, and they invited me to sit in their "VIP" waiting area. Nobody else in the regular waiting area got the invite. The VIP area had free coffee, water, and soda, and a 55" LCD TV with satelite or cable, and free wifi. The "regular" waiting area had some chairs and a few magazines. As if a caravan driving soccer mom does not deserve the same treatment as the accountant driving the Brand New Durango Citadel.
Last edited by ArmyofOne; 06-19-11 at 04:58 PM.
06-20-11, 05:37 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
... they invited me to sit in their "VIP" waiting area. Nobody else in the regular waiting area got the invite. The VIP area had free coffee, water, and soda, and a 55" LCD TV with satelite or cable, and free wifi. The "regular" waiting area had some chairs and a few magazines. As if a caravan driving soccer mom does not deserve the same treatment as the accountant driving the Brand New Durango Citadel.
06-20-11, 05:55 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
and they invited me to sit in their "VIP" waiting area. Nobody else in the regular waiting area got the invite. The VIP area had free coffee, water, and soda, and a 55" LCD TV with satelite or cable, and free wifi. The "regular" waiting area had some chairs and a few magazines. As if a caravan driving soccer mom does not deserve the same treatment as the accountant driving the Brand New Durango Citadel.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-20-11 at 05:59 AM.
06-20-11, 07:35 PM
#15
Dysfunctional Veteran
I'm not saying that the belt wasn't bad, or that they weren't telling the truth, but keep in mind that "worn-out" belts that aren't really worn out are a common service-shop ploy for unnecessary repairs. Of course, as you note, it probably never hurts to have a brand-new belt, especially if you are on a long trip. And, of course, with the long Dodge powertrain waranty, the belt replacement might (?) have been free anyway, if it is a covered part of the powertrain.
I was honestly ashamed of myself at that point, because I (of all people) should know better. If it squeals at all, replace the damned belt. I was trying to be cheap and it would have cost me quite a bit. But I bit the $85 bullet and had them change it.
Did they know that you served tours in Iraq, risked your life, and served the country? Many dealerships give special favors or deals to active-duty military and those that have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
On a side note, the belt was Excluded from my Chrysler Max-Care Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. Normal maintenance items are not (and usually arent on any warranty) covered unless they need replacement due to a covered part that failed (For example, the waterpump or fan clutch goes and takes the belt with it, then the belt would be covered). Thats not unreasonable, I dont expect things like belts/spark plugs/brake pads to be covered under warranties.