I recently had to take my 2017 Pacifica in for service and rather than wait all day for them to perform the 8th seat recall and replace the battery (!) and a few other things, picked up a 2018 Dodge Journey as a rental. Driving it, I was struck by a familiar view out the windshield and out the rear view mirror . . . broad A pillars, good visibility, long roof, three rows of seats, rectangular, slightly sloped forward rear window in a tailgate . . . it was highly reminiscent of the GM A Body wagon (Century, Cutlass Ciera, 6000, Celebrity) which ran from 1984-1996.
The Journey is FWD like the GM A Bar wagon and also powered by either a 4 or a 6, and like the A car wagon, has a vestigial third row for very small children and very occasional use. It’s probably about the same size as the A car wagon externally (those of you committed to numbers and nitpicking can compare in the comments) except higher with a good bit more headroom. Like the A car wagon, the Journey has doddered on from its debut in 2009 to achieve a 10 year lifespan with no signs of fading, and like the A car wagon, has decreased significantly in price relative to other cars. Also like the A car, wagon or not, now in its steady foot soldier middle age, the Journey regularly appears on car authorities lists of aged and doddering platforms not worth buying and gets a lot of stick.
Are those criticisms valid? Confession, I’ve never driven a car fancier than rental DeVilles back in 2001-2006, so I have no idea what an S class or the top of the line or even middle of the line BMWs drive like. I’ll put my two car enthusiast cards on the table now by saying I owned a 1987 Grand National from 2006-2017 and I had a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible with the 210 hp 3.4 from 1997-2001. Most of my day is spent in the car, 8-10 hours a day, in traffic or on long highway drives. My priorities in a car tend to be space, comfort, utility, ride, reasonable power, and some degree of handling, but I’m not driving snaky mountain roads at 8/10ths. Given that, what is a Journey like and would I consider buying one?
First of all, let’s consider price. This Journey stickers at 24,430, although Chrysler’s massive rebates get a stripper Journey like this one down to around 18-19,000. In this day and time, that places it squarely against new cars like a very base Corolla, heavily rebated Sonata, Elantra, Encore, Veloster, and in used cars, 2015 CR-Vs and RAV4s and Equinoxes and the occasional Caravan. If you really want to go budget, new cars like a Fiesta or Spark or Versa are going for around $12K. I didn’t heavily research all the fine print so take it for what it’s worth. The summation here is; you’re not getting a whole lot of luxury and fancy doodads for $19K.
What’s it like for $19Kish? This Journey has handsome if somewhat anonymous styling. It’s close enough to the Grand Cherokee and the Durango to be attractive if nondescript. It’s neither overstyled like the Nissan Kicks/Honda HR-V/Toyota whatever it is nor is it the box that it came in. The styling won’t age badly. It has 17 inch tyres on steel wheels with hubcaps (aside: do you NEED alloy wheels? I’ve never had an instance in which I thought an alloy wheel was preferable to a steel wheel; I just think I prefer a smaller wheel with more sidewall for compliance and cost.) The windows aft of the b pillar are tastefully tinted.
The interior is done in black, with what appears to be long wearing seat fabrics jollied up by some sort of pattern. There are strips of fake aluminum in the dash (why fake, aluminum is what they make Coke cans out of , why cannot it be real?) to liven up the straightforward dash. All the dash and door panels are covered with a black vinyl which is reasonably soft to the touch. You won’t be offended by the materials, like I was in a rental Mustang Convertible, but you won’t sit in the car at night caressing the door panels and dash. It’s not terribly dour for being all black and isn’t completely poverty spec but Audi won’t be looking to this interior for inspiration any time soon.
The instruments include a tach, which I’ll bet you good money will never be used for whatever purpose it was originally intended and would be better put to use as a Lyft/Uber information screen, a speedometer, a fuel gauge, and an information screen. Limited but useful information as in an A car. It’s well laid out and clear and uncluttered. Unlike many budget cars like the Cruze and some Ford products, Chrysler didn’t see the need for dozens of tiny buttons laid out in an architectural but confusing manner; there’s a small touch screen with some redundant radio and HVAC knobs below.
It’s easy to get in and figure out all the controls without looking at them more than once. There’s dual zone climate control and an actual cd player as well as an aux input for both a flash drive and whatever the kids use to play music in the car, how should I know? I bought a new Ciera as a college kid in 1996 so there. The transmission is a venerable four speed automatic and includes an ?Autostick? feature. The parking brake is a floor pedal, push to engage, push to release. It does have push to start and heated mirrors. A nice feature is that the backup camera is integrated into the rearview mirror, so those of us over a certain age who look at the mirror when backing get a clearer view of what’s behind us than by turning our heads. The headlamps have an automatic setting, which is also nice.
No one who has driven a car in the last 20 years, or pretty much ever, will have difficulty figuring out the controls. Your grandmother, whose most recent car was a George Bush II Buick LeSabre, could figure it out. Chrysler has made a simple car which is user friendly; unlike a Versa I had as a rental, there’s no hidden fuel filler button and nothing at all confusing or look off the road to adjust anything.
Other features I noticed are: Standard electric everything, steering wheel radio/information screen controls, driver’s side manual fore and aft, recline, height adjustable seat, tilt/cruise, rear window washer wiper, lots of bins and cubbies including bins underneath the second row floor, and a rear 12V (cigarette lighter) in the hatch. The second row rear seats are theater seats, so they’re raised over the first row, and they pivot forward to allow access to the vestigal third row for small and limber children. The back doors open 90 degrees to allow easy installation and removal of car seats.
How does it drive? It’s quite nimble, actually, and the steering and braking response is good. The steering is quite quick although there’s some off centre non feel and it takes a few milliseconds for the rack to respond just off centre. The brakes are strong without any softness or long travel. Many reviewers criticise the lack of power from the 2.4 4 cylinder
, and the four speed automatic, but I found it was well more than adequate for passing, which, the way I drive, I did a lot, and it hit 80 which was as fast as I was willing to go with no difficulties and it zings from 2500 rpm to 5000 rpm responsively. I LIKED the four speed automatic; more gears than that, like the 9 speed in the Pacifica, seems to make the transmission constantly hunt and shift without any discernable benefit. It rides ok, rougher roads make it bounce a lot, there’s a considerable amount of vibration over rougher roads as well as road noise and it definitely isn’t quite as quiet on the highway as the Pacifica but it’s more than adequate.
How big is it? I didn’t even try to get into the third row. I’m 6 foot tall, and like to lean my seat back while driving a good bit, but the second row seat looked comfortable. Most importantly, it looked like you could get two car seats in the back row easily and still have room for a couple of small, under 10 year old children in the third seat, and still fit room for a reasonable Wal-Mart expedition.
Overall, at the price and considering the competition, a lot of which admittedly I have not driven, it’s a very useful vehicle, like the A car wagon was back when. What this car is really good for is the young lady (there’s a very specific person I have in mind) with two car seats and a baby daddy and another child who is big enough to be out of the car seat to go on her various life experiences, or the Uber/Lyft driver who goes to the airport to pick up two or three people plus luggage. The liftover in the back is high, but once the third row is folded, there’s adequate space for their luggage and whatever odds and ends the Uber/Lyft driver needs to carry around. It’s much easier to get luggage or larger objects into the back than it is into the mail slot trunk of a compact sedan like a Corolla.
I was favourably impressed by the Journey. To me, it was a very competent car. Is it likely to impress automotive journalists who just stepped out of the latest Mercedes/BMW? No, but the likely buyer for this car is coming out of a fourth hand Cavalier she inherited from her brother who was going into the Navy and didn’t need it anymore or some Great Aunt’s W body Regal in which three windows and the air conditioning don’t work and the transmission is about to go. It certainly has better utility than a compact sedan with much more limited space and a mail slot trunk, and drives if not inspiringly, very well. It’s certainly better than the overstyled and overcompact crop of tiny SUVs that are coming out.
The Journey, as a budget Chrysler, stamps on the graves of the 200 and Dart, as it costs no more but is much more useful in daily life. Despite what Steven Lang has claimed about Journey reliability, the powertrain is proven, and I had the same powertrain? Is the 2.4 the same as it was in the 2006 Caravan? And it went 232000 miles with basic maintenance. . . some of those alleged reliability problems can be placed on the shoulders of the owners, who were likely to neglect the car. Is it better than a 4 year old CR-V or RAV-4? I don’t know which of those cars can be had with three rows, which may be a consideration for the buyer I have in mind for this car. The CR-V and RAV-4 are going to have better resale values 4 years from now, but if the buyer drives whichever car into the ground, it doesn’t matter, does it?
Financing gives better terms on a new car than a used car, so there’s also that to consider; the same quoted price on a car may end up lower on a new car than on a used car due to interest and other calculations. I’d definitely recommend this car to anyone looking for budget transportation and for fiscal reasons, way more over a buy here pay here BMW or Mercedes. It did feel like if you took care of it, it would last long beyond the payment book and you would like it. It’s more useful and drives better (what doesn’t) than a Corolla at the same price. It’s very much like an A car wagon with a lot more headroom, the same vestigial third row, but this time there’s a little room behind the third row for groceries and such, a lot more pep, simple controls, a four speed transmission, a choice of 4 or 6 cylinder engines, more standard features, a LOT more pep, more driving competence, and a similar long life on the shelf. The Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon Lives on.
Well written, sir, thank you. Honest feedback on a car that does not try to be something it is not. As a continuation of the A Body wagon, it is a working class station wagon for 2019.
We forget that Compromise is one of the cornerstones of real life. The Journey is a compromise. What you give up, you also get back as well. For a low price, you get a more basic new vehicle. Yes, you can go used, but many like the better financing terms and warranty offered by new versus used. Is it stylish? Does it project status? Is it fashionable? Probably no to all, but it serves its purpose for a lot of folks. Folks who realistically compromise on the big things in life, and live a much better one as a result.
I believe there is still a place in this world for solid affordable basic transportation. I’ve never been in a Journey, but on paper they look like a good value and very versatile so it’s nice to see this review. I think the biggest downsides are economy and safety measures, which are largely due to it simply being outdated at this point.
Chrysler seems to be discovering this lesson with the Pacifica. It’s class leading but sales are struggling because of the cost compared to the Grand Caravan and T&C. A lot of families who need vans can’t afford that, and if they can, many would rather have an Odyssey or Sienna due to their better reputations.
Does your Pacifica have Auto Stop Start? I have wondered if it would be best to permanently disable that on my pickup due to additional wear on the battery and starter canceling out the approximately 1MPG it nets me.
A malfunctioning start/stop system was one of the major things that’s frustrating Motor Trend’s long-term Pacifica Hybrid.
As to the Pacifica/Grand Caravan price differential, they’re really not that far apart when comparing base units. It’s only when the hefty discounts are taken that the real disparity arises.
When the Grand Caravan went through it’s last, Daimler revision in 2008, the SWB Caravan was eliminated. In it’s place, they put the Journey. That’s really its main mission: to take the place of the the SWB Chrysler minivan. In that regard, I’d say it’s generally succeeded and it continues to sell well, in no small part due to the low price of admission.
The very poor reliability marks on the first two years of the Pacifica (especially issues with start stop) are what scared me off. I love how they drive and how they are styled inside and out, but when it came time to plunk my own cash down, we went with a lightly used ’16 Town&Country Touring L for about $5-6k less than what comparable used ’17 Pacificas were going for. The 5th gen Caravan platform is not without its own foibles, but they’re more of a known quantity and just an older platform with fewer things to fail (like start stop).
The very first sentence states clearly what the problem is/will be with this vehicle and every other FCA product: “I recently had to take my 2017 Pacifica in for service and rather than wait all day for them to perform the 8th seat recall and replace the battery (!) and a few other things.”
That’s compared to the current Honda CR-V which has a recall for the 1.5 engine dumping fuel in the oil and blowing up. Or the last generation CR-V that has a recall/buyback out for the rear suspension falling apart from corrosion.
Yeah, that seat recall is sure a hassle. Which is for the 8th passenger jump seat, by the way, not the 8th time it has happened.
Very nice “real world” review, thanks! BTW, AWD is available on a Journey making it by far the cheapest way to get into an AWD three-row in the snowbelt.
With the optional and excellent PentaStar V6, I’d imagine power to be a non-issue although even you found the 4 to be perfectly adequate.
It’s not just people moving up from a Cavalier, I find myself in a position where I kind of need another vehicle, I’ve become allergic to paying for premium gas, have no desire to spend more than I absolutely need to, and am finding gently used cars in general to be a poor value compared to a new one (around here, anyway), but also finding I’m too cheap for a new one while being too bourgeois to drive a hair shirt The goal is a basic transportation appliance that can go long distances in comfort and be easy on gas (not at all a high bar to clear in my current household fleet) and never need to enter the shop on my dime. I’m picky and fickle and set in my ways, in other words.
Oh, re: the faux-Aluminum trim, our old Murano had real stuff and some F150’s (Limited? Platinum?) have/had it as well inside the cabin. It looks great in the showroom until it inevitably dents/dings sooner rather than later and then looks like total crap from that point forward.
“but also finding I’m too cheap for a new one while being too bourgeois to drive a hair shirt ”
I completely get it. Another way to put it is that I am too good for anything I want to pay for. 🙂
JPC, it is fortuitous that my coffee was safely on the table when I read your translation of Mr. Klein’s comment. Had I been drinking it at the time, I would have spilled it and had it coming out my nose, to boot.
A nicely written review of a perfectly reasonable, vehicular appliance. I see quite a few Journeys in my area. While a life-long motor head, I’ve been a driver of appliances for most of my life and have only enjoyed spiffy, sporty and/or fancy cars from afar.
There is a lot to like about the Journey. As a “most bang for the buck” kind of guy, I like the value proposition and the overall size/seating configuration. I would really, really like the 3.6 V6 over the four, but I think this would hike the price quite a bit.
The biggest problem for me would be the existence of the Kia Sorento. As much as I want to love the modern FCA (because I really like many of their vehicles) my recent experience suggests that the Kia may be the safer bet. Its in the same price ballpark and probably has a better warranty too. But I have not shopped either in detail, so I may be missing some things.
Still, I have liked the Journey since it came out. The size and configuration would be something very relevant to Mrs. JPC and I if we were to find ourselves in the market for a new car.
Just doing a quick look online around here, Journeys start at under $16K. V6 under $19K. Sorentos are over $20K.
With AWD + V6 the lot price of the Journey goes way up, over $26K. I guess they don’t have much for incentives on those. At that point the Sorento is within $1500, though I don’t know how the trim levels compare.
Used Sorento LXs (4cyl, AWD, heated seats) are pretty easily found in the $16-17k range. That’s a very strong value IMO in the crossover space. I’d take one over a Journey, even if it meant missing out on the excellent Pentastar V6. Sedans? Year-old ex-fleet Camry LE for $15.5k, although a similarly lightly used Sonata/Optima are great choices as well. I agree with Jim, I’ll take Kia over FCA on the reliability front any day of the week. But when it comes to vans, the current Sedona is a huge regression in utility/functionality from the prior generation, to say nothing of comparing it to a Chrysler van with their stow and go seats.
But you are comparing new to used, which is the point he is making. One could argue that a 1-3 year old used car, regardless of manufacturer, is more likely to be less reliable than a brand new Journey because the history is a crap shoot. Especially for a fleet vehicle.
Agree on the Sedona, it’s more like a large 2wd CUV than a proper minivan. I thought it drove and looked nice though.
I would still trust a 1-2 year old used Sorento with a clean carfax bill of health and pre-purchase inspection over a Journey. As I’ve posted below, FCA just builds stuff out of very cheap parts.
Kia/Hyundai recalled millions of vehicles the past two years for engine failures from metal filings and bad crankpins as well as leaking gaskets that start fires. Sorentos included. Their engines have a pretty poor reputation for catastrophic failure right now.
Not that they are bad vehicles. My point is that you shouldn’t put too much trust in any one manufacturer regardless of past history as they all seem to be looking to cut corners these days. I have enjoyed my vehicles a lot more since I stopped worrying about what this or that publication said about them and simply bought what I liked. Though, I don’t know if anybody would buy a Journey because they liked it better than anything else. 😉 They sell mostly on price.
The Journey is essentially an Avenger Wagon so there is another similarity to the old A-body Wagons.
Sometimes I feel a bit stupid that when I bought my used Highlander in 2014 I didn’t shop a new Journey V6 AWD. The price difference probably would have been negligible and I would have had a new vehicle with a warranty.
Sadly for some used car prices only seem to have gotten worse and in the “gently used” market there is very little incentive to not just buy new.
That’s why I bought my pickup new. I only would have saved about $4000 on a 3 year old truck with around 50,000 miles. That wouldn’t have made any sense.
Of course, since the new year I haven’t seen new incentives anywhere near what I got. Good timing I guess.
I wouldn’t feel stupid unless you’ve spent a lot of money on out of warranty repairs on the Highlander, Dan. It’s not like you passed up something remarkable by skipping the Journey. If you’re picking between two appliances of the same price, get the one with the statistically smaller chance of breaking.
Steve Lang’s reliability metric may not be the final word, but it uses data and the difference between a Journey and Highlander in their metric could not be larger.
Yeah unless there was an opportunity to save a boat load on the front end, I don’t see how anyone could regret buying a Highlander over a Journey. I had a rental V6 to drive to Iowa and back, they’re nowhere as bad as the brain-dead autojournos like to make them out to be, but make no mistake it is a less thoroughly engineered/built car than a Highlander.
You’re still on this?
The Highlander was probably the better buy, especially if you decide to get rid of it in the next ten years, as you’ll enjoy better bang-for-your -buck in terms of resale value.
Nicely written. This paints a picture in my mind’s eye of a 1973 Plymouth Valiant all over. FCA looks to be aiming this at those econo buyers the market has backed away from somewhat.
I feel the same way when I see those “overstyled” compact light trucks etc. on the road today. Yet they have all ended up looking the same with the pointed end to the back side windows, the wedge rooves, the busy grilles and sloped headlights.
The interior of this Journey looks fully functional without going overboard.
As JPC alluded to above, I’m just not sure FCA has the street credibility to pull this off any more. I think in the end analysis the Journey gets lost in the shuffle because everyone sees what everyone else is buying these days – CRAV4s, SorrentoFe’s, etc.
These get a bad rap for being ‘old’ but I call BS on that. It’s tried and true, offers good honest transportation with versatility and you can buy them relatively cheap. If these had glaring flaws then sure a redesign is in order, otherwise it’s just change for the sake of change.
As a daily driver for the grind, I could see owning one. Of course, that would mean something cool is in the garage for the good times. I personally wouldn’t touch a rental spec one though. At minimum I want the V6, a color that looks sharp like bright red, and leather interior. An R/T (yeah I know it’s a poser-ish appearance package) would be a great compliment to my Challenger. Personally, I couldn’t see popping for AWD on this. FWD and good all season tires could more than handle the weather conditions in the PNW. These aren’t meant for trail riding and if that’s going to become a thing again, im going full rwd based dual range 4×4 with a suspension lift and proper off-road gear.
When my wife and I bought her current car last summer I looked at these. Frankly, Chrysler’s overall reliability reputation scared me off.
Has Chrysler resolved whatever reliability problems the Journey may have had early in its life? Is this car now properly sorted?
If so, this could be the next Roach of the Road ™ as the A-body GMs all quietly die.
And if so, a new Journey might have been as good a choice than the slightly used Kia Soul we bought. It certainly would have hauled more people, which would have come in handy for our large family since we bought that Kia.
All Chryslers of this era have a “TIPM”= Totally Integrated Power Module which tend to have internal failures prematurely that necessitate replacement of the whole unit to the tune of $1k for the part. Secondly, the overall quality/specification of various supplier components, things like blower motors and blend door actuators, etc is quite low (made in China). I had a noisy blower motor on my ’16 T&C by 36k miles, replaced quickly and painlessly under the factory bumper to bumper warranty in half a day thankfully. I’m pretty sure my rear shocks are noisier than they should be but the local dealer wrote it off to stow and go seat noise, I relented for now. So as a function of low quality of various components little stuff tends to crap out more frequently than on some other makes, the drivetrains are largely solid. Then again I have a friend with a ’17 Civic that’s had the cowl cover replaced due to premature cracks/holes in the rubber, wiper linkage replaced, some kind of suspension noise addressed, and it has horrible panel alignment (Greensburg Indiana car, sad to say).
Thanks for the color commentary. Little stuff like this makes me nuts. My old Ford Focus suffered from cheap components too. So frustrating.
Rented one years ago , overall a pleasant enough experience, and not a bad looking vehicle IMO. However , if I were to buy one I would have to go for the 6 cyl. The four seemed noticeably over worked under any acceleration. Then again , with FCA’s consistent low ratings for quality components , I’d probably pass.
That was my experience also. I had the chance to buy a used base “Canada Value Package” example with less than 10k miles at an attractive price, but couldn’t get past the slow drivetrain and racket with two people on board. I recall that there wasn’t much of a mileage difference between the 4cyl/4speed tranny and the Pentastar with 6 speed tranny. I wasn’t coming from a fast car prior to trying the Journey, and the lack of pep was very apparent.
Very nice review and perspective, Savage. There will always be a place for an “old” car that just works as intended, although the ubiquitous paid auto reviewers living in absolute bubbles will rarely figure it out as you have. The proven engine, the useful form factor, the reasonable equipment list, the relatively modern safety, all of this is plenty good enough for 2019, particularly at the prices they are likely to let them go for.
Everyone laughs at the 4-speed auto, but I’d rather have that than an indecisive 9-speed with poor shift quality and 5-and-a-half overdrive ratios that the engine can’t pull on a level interstate cruise anyway. I’ve found that 6-speeds is about right, though. This car would probably be perkier with that.
The engine performance….eh, that’s going to be in the eye of the beholder. It’s adequate for sure, but it’s a 4000 pound vehicle with 170hp. Our 4 cylinder Camry is going to feel like a sports car in comparison. Put the V6 and AWD in it, and then it drinks like my 4Runner without much else to show for it. Can’t have it all, as JFrank said above. This is a good cost-effective family vehicle. The car market needs Everyday Heroes.
Agreed on the 4-speed auto. Although the 6-speed auto would be the sweet spot; however on the Journey, you have to upgrade to the V6 to get it.
The transverse ZF 9-speed, on the other hand, is just annoying in the FCA vehicles. Honda and Jaguar/Land Rover also use their own versions of it, but I haven’t sampled those. Maybe I’ll test-drive a 2019 Acura MDX or something.
I’d definitely rather have Ye Olde 4-Speed than that 9-speed.
My own FCA car, a 2015 Grand Cherokee, has the longitude ZF 8-speed, and while it’s buttery-smooth most of the time, it produces an unwelcome, neck-snapping downshift every so often if I step on the gas at the wrong time. My car also has the stupid monostatic gear selector that might have been responsible for Anton Yelchin’s death.
These are a compelling buy for someone on a budget who wants a new car with a warranty or someone looking for something cheap, used. I see the Journey all over blue-collar Canada, just like the Valiant was when I was a kid. They ferry kids, haul groceries and don’t get stuck in the snow because they are tall.
It is cool that Chrysler, at least in Canada, has always had a cheap family car for the masses.
And typical for Mopar, the brakes are just terrible on these cars. The pads and rotors are too small, just like in the Caravan.
I read about that too, but in our T&C, which does not have the HD brakes that were made standard in mid-2012, I get almost 40K out of the rear and 60K on the front. I don’t think that’s overly bad for a vehicle that heavy. Cheap and easy job to do myself.
The rears wearing out first made me think something was wrong, but I learned that’s common on vehicles with stability control as light braking is rear biased.
From what I can tell, it looks like they upgraded the Journey’s standard brakes to Heavy Duty in 2012 as well. If they are the same as the vans’, they should be stout.
@ Pete; The Pacifica has an extremely annoying stop start feature, and I have to turn it off every time I drive the car. It’s automatic now just to turn it off, put the car in reverse, release the brake, and off I go. I hate the feature passionately and know that there’s some secret way to permanently disable it. Someday I’ll learn how to do it.
The stop start battery had shorted out the main battery and because I had exceeded the mileage on the original warranty, I had to pay out of pocket. The Chrysler lifetime warranty does not, apparently, cover batteries.
But in a year and a half that’s been the only problem, so I figure the car is going to be pretty reliable long haul. Plus, I got the dead base model, so no heated seats, no heated steering wheel, no power doors and liftgate, no horribly annoying beepy “safety” features, and in the case of ALL minivans, (even Toyotas and Hondas) if it isn’t on there, it cannot break.
I took a long hard look at the Grand Caravan before buying the Pacifica. There was a 4-5k difference in base model prices, but the Grand Caravan had less equipment than the Pacifica like rear AC and opening middle windows. I could live without those features, but the Pacifica was much, much nicer to drive than the Grand Caravan and I spend so many, many hours in the car that it was worth the difference. I think Chrysler is struggling with the Pacifica despite it being much more attractive than the hideous Odyssey for the reasons cited above; it’s hard to achieve price parity even if the product is better when you know with a Honda/Toyota, you get sterling resale value and a better quality reputation.
Obviously your mileage may vary, but I’ve had good experiences with Chrysler products.
There’s not much on the Journey to break, and it’s made out of very proven components, so I’m thinking it would be fairly solid. I was surprised at how decent a base model car it was, but then I have somewhat outdated expectations in what constitutes adequate anyway. A low grade rental car not that long ago would have been a wheezing, cramped, cheap, plasticky, ugly, dog of a car without concession to comfort or convenience. An Audi q5 is smaller than this car, but has leather and some fancy toys, but I wouldn’t think especially on my own dime that it’s more than TWICE as good.
For those of y’all thinking about the 6 you really should thoroughly drive the 4 before ruling it out, the savings is enormous.
” and it’s made out of very proven components, so I’m thinking it would be fairly solid”
Chrysler’s problem is an addiction to cheap bottom-of-the-barrel Chinese components. They’ve known for years about the TIPM issues, HVAC blend door actuators stripping out, etc, but would rather you go to the dealer to get another cheap Chinese replacement part installed than to make the effort of switching suppliers or specifying a more durable part. Frankly, everyone is on this path of cost cutting, even Toyota and Honda are well on their way if my second hand experience with a fairly new Rav4 and Civic are any indication.
@gtem: I’m pretty sure the brake and TIPM issues were resolved between 2012 and 2013 on these and the vans. Not sure about the blend doors, though. However, all producers are going with the least cost providers, I have a feeling that some formerly sterling reputations will be tarnished.
2014s at least are still having issues:
https://youtu.be/a7gEDHsppEs
I have little reason to believe Chrysler troubled themselves with improving supplier quality with any of the interior bits (blower motors, actuators, etc).
https://youtu.be/FNTL-y3ZWyY
Again, I bought a T&C knowing about all these issues, just weighed the benefits (low cost, features we like) against the potential for some issues down the line (bought a bumper to bumper warranty out to 85k).
Yeah, the Pacifica is much nicer than the older generation. Safer, too.
I’ve now had two Chrysler vans. They haven’t been perfect, but they also haven’t been any worse than our last Toyota and Honda. They have been great values, if lacking in refinement. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.
I’m certainly not sold on start/stop on any vehicle yet. There’s a 3rd party “Autostop Eliminator” for my pickup that remembers the last setting when you start it up that I’ve been contemplating. I don’t see that that particular company makes anything for Chrysler, but I wonder if you could find something similar.
Five years ago I bought a 2013 Chrysler 200 Touring with 30,000 miles on it. It now has 135,000 miles on it. I’ve replaced a rear lateral link that wore out and a blend door actuator in the dash. Total for parts was less than $100. Labor was mine. I have no complaints about Chrysler reliability.
When my son was thinking about his first car he was wanting a truck ( don’t they all? ) but was concerned about gas and thought small sedan. What shocked me was he was seriously looking at a Journey as a comprise vehicle in that it could haul stuff, plus people and not kill him on gas.
He ended up with an Eco tech Fusion but just the thought that a Journey was on the list for a young single guy in his twenties speaks volumes to its appeal.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I haven’t had any of the “unreliable Chrysler” issues I read about… I have a 2010 T&C, it’s just about to turn over 170k, and the only non-maintenance item I’ve had to fix was the rear AC condenser leaked. I did have leaky power steering hoses, but I did hit two deer with this van, so they might have cause the leak… My wife has a 2016 T&C, it’s got 65K and has only needed oil changes and a set of tires. We towed a camper with it the first two summers we’ve had it, and she has a 45-mile (each direction) commute 5 days a week. I have NO problems with Chrysler products!
I have had mine for 3 years, One trip to the East Coast and 3 trips too Florida with each trip getting low 7/100km. Fantastic economy. Bought these cause scared of CVT’s. No issues what so every. Dealer is excellent. I purchased based on my 2 block drive to my house thru the burbs there are over 15 of them. Both neighbours have one. one is 9 yrs old and the other is 7. They have nothing but praise for them. Like Packard said, Ask the person that owns one.
Mine is a SE 4 cyl. It’s not a Lexus so don’t expect it to be one.
However, for another perspective from the place our dear Prime Minister of another time once referred to as “the arse end of the world” – which he if anyone should have known we call “Australia” – the Journey has ended, as has Dodge. For most who purchased it, this wasn’t a cause for regret, as every journey in them became like the second marriage, a triumph of hope over experience. Too often, the journey became dodgy because of the Dodge, and when management would not honour resulting costs, it became Dodgy Dodge dodges Dodge Journey’s journey dodging. Or thereabouts.
Whilst there’s certainly a case for basic transportation, the Antipodean experience seemed to be that the basicness was extended a wee too far, in that a working motive source was not always included.
I should point out that at least part of the problem here was utterly corrupt management of Chrysler in Oz from about ’09 to ’15, meaning that proper warranty stuff was simply not honoured. It killed Dodge, and nearly took the entire brand lineup too. Still, the quality of the products was definitely sub-par, as anyone in the trade will attest (and then prove by what they won’t give you as a trade-in).
It’s an interesting point you raise about journalists jumping from some flash Deutsch wagon from another price universe into the next ride such as this Dodge and finding it wanting, but in truth, it’s useful that they do. The criticism has long put the pressure on manufacturers to improve the breed, and it has worked. And having jumped myself in such a fashion many times (a friend in the car trade), the satisfying adequacy of the car I’d arrived in felt very like underdone cheap-ass flim-flammery upon returning to it. The general standard of cars now is so high at least partly because we were kept informed that better could be done.
I’d add that, like you, my expectations are a bit dated, so I’m sure I’d be happy with the Journey too. But the point, perhaps, is that Chrysler shouldn’t be.
The 2.4 in the Journey is the GEMA (Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance). The 2.4 in the ’96-00/01-07 SWB base Mopar minivans was known as the Chrysler Powertech, IIRC, and were the same engines that the 2001-06 Stratus/Sebring used (and a few other Mopars, incl. base model Wranglers). While those engines were pretty solid, they are not the same as the GEMA 2.4, which is what is in all 4 cyl. equipped Journeys. The GEMA 2.4 never saw use in a minivan application. While the GEMA 2.4 is still available for the Journey, it evolved into MultiAir, which is the 4 cyl unit for all 15+ Mopars with a 4 cyl option (except for Journey), which is an updated design of the GEMA.
To answer your question, yes, the 2.4 GEMA engine is very reliable, probably one of the best out there. It doesn’t get 59 MPG like all these ultra tiny complex modern super/turbocharged 3 or 4 cyls do but it will last a heckuva lot longer. It’s not the most powerful, but it’s a stout little engine and if you are realistic about mileage to the size and type of car, it gets pretty respectable MPG. The basic design of the GEMA was joint developed by Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz, and was developed back in Chrysler’s Daimler days. Hyundai has had some bad luck with their version but Chrysler’s are solid. I don’t know about Mitsubishi, their total car sales in the US is almost a rounding error. The GEMA is VVT with chain driven timing, while the PowerTech is belt driven timing/DOHC.
The 4 speed (41TE Ultradrive) is very similar to the units found in 1990+ Caravans/Voyagers and various other Mopar FWDs through the years. By now, it is a very good transmission as Chrysler has long worked out the bugs. All the notoriety against Chrysler Ultradrive transmissions have finally been put to bed. The 62TE is based off of the 41TE, only it has six speeds (plus an extra reverse speed) and is a little bit more heavier-duty, they use those in the RT minivans (since 2011) and the ProMaster van as well as higher-equipped Journeys (in the Pacifica and Jeep Cherokee, as well as the ’15-17 200, they use the 9-speed FWD ZF trans). The 62TE debuted in the 3.5L equipped ’07-10 Sebrings/Avengers as well as Pacifica CUVs first gen RT minivans (’08-10) equipped with a 4.0L.
I have the 62TE and 2.4 GEMA in my ’13 200 Limited and am happy with both. 115k with no signs of giving up – it’s just getting broken in! Even though I’m going to eventually buy a new(er) daily driver within the next five years –either a Charger/300 or Grand Cherokee–I’m going to hang on to the 200 indefinitely as it is a great little car and I want to see how far I can take it. Too bad it wasn’t given an honest chance by the car reviewers with a bias.
I took my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee in to have the leaking radiator replaced under warranty this past Feburary, and received an identical base-model 2018 Dodge Journey. Evidently, it was one of the ones produced before May 2018 (when reversing cameras became federally mandated), because it lacked a reversing camera.
It is also worth noting that FCA dispensed with the dinky little 5″ infotainment unit in almost all of its other passenger cars for 2018, instead equipping them with a 7″ Uconnect system as the base unit. General Motors does something similar.
I was not at all thrilled with the Journey I had, but I do see how it could be an appealing vehicle with more options (like the 8.4″ Uconnect screen and the Pentastar V6.)
And whatever you think of the Journey, it’s a far cry from the piece-of-crap DaimlerChrysler-era version that debuted in 2009. Fiat was the best thing that ever happened to Chrysler in terms of interior presentation and features. And Daimler was the worst.
I agree Kyree. There are some genuinely nice looking/feeling bits on ALL Chrysler products post-Fiat, yes including on the Patriot and Avenger. My Town&Country has surprisingly well finished door cards: very nicely padded vinyl along the top sill, handsome design, good finish. Genuinely much better than a Odyssey or Sienna of the same years. At the same time, yes it had a hard plastic dash, but I have no complaints about fit/finish there either.
I’m a bit late to the Journey party, as usual. We’ve had three Pontiac Azteks, cars which surprised me with their livability. When the Aztek went out of production, I searched around for a replacement for it and a friend who works for (now) FCA showed us a Journey. While our current cars are still presentable and reliable, a Journey is on my short list of cars to replace one of ours in the case of catastrophic failure or accident.
The one I drove long ago was the V6 version; I’ve never sampled the 4 cyl/4 spd auto version, so I was glad to see your review. I have to imagine that the 4/4 FWD version would make a good commuter/basic car for a couple or even a small family. It has enough cargo capacity to fill the same role as a shorty minivan, but should be economical enough to run on long drives.
I can only imagine that if all of the seats were filled and you were in hilly territory that the drivetrain may struggle a bit. Kind of like when I was in Pittsburgh with members of my extended family, some of whom are rather large, my 4 cyl/6 speed Pontiac G6 stayed in the lower gears to get up some of the hills. Not the end of the world, but how often do you really load your car up to the gills and then perform some kind of extreme driving?
Again, thanks for the real world review of the 4/4 Journey. Based on your advice, if I find myself in the position of looking at one, I will definitely drive one before eliminating from my choices.
Indeed, the Journey is the reason FCA *doesn’t* make a short minivan anymore.