My brother-in-law has the 2.4. He went from a Dodge pickup with a V8 to his Journey and is quite pleased. Either way it's a great choice, just enjoy the ride!!!!!
I knew a guy who never changed his oil in all the time he owned his car. He would just check the oil and top it off when it was low. Saved a lot of money on oil changes. I don't think I need to tell you how this ended.
My son had a 2007 Jeep Compass with the CVT and never had a problem. I drove it quite a bit and it was "different" but overall, not a big deal. He just traded it in on a new Journey and I'm sure he'll notice the difference.