jaymista Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I am trying to decide on whether to buy a Jeep Patriot or a Dodge Journey. I am thinking of getting a Journey FWD, not AWD, without the back sear, and with a 2.4 engine. I am wondering if the Journey uses the same 2.4 engine that the Patriot has and how the Journey performs with a 2.4 engine. I went to a dealer today to try a Journey out and all he had was an RT model for $30,000 plus taxes. (Canadian price.) So does anyone have anything good to say about the 2.4 engine in the journey? Will it go up hills ok and keep up in traffic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow_Runner Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Welcome jay, firstly the Patriot is available with a 2.0L engine in the front wheel drive model, and a 2.4L engine with the 4WD model. The transmission offered in either Patriot engine is the CVT type. I have not driven a Patriot, but I am sure they are not as heavy as the Journey, and therefore should have enough power. For the Journey, there was a 2.4L at our dealership in March, my dealer called me to let me know that it was in (I wanted to order the same colour) and when I got to the dealer, it was out for a test drive. Needless to say it was sold as soon as the test drive was over. The couple that bought it said that they have no need to drive on long trips with any substantial weight, or tow a trailer. For them it was perfect for 80% city and 20% Highway. They were very happy with the performance. I guess to answer the question, I do not think the engine is exactly the same, but as for output it would be. There are alot of reviews from the car and truck magazines online, and you could take the recommendations from them and make a decision. I hope this helps. Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigM Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 You'd have to test drive one. Me and my wife really thought we'd be getting a Patriot but even loaded with options it is what it is, namely a $15,000 vehicle with some gizmos. We test drove a Journey the same day as the Patriot this was a few weeks ago. Of course I didn't test drive a 4 banger Journey but in the Patriot with the CVT it was loud and buzzy. We found the Journey to be so much more vehicle for the money. I'd advise you to either get a stripped down Patriot to save money on initial cost plus gas mileage or get the SXT Journey which is a great value. I just couldn't see getting a Limited Patriot when the SXT Journey wasn't too far off in price and was 5x the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymista Posted May 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Thanks for the above info. All good stuff. Can someone verify to me that a Journey 2.4 uses regular gasoline but a 3.5 requires a higher grade of gasoline? I have been trying to check this out on the Dodge Journey web site but can't seem to get the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kconnors Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Hi Jay, The 2.4 L operates on Reg Gas. The 3.5 uses Reg Gas as well but Chrysler recommends Mid Range because some areas have a lower Octane than advertised. If your 3.5 runs good on Reg Gas without spark plug knock or ping then use it. If you venture to higher elevation areas such as Colorado where the Reg Gas may only be 85 or 86 Octane than Mid Range Gas may be required. As far as power is concerned, I have a 07 Caliber with a 2.0 L engine and it has lots of power for Highway or City driving but it has a CV Transmission. Highway travel 120 Km (70Mi) only registers 2400 revs on the tack and there's still lots of power for passing, etc. The 2.4 L Engine in the Journey is mated with a 4-Speed Auto Transmission so performance may not be quite as good and it is a heavier vehicle but also has a bigger motor. The newer 4 cylinder engines are a lot better and more powerful than they used to be. The Honda CV only has a 4 cylinder engine and most people are happy with that vehicle. Good Luck with whatever you decide! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymista Posted May 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Thanks for this info, Keith. I think our regular gas around here has an 87 rating but I could be wrong. I am going to go out now and check it out. I'll let you know what I find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymista Posted May 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 I checked out the octane readings of our gas here: 87, 89, 91. I guess regular gas would be ok for the 3.5. I have been keeping track of my mileage on my 2000 Caravan I am driving now and the best I can get is 21.6 on a Canadian gallon. That would be about 18 on a US gallon. That isn't very good mileage as most of that is highway mileage. Dodge claims I can get 36 mpg (Canadian gallon) on a 2.4 Journey FWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMSBronco Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 My wife has a Jeep Patriot 4WD with the 2.4L and I have a Journet SXT AWD 3.5 L. I've driven both and the power is comparable. But, the Patriot has a lot of Engine Noise (maybe the CVT chain) inside. I also found something I don't like about the CVT...it needs to warm up in the cold. From a cold start in zero degrees, it takes about 5 minutes before the Patriot can move more than 2 miles an hour. My experience with the CVT made up my mind that whatever vehicle I drive must have a standard transmission. I am a volunteer EMT and when the pager tones go off, I expect my vehicle to move when I step on the gas. Being in upstate NY, we do get a few nights a year with sub-zero temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgeram Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 I have a 2.4L Journey SE. It has adequate acceleration for both city and highway driving. The engine noise is loud when you really step on it, but not as loud as the Jeep Patriot I also test drove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Delta Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 I checked out the octane readings of our gas here: 87, 89, 91. I guess regular gas would be ok for the 3.5. I have been keeping track of my mileage on my 2000 Caravan I am driving now and the best I can get is 21.6 on a Canadian gallon. That would be about 18 on a US gallon. That isn't very good mileage as most of that is highway mileage. Dodge claims I can get 36 mpg (Canadian gallon) on a 2.4 Journey FWD. Our SE has enough power to get it around. However we are somewhat disappointed with the fuel mileage. We can barely get 500 km out of a 60 liter fill up, and thats all country highway driving. It did better when we went on a trip to Toronto and was on the 401/407 doing 120 km/h when we almost got 700 km out of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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