3 Months and my impressions

[claude9039u]

First off I would like to give a little info about myself. I have been a Dodge man for 15 years and have owned the following dodge cars. Sebrine, Durango, Dakota, Caliber, Magnum AWD, 06 Magnum SRT8, 08 Magnum SRT8, 08 300 AWD. I current own the 08 Magnum SRT8 and the 2010 Journey RT AWD. I go thru a lot of car's except for the SRT8's because I put a lot of miles on them. Its nothing to do 100,000 miles in a little over 3 years. I traded in the 08 300 AWD 3.5 with 115,000 miles for the Journey and I try to never buy a car new. I go for dealer demo's always.

I have owned the car for 3 months bought it used dealer demo with 3,000 miles and I have put 8000 on it. I drive it just about every day and do 115 miles on it a day. Lots of highway 80 + MPH and at times lots of stop and go traffic on the highway also.

Good things.

Lots of room

Sharp looking

Handles well

Bad Things

Exterior

1. The rear bumper sides were it connects to the bottom of the rear lights keeps poping out a little?

2. Its hard to see whats close in front of the car when like parking.

3. Whats up with the short passenger side wiper blade?

Interior

1. Seat hurts my butt after an hour of sitting in it.

2. When getting out I hear a crunch in the driver side seat, makes me feel like it may cause a problem in the future.

3. Not being able to watch DVD's or use Nav while in motion blows and there is no aftermarket fix for it!

4. My knee's and elbow hurt after 30 minutes because I rest them on the hard plastic in the car.

Drive train

1. I have the "most" power you can buy with the car and it needs at least another 50 HP. Going up small inclines makes the car drop down a gear.

2. When parking and turning the steering wheel with AC on the car seems to want to stall car needs more power.

3. The front wheel / AWD transfer is stupid and you can feel it everytime it happens. I am real worried that whatever parts are doing the work are going to be an issue. Thank god I got an extended warranty.

4. Brakes are garbage! They have warped twice and will be the first modification I will do. Aftermarket High performance pads and slotted and cross drilled rotors.

My over all impression!

The car needs more power and the transmission and transfer case need a lot of work! The sad thing is that the car is sharp looking and provides all the room you can want! the interior is hard and needs to be softer! I read a lot on the car before I got it and took a chance as I read lots of both good and bad reviews. My gut said don't buy it but when you look at the car its such a real nice looking truck! And when you test drive it at the dealer you just don't get the real life time in it that would tell you not to buy it. In the end I would not purchase it again without great and I mean great improvements. Its a real nice looking car but it needs a lot of work.

[redtomatoman]

Really?

I'm surprised by your review, especially in light of your history with the Caliber. I've been very happy with my 2011 R/T. It does have those extra 50 ponies (283 HP) that you think are necessary, though. The interior is great. The exterior is great. The transmission does have its own personality which makes some frustrated. Utilize the manual shift and you will not have any complaints with the engine power, I suspect. Not being able to watch DVDs and type on the NAV is to save some folks from themselves. It is my understanding that there is a fix for that with the Uconnect system. That fix is silly, IMHO. I would recommend the 2011 Journey to anyone interested in a sensible, well handling CUV with a little muscle. I would like to see a few more horses over the 283 that I have. I may put on a mopar CAI if it becomes available to see if I can get a little more out of the engine. As it is, I've had it up over 100mph with two passengers, two mountain bikes on the roof, and full of gear. It got there easily. I just took it on a trip around the Colorado Rockies; those are some hills, I was impressed. I haven't found much to complain about.

Peace.

[coolram62]

I looked at several vehicles before buying my Journey. The dealer I bought mine from had a 2010 SXT I test drove then I drove the 2011 because I read a good bit about the Pentastar. The issues you speak of were addressed very nicely with the interior redesign and the Pentastar for power. The 2010 had the 19" wheels but otherwise similary equipped with 15K miles. The 2011's suspension feels more responsive than the 2010 in the handling depatment. I made it a point to drive the 2011 over the same route as I did the 2010. I could have gotten a real good deal on the '10 but the upgrades done were just to much to pass up. This reminds me when Dodge redesigned the Dakota for the '97 model year. At the time I owned a '94 Dakota SLT V8 and couldn't resist a test drive. All the issues I had with the interior were answered with the new body style. The powertrain and suspension were a relative carryover but it was like driving a completly different vehicle.

[Derekmclain9]

Yeah i have none of the complaints that you do and i test drove alot before i bought and i found it was one of the sharpest looking and had the nicest interior. I also found it to have more power than its competitors.

[claude9039u]

I have not driven to 2011 so I can't say what has been addressed. I only offered my thoughts on the 2010 AWD R/T. I stand bye what I have said it needs more power! The CUV is very nice looking or I would not have bought it! But for me to drive it everyday sucks! I miss the 300! To be clear I love the way it looks I love all the room in it and I love the way it feels down the road. I hate how I feel when I get out of it and I hate that it does not have the power I need for something that gets such bad gas mileage! It cost $70 to fill up and I full it up twice a week! I could do that with the new Durango, and get a hell of a lot more comfort! Again this is just my thoughts! I love the way it looks and I have seen the 2011 interior but have not drove it so I can't say the issues I have with the 2010 have been addressed. I have owned a lot of dodge products and this is one that I would be very carefully about buying again! I have never felt that dodge got me! But with this car I am not happy with what I ended up with!

The caliber was a SRT4 and it was what it was. The 300 was a 3.5 awd fully loaded. When I saw this car it saw that it had all the things that the 300 had minus the DVD in the rear or I would not have bother with it. As I said I never bought a dodge car that I was not happy with or gave me what I wanted and need on a trade in. But I have some worries about this CUV and I already know that when I go to trade her in I am going to have problems.

[redtomatoman]

Well, compared to your Magnum, the Journey will always be sluggish. I have learned that a vehicle is what it is. . . It is quite an adjustment when I get behind the wheel of my 1991 Dakota. Great truck for what it is, but with only 125hp it leaves something to be desired. 2010 or 2011, both are a CUV not intended to ooze performance. I believe the 2011 is greatly improved, but both will serve their intended purpose to be a versatile vehicle for families or active folks. At least yours has the chill zone glove box!! I really wanted that, but Dodge left it out of the 2011.

Peace.

[claude9039u]

Update I have owned the car since May 2011 bought it as a dealer demo with 3K on it. Today just hit 60,000K and have had the car a year We still drive it 115 miles a day from Philadelphia, Pa to Wilmington, DE 5 days a week. As before 80 + MPH on the highway lots of stop and go traffic. (Rush hour). I still stand by what I said in the first post about the car. I have gone through 2 sets of pads and rotors and on my second set of tires which were a pain to find and the cost for them was crazy!

Good things:

Still has lots of room is very sharp looking and for its size handles well.

Bad Things

Exterior
The rear bumper sides were it connects to the bottom of the rear lights keeps popping still no matter what wiper blades or products I use on the front windows driving in the rain and looking through the windshield just sucks!

Interior
My butt still hurts my butt after an hour of sitting in it, passengers not being able to watch DVD's or use the Nav while the car is in motion blows and there is still no aftermarket fix for it and my knee's and elbow hurt after 30 minutes because I rest them on the hard plastic in the car. Passenger side down function stopped working, driver window motor had to be replaced and gear selector had to be replaced.

Drive train

Car still needs at least another 50 HP, small inclines makes the car drop down a gear, when parking and turning the steering wheel with the AC on the car seems to want to stall and the belt makes noise (car needs more power), still worried that transfer case and transmission are going to be an issue (Thank god I got an extended warranty.) and the brakes even with high performance cross rotors are still garbage when it comes to stopping. At least they don't warp now!

My over all impression!
Would I buy the car again? HELL NO! And with what I have been reading on the 3.6 I would not upgrade to it either! While I still think its a sharp looking car, but with all I have read on it, the 300 and Durango looks like sadly I will be leaving Dodge as there products have just gotten worst, cost a lot and are just not worth the cost any more to say a Dodge man! Chevy and Ford made products that are cheaper, last longer and have more standard options. I will not even mention what you can get with the foreign cars!

Edited March 26, 2014 by claude9039u

[Journeyman425]

Before you totally give up on it, at least take a good test drive in a 2013 with the 3.6. I've only had mine for two weeks but it is super-comfortable and all of the hard plastic is gone. I opted for FWD because AWD is unnecessary where I live, saving $1800.00 off the price which allowed us to purchase other options. The lack of AWD means less weight and drag which should improve fuel economy. We've only burned three tanks of fuel so far but each one averages about 22 MPG, not bad for the weight and power. My only dislike is the shift programming - it upshifts too soon into higher gears. 3-4 upshift is particularly rough. I suspect there will be yet another update down the road. Other than that, the build quality is superb and the ride is very comfortable and quiet. I own two 300M's and thought I'd never like a car as much. .

[cmann19023]

Hey we had our journey r/t now for about 3 months and love it. The shifting is a little weird like you said I just assumed it was because of the awd. Our fuel mileage is averaging about 16 mpg. That is really not that good in my opinion I am going it gets better with breaking in. We will see, but overall we love this vehicle. Even though it's just us and our daughter we love having the 3rd row seating. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it. Well that's it for now. Enjoy your vehicle.

[cmann19023]

Hey we had our journey r/t now for about 3 months and love it. The shifting is a little weird like you said I just assumed it was because of the awd. Our fuel mileage is averaging about 16 mpg. That is really not that good in my opinion I am going it gets better with breaking in. We will see, but overall we love this vehicle. Even though it's just us and our daughter we love having the 3rd row seating. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it. Well that's it for now. Enjoy your vehicle.

[NorthStar1]

I have to agree...my 2013 with 3.6L Pentastar is fantastic. Drives well, has gobs of power, and once you get used to the tranny (or it gets used to you) it is a great vehicle. The ride is very smooth, soft seats and when I added the Lifetime Bumper to Bumper warranty it gives me the peace of mind to know I'm covered no matter what.

[caheaton]

I bought a 2013 SE in March and am approaching 3,000 miles. It's the 2.4, so you will likely not care for it's power (I find it adequate), but it's been a great car. Even took it on a 600 mile (one way) road trip last month and it was a very pleasant trip. Big pluses are the cargo volume. One (small) minus is that I too found the seat can be a little tiring on my bum during long trips (starts to get a bit sore after 4 hours or so), but after a quick food stop or rest stop I'm good as new :-0 .

So far I've been averaging around 24 to 25 mpg...with that climbing to 28 mpg on the road trip.

Craig

[claude9039u]

Hello all UPDATE!

Well last night after 83000 miles and ownership for only 22 months the Journey left my wife stranded on the highway. The car overheated blowing smoke all over the place, she got it off the highway and by the time I got there radiator fluid was all over the ground. It would not start when I got there, checked but could not find a broken hose, but a look at the oil showed it way over filled and light brown! Looks like water in the engineand the back hatch window was covered in water downed oil! Called Chrysler and they came and picked her up, so it’s at the dealer now.

Thank god for 5 year and 100,000 mile factory warranty and with the extended warranty I bought, I hope to walk away just paying for the $100 deductible for this piece of junk! Now to deal with the dealership bull. I will update if anyone that wants to know?

[jkeaton]

Hello all UPDATE!

Well last night after 83000 miles and ownership for only 22 months the Journey left my wife stranded on the highway. The car overheated blowing smoke all over the place, she got it off the highway and by the time I got there radiator fluid was all over the ground. It would not start when I got there, checked but could not find a broken hose, but a look at the oil showed it way over filled and light brown! Looks like water in the engineand the back hatch window was covered in water downed oil! Called Chrysler and they came and picked her up, so it’s at the dealer now.[/size]

Thank god for 5 year and 100,000 mile factory warranty and with the extended warranty I bought, I hope to walk away just paying for the $100 deductible for this piece of junk! Now to deal with the dealership bull. I will update if anyone that wants to know?[/size]

You already posted this in another thread. No need to spam the forum.

Edited March 26, 2014 by jkeaton

[HotRodLincoln]

You can please the people some of the time, but you cant please the people all the time. I myself think this guy is not entirely truthful and possibly even F.O.S.

For starters, The pentastar v-6 makes this vehicle the most powerful vehicle in its class. There has yet to be a test article referring to this as "underpowered'. This is the internet folks, don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. I know my way around cars and have purchased many.....and the Journey is tops and a no brainer purchase based on many points in this crossover class.

[zmttoxics]

You can please the people some of the time, but you cant please the people all the time. I myself think this guy is not entirely truthful and possibly even F.O.S.

For starters, The pentastar v-6 makes this vehicle the most powerful vehicle in its class. There has yet to be a test article referring to this as "underpowered'. This is the internet folks, don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. I know my way around cars and have purchased many.....and the Journey is tops and a no brainer purchase based on many points in this crossover class.

Except for the simple fact that his Journey is the 2010 with the older slow non-revolutionary 3.5L v6. There are plenty of bad reviews of the Journey out there over the years, you're just ignoring them. Now, that isn't to say you shouldn't ignore them, your post just reminds me of the local bible sellers.

Edited March 31, 2014 by zmttoxics

[claude9039u]

lol