First Week impressions

[Journeyman425]

We've had our new Journey Crew for a little over a week and I thought I'd share some opinions of the car. First of all, I love the color more with each passing day. I've seen Copper Pearl on other vehicles but I like it best on the Journey. Everyone, and I mean everyone, who sees it comments on the the color. Almost always puncutated by "LOVE the color!" I've gotten a couple of "interesting color" which is a nice way of saying you hate it; let's be honest here. I don't care. My wife and I think it looks gorgeous.

Driving it, though - now that's what really counts. I haven't had much wheel time in a Journey - I drove a customer's car for a couple of days which had an intermittent issue and I had to make sure it was fixed. '09 AWD R/T. I liked it a lot but the car had other issues which clouded my overall impression. I spent a lot of time going back and forth about which suspension level to choose. I have Performance Handling Group on my 300M and love the way it handles. One of the main reasons why we chose a Journey over a Town and Country or Grand Caravan was because it handles more like my 300M than anything else. I wanted ride comfort but did not want to trade away too much handling to get it. I almost went with AWD just to get the Performance Suspension along with Performance Steering which my Crew already has. This weekend I got to drive it about 200 miles and put it through its paces. There's this one killer on-ramp which I have taken on the doorhandles in my 300M. Tried it in the Journey - dropped it down to 2nd in Autostick and held the inside line at about 44-45 mph without so much as a chirp from the 19" Kumho's. I expected a great deal of body lean but it stayed much more flat than I thought it would. Ran out of RPM fast - this engine should redline higher than 6500 IMO; it's way smoother than the 3.5 in my M. Sounds really good, too - not at all thrashy. My 15 year old kid loves the sound - that says a lot right there! Anyway, the suspension tuning seems perfect to me. The ride is supple but very controlled. Over bumps, the chassis compresses, rebounds, and settles with no wallow or float - ever. It is very quiet inside - much more so than my M. Wind noise is minimal at best. The steering is light and accurate. They've removed all the friction in the steering gear so it requires very little power assist to operate it, which gives it excellent feel. I absolutely love to drive this car and look for excuses to go places in it. Road Trip!

The build quality is excellent. Everything fits properly, there are no odd noises, the materials are rich and the controls feel precise. I did find a flaw in the paint, though - on the lower left corner of the tailgate a couple of inches below the "Jouney" badge, there is a splotch of color which does not match. You only see it if you lift the tailgate so I'm not going to do anything about it. I'd have to re-do the whole gate and blend into the bumper and left quarterpanel, and I'm not about to have a bodyshop attempt that in this color.

The only feature I miss is the memory system for the seats, mirrors and radio. That, and the tilt-down in reverse feature for the mirrors. I love this on my 300M and it would make backing into my driveway easier, although the camera certainly helps.

First tank of fuel average was 22.1. Can't complain about that at all. My 300M averages 22-24 MPG but weighs 500 lb less and gives up 30HP also. It may even pick up a mpg or two once it breaks in. We have a trip to Hershey in July which will be a good test of highway MPG. I'll let you know how we do.

I didn't think I'd love the car as much as I do. That's the best part of all!

[CDNGeer]

Great read Journeyman. It sounds like you have touched on some of the things that I impressed me about the ride quality of the Journey when I took my test drive. I was surprised at how light on its feet it felt for a larger vehicle.

Cheers

[NorthStar1]

I traded a 2012 Dodge ChargerBlacktop with the 3.6L and 8 speed auto for the 2013 Journey two weeks ago. I needed more room and found the Journey to be exactly what we needed. Both had the same engine which is simply one of the best 6 cylinder engines I've ever driven. The transmission on the Journey isn't as refined as the electronic 8-speed auto but does handle quite well. You're right about the engine in that it is very smooth. These are very good vehicles for the price and the ride is awesome. I've got the R/T with performance suspension and frankly couldn't tell much of a difference between the Crew that I drove and the R/T. I ended up going with the R/T simply for the added options which I felt to be necessities that I had on the Charger - rear sensors, rear backup camera, leather, navigation, etc. The only thing I miss from the Charger is the crosspath detection and speed sensing radar for the cruise control but those are minor items given the improved ride and space. I have to agree...very nice vehicles!

And yes, we found the Copper Pearl to be the color we preferred but none were available...congrats on your find as it's beautiful!!!

Edited May 28, 2013 by NorthStar1

[Journeyman425]

That is some serious praise coming out of a Charger Blacktop! That car is definitely a tough act to follow. What color did you get? And thanks for the compliment!

Interestingly, I just posted elsewhere about the transmission and how I also wished for more smoothness. I know it is adaptive and am hoping it may refine itself with some more miles on the clock. But you are absolutely right about the eight speed. Last week I drove a Grand Cherokee with the 3.6/8 speed combo and it was fantastic. Always the right ratio for whatever speed you are at and the shifting is seamless. In the Jeep, there is a Sport mode which holds the lower gears longer and allows the revs to build before upshifting to the next ratio. That is what I wish the Journey would do and I sometimes compensate for it with Autostick. But the ergonomic placement of the shifter in the Journey is not as conducive to Autostick use as it is in my 300M so I don't use it as much. I almost always use it in the M since it's only a four speed and it's more fun to drive that way.

Glad to know I'm not missing much suspension-wise. Thanks for the feedback!

[NorthStar1]

I ended up with the basic red which is a good color here in Houston as at least you're seen by the other 4 million drivers. As for the Charger, what is had in speed, looks, an easy 32 mpg on the highway, and smooth shifting it lacked in ride and haulability as far as hauling dogs, furniture, etc. They both are great vehicles and my son ended up buying a 2013 SRT8 Charger at the same dealership and same day as I bought my Journey. Bottom line is IMHO you can't go wrong buying a Chrysler product - and no, I don't work for them nor do I have anyone related or any vested interested other than being a happy owner.

Plus, I have a feeling this could be a bad hurricane year and prefer having the Journey to haul those vital personal effects and dogs in the event we have to evacuate.

Edited May 29, 2013 by NorthStar1

[Journeyman425]

I hear you on the stuff-hauling front. We've had two 300M's - one of which we've owned for 13 years, the other for five - and they are truly great cars but now as our family has become more active we are outgrowing them. The interior is very roomy but the trunk, while fairly spacious, fills up very quickly loading baseball gear and other sports equipment. Add an extra teammate or two in the equation and you're out of room in no time. Ditto for camping. The M pulls the pop-up camper OK, but stowing the rest of the gear plus the family just maxes it out.

I'm glad to hear you're happy with Chrysler. Unlike yourself, I work for a dealer so I have a natural bias. Great to hear positives from people who are simply satisfied owners. We had a tough couple of years before the bankruptcy when Cerberus Capital Management owned Chrysler. But now, under Sergio Marchionne ( who is a genuine car-guy) one need not look any further than the interior of a Journey, Grand Cherokee, or a Dart to see what the company is capable of. I kept the 2000 300M for myself and took the '99 off the road, but I'm not selling it. My 2000 has 281,000 miles and has never once left us stranded anywhere. Original engine, transmission, drive axles, front hub bearings, alternator, a/c compressor, etc - the list goes on. The best, most reliable car I've ever owned, hands down.

I sure hope your hurricane season does not play out to your hunches. We had a good, long run here in NY until 2011 with Irene (not all that bad) and then Sandy (mildly inconvenient to total disaster, depending on your location). But at least you know you've got the perfect escape pod.

[davidlb512]

What kind of M do you have JourneyMan? I've had a '99 red, an '03 silver, and '02 silver. I'm with you on them being great cars! I really miss my '02. I sold it when I bought the Journey. Are you a member over on 300Mclub.org ?

[Journeyman425]

Ja300Mes over on the 300M Club. I have a '99 Bright Platinum with chromes, roof and misc mods which is now off the road when we bought the Journey. Keeping that car at my shop until my oldest kid gets his license - about a year from now. Also have a 2000 Stone White with PHP, chromes, roof which we bought new. I'm driving that now and my wife is the primary driver of the Journey.