Some will win, Some will lose
Every once in awhile, I take a quick trip through the local car lots to see what’s finally rolling into town. I cut through the Dodge/Chrysler lot and drove past … was it an SUV? a minivan?? No. It was their new crossover -
The 2009 Dodge Journey
This is the auto kind of taking the place of the sweet, sophisticated (and wildly expensive) Pacifica. Unlike some other reviewers, I did like the look of that crossover. What I didn’t like was the tiny interior. Oh, and the price. Did I mention it cost a bundle??
In any event, the Pacifica has been phased out and the Journey has been phased in. I was very hopeful there would also be an improvement in fuel efficiency, and they did okay with the base model.
We’re looking at 19 mpg city/ 25 mpg highway in the base model. It goes downhill from there.
- The seats are flat and uncomfortable
- The back seats are cramped and unreasonable for 3rd row
- Steering in AWD feels wiggy, and tough to handle
Probably the biggest complaint I’m hearing from people is over the bargain-basement style interior – a sharp contrast to the Pacifica’s cutting edge style.
There are some benefits, of course. If you REALLY need storage, the Journey has it built in. There are features up the wazoo – including SiriusTV which will be available in models later this year. Oh, and there’s the “chill zone” in the glove box that will keep your drinks cold. That is pretty cool. Any way you want it, that’s the way you’ll get it, but for a hefty price tag for the overall value.
All of that said, when you look at this from the eco-friendly point-of-view, the Dodge Journey is more harmful than the award-winning Subaru Forester (by a full four mpg in AWD) and then there’s the hybrid version of the Saturn Vue, which is only getting better this year.
While I personally did stop and take a second look at the 2009 Dodge Journey, I wouldn’t recommend buying one. The comfort level doesn’t match its inexhaustible list of features, and sure doesn’t justify the cost of having them.
