2011 Dodge Journey--talk about a great leap forward

Mitlov

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Location
Medford, Oregon, USA
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2011 Civic Si, 2002 SV650
I doubt anyone here is interested in a family-friendly crossover like the Dodge Journey for its own sake. But it's an interesting foreshadowing of the sweeping changes coming at Chrysler--perhaps the biggest dramatic improvement we've seen yet. It makes me think this company might actually stand a chance of surviving the next decade.

Before:

Dodge-Journey_2009_photo_09.jpg


After:

Dodge-Journey_2011_photo_02.jpg


Before:

Dodge-Journey_2009_photo_16.jpg


After:

Dodge-Journey_2011_photo_04.jpg


And while the biggest gains are in interior quality, it's worth noting as well:

Before:

235 horsepower and 232 lb.-ft. of torque

After:

283 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque
 
Did anyone other than rental fleets actually buy any of these? They seem to be some of the most pointless vehicles I've seen lately.
 
Did anyone other than rental fleets actually buy any of these? They seem to be some of the most pointless vehicles I've seen lately.

They sold by the assload here. A lot of that probably had to do with the "Canada Value Pack starting at $18,000CA. But they're everywhere.
 
I prefer the design of the old interior. The new one is just generic. Could be a hyundai, honda, toyota, mazda etc etc. Old one had character. Just me probably.
 
lol, the old one looks resembles all desktop computers in the early nineties. :lol:
If there wasn't the sat nav screen I would have thought it at least older than my car.
 
Is it particularly better than anything it's competing with though?
 
I have driven the current Journey that is here on OZ.
As a family hack it is competent enough against its rivals.
Though for me the real weak points are the dynamics, the engine and transmission when compared to what I believe the benchmark in the price range, the Ford Territory..
Steering is far too artificial and light. The power is lacking and the CVT sucks.

There are worse cars out there though.
 
My brother has one of the old ones with the frankly rubbish interior. While I wouldn't, he has two kids under 4. As kids under 4 generally ruin interiors with their cheerios and their pooping anyway, the Journey is actually totally sensible.

It's also turning out to be more reliable than their old Rogue, which I didn't expect.

Admittedly, however, it reminds me of agricultural equipment.
 
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I've always liked the Journey, exterior wise it's quite handsome. Ironically, the pre-refresh model had decent materials inside with nice plastics. I think it was because Chrysler was pushing it hard in Europe and knew that people wouldn't accept complete garbage inside when they could easily get a C4 Grand Picasso or Touran that would spank it in terms of interior refinement.

It was the dash styling that was so odd, like Katwalk said, resembled a 80's desktop PC in appearance and failed in ergonomics. The drivetrain was a bit dated (although you could get AWD IIRC) in terms of efficiency but all that has been addressed for 2011.

I think Journey's in a niche that's only expected to grow. It's only competition right now is the Mazda 5, Kia did a rare for them these days mistake and got rid of the Rondo in the states, just when Ford's about to legitimize (in average joe/jane's eyes anyway) the US compact minivan segment with the Grand C-Max and maybe arriving standard length C-Max.

Chrysler just needs to spread the word about this car, it's one of those "invisible models" in a automakers full line. The good stuff that people don't even realize is available. (the similar Ford Freestyle comes to mind....)

The US needs more cheap family haulers. With even Kia's Sedona/Grand Carnival starting at 24K before incentives, there's plenty of space both size wise and price wise for the compact MPV segment here, which makes me further question the logic of GM canning the Orlando for US consumption. :)

Is it particularly better than anything it's competing with though?

One can argue it's better than the Mazda5 just in terms of power, space, (7 seats vs 6, 5 seats with third row folded vs. 4) and interior refinement, (While the 5 is a very nice place to be, the Journey-at least in photos looks like it'll be better)

The Mazda5 and Grand C-Max will probably have the Journey beat on handling prowess given their platform origins. Ditto for fuel economy with their 4 cylinder engines.
 
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I thought the Dodge Journey was closer in size to the Highlander than the Mazda5, Grand C-Max, and other C-segment-based MPVs? If so, I doubt it's "best" in segment in terms of refinement or driving experience or anything else, but it's certainly one of the most affordable in the segment.
 
wow, it actually looks like a place where you don't want to suicide in all the time.........as well, illuminated cupholders? :)
 
Oh good, the gear lever is finally in a proper position near the driver instead of being closer to the 2nd row seats. I hope they did something about the 2nd row folding mechanism, it often gets jammed with just the seatbelt holders because of how...rickety it is to operate(unlikely to last 5 years). I never liked driving this thing(more dull than most new Toyotas), I guess its encouraging the next time I drive a new one its no longer like sitting in a sea of depressing and extremely cheap plastic. When it comes to quality...we shall see. So far the Journey has been just as troublesome as your typical Chrysler which is pretty poor for a modern car, only the Ram has been the only Chrysler product I haven't sent back to a dealer on a frequent basis.
 
I thought the Dodge Journey was closer in size to the Highlander than the Mazda5, Grand C-Max, and other C-segment-based MPVs? If so, I doubt it's "best" in segment in terms of refinement or driving experience or anything else, but it's certainly one of the most affordable in the segment.

It's intended to replace the short-wheelbase minivans in Chrysler's lineup, and competes with cars like Touran, Zafira, etc. in other markets. Here it sort of straddles the compact MPV class and the midsize crossover segment. Not nearly as big as highlander I think...could be wrong. I wasn't saying it would be the best entry per say, just that in areas that a lot of shoppers would look at, it compares favorably. Personally if I was in a position where a compact MPV made sense id go with the 5 just because you can get a stick in it. :)
 
And while the biggest gains are in interior quality, it's worth noting as well:[...]
to add my 2 cents ... yes, the old interior looks horrid and like cheap plastic. The new one on the other hand (while giving the impression of more quality materials) is bland beyond belief (that?s my new favorite phrase!). They should have kept the old design and just updated the quality. It might have been bad, but it had charakter ... what Chrysler needs to compete with it?s competitors (Honda, KIA, GM) is charakter. Why should I buy that Dodge? What makes it a Dodge? Nothing about the new interior says anything to me apart that it?s some car ... Ford is a long way ahead of them in that area ... you get into a Ford and you know you?re in a Ford.
 
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