By Michael Karesh
February 22, 2008 -
Back in 2004, Chrysler thought it had a segment-busting winner with the Pacifica. Neither car, minivan, nor SUV, the luxurious large "crossover" was supposed to play a key role in Chrysler's planned move upscale. Buyers lined-up none deep for Chrysler's bloated station wagon. The automaker was forced to de-content, discount and discontinue the disastrous distraction. Stunned by the Pacfica-shaped sales sinkhole, it took Chrysler another five years to field another three-row crossover. The 2009 Dodge Journey is in many ways the anti-Pacifica. Will it be any more successful?
With its chiseled lines and pillbox-on-wheels proportions, people noticed the Pacifica (even if most didn't like what they saw). In comparison, the Journey's boxy– but not boxy enough to make a statement– exterior is totally, completely, utterly forgettable. Even with flared fenders, the Journey has no curb appeal whatsoever. In fact, the Journey's so unrelentingly bland that it manages to appear much smaller than it actually is.
The Pacifica's Mercedes-lite interior was the most upscale to ever grace a modern Chrysler. You'll find no such luxury cues inside the new Dodge Journey (fake chrome highlights don't count). Yes, there's a bit of style, with a high-contrast color scheme and a few artfully curving surfaces. And the instrument panel upper is finger sink soft. But all the bits attached to it, including the protruding center stack, are straight from the bargain basement. It looks, feels and smells cheap.
Chastened by the Pacifica's failure, Chrysler prioritized function over form. Innovative storage compartments fill every nook and cranny of the Journey's cabin: under the front passenger seat, under the floor in the second row, under the cargo floor, inside the doors, pretty much everywhere you look. For larger cargo, every seat save the driver's folds flat.
But budget cutting must have ravaged the human factors department; the driving position is an ergonomic abomination. The steering wheel rim obstructs the temperature gauge and the right half of the tach, and the optional rearview monitor is positioned at knee level. Get the nav, though, and the screen moves to the top of the center stack; apparently the legal department remains intact.
Consistent with the current ChryCo style, the seats could not be more lacking in contour. The second-row split bench (Captains need not apply) bi-folds to clear a narrow path to the third row. Unfortunately, third row accommodations are tighter than… well, you know what I mean. If any soul should dare trespass thereabouts, arguments are guaranteed. The second row is only roomy enough for adults when ratcheted all the way back- which eliminates any (as in any) third row leg room.
The Dodge Journey is offered with your choice of two powerplants: a 173-horse 2.4-liter four hitched to a four-speed automatic or a 235-horse 3.5-liter V6 connected to a six-speed slushbox. (Only the latter is available with all-wheel drive.) Motorvating two tons of crossover, the Journey's V6 provides sufficient acceleration but few thrills- unless you're turned on by mild torque steer. The 4.0-liter powerplant from the minivans would have made things more interesting, but that doesn't seem to be the theme here.
That said, you can order the Dodge Journey with a (woo-hoo!) performance suspension and 19-inch alloys. Our test Journey had the touring suspension and 17s. Thus shod, the Journey feels very much like a 7/8-scale minivan. The amount of body lean is acceptable for a three-row family-hauler, and the chassis is sufficiently poised to keep the driver out of trouble.
Not that the driver will seek trouble. The somewhat heavy steering feels exceptionally numb. And speaking of Novocain, the Journey's driving experience is the only aspect of the vehicle that's more forgettable than the exterior styling. The upside: bumps and other road imperfections are nicely absorbed. The performance suspension won't fix the steering, but it could well deprive the Journey of this single dynamic strength.
And then there's quality control…
The V6 had a quarter-inch of water in the front passenger floorboard (promptly extracted via shop vac). The source was soon revealed, as a gurgle could periodically be heard from the perimeter of the sunroof and water rained down from the overhead console throughout the test drive. Get this: it wasn't raining outside the car at the time; it had rained the previous day.
The Dodge Journey is everything the Pacifica was not; it's forgettable, functional and designed to sell for a low price. But Chrysler has failed to realize that today's CUV buyers aren't looking for one thing or the other. They don't want form at the expense of function or function at the expense of form. They want both, AND comfort AND reliability. Plenty of other crossovers deliver all four. The Dodge Journey is destined to be no more visible in the sales charts than it is on the road.
2 / 5 Stars | 2009 Dodge Journey rating summary and performance review
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POWERED
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 am
I sat in both of the floor-model Journeys at NAIAS last month. I was appalled. The fact that the Chinese cars downstairs had better build quality sealed the deal. I predicted, then and there, that Chrysler will soon be out of business, or at the very least, a completely different business compared to how it exists now.
It managed to make the Sebring and Caliber seem high quality by comparison.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
From the original press photos, I thought the Journey looked like a step up from the Avenger/Sebring, but I agree with the above poster…the production model is terrible inside. I really feel bad for Chrysler right now if this is the best they can do. The lower trim level they had at NAIAS looked particularly terrible inside.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Low price? Edmunds says $22,360 or so. At that they might have some buyers, if they can get past the cheap look. Looks like a tall minivan… their minivan might be the better deal after many years of refinements. I got soured on Chrysler after an ‘88 Dakota had more mechanical problems than all the cars I’d owned up to that time COMBINED. I’m surprise they haven’t gone down the tubes up to now.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
$22,360?! Can anyone give a single reason why you wouldn’t for the same money buy a Subaru instead? If there aren’t $1-3k incentives on this car in a hurry, i’d be stunned.
Stick a fork in them, ChryCo is done.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 am
rollingwreck :
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
$22,360?! Can anyone give a single reason why you wouldn’t for the same money buy a Subaru instead? If there aren’t $1-3k incentives on this car in a hurry, i’d be stunned.
Stick a fork in them, ChryCo is done.
Dodge’s website claims the Journey starts a $19,985.
For either $20k or $22k, you get a four-cylinder, FWD wagon.
As stated in the review, to even get AWD, you have no choice but to step up to the V6 model ($22,985 to start), and then option it with AWD (now, at the SXT trim with AWD - the cheapest AWD model offered - we’re up to $25,530).
This still doesn’t include options like a roof rack, steering wheel audio controls, upgraded sound, rear air, or the third row.
At this price, it’s simply not going to sell.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am
I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that Chrysler spent $1B to develop this pig, when Mitsubishi was designing an almost exact copy at the same time on the same platform, and doing a much better job of it.
Given its limited development resources, why didn’t Chrysler just license the Outlander, stick a Ram grill on it, and call it a day? A better vehicle at lower cost, no?
Back in the day, Chrysler had a strong reputation for its engineering. Later, when that was gone, they developed the capability to bring innovative vehicles to market. Now, that’s gone, and the cupboard is bare.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
I read a lot of articles about cars on line, magazines, etc. but I didn’t even know this thing existed. The first time I ever heard of the Journey was when they gave one away to the MVP of the NHL all star game. I’m still not sure what it is.
Fitting, a car nobody cares about being sponsored by a league nobody cares about. I love hockey, myself. Dodge, not so much anymore.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 am
In 30 years the Pacifica will be fondly remembered by various orphan collectors- and for good reason. I liked the fact that it was a reasonable driver, with decent power, and forgive my lack of inbred taste, but I thought the two I rented for 1000 mile trips with 6 onboard, performed well and were well built to boot, with no problems at all, if you don’t count spilled juice. They handled as well as anything of its ilk could be expected to, and cruised through the Rockies without a blip. I was a little surprised by the price point, but after looking a little, I found they weren’t that unreasonable. If I still had 6 at home, I certainly would have purchased one, as, in my opinion, the Merc’s, at 25% more money were the only real alternative when they first came out. Of course, four years later the CUV segment had evolved, and the equation had changed, but that doesn’t change my favorable first impressions. It could have been made successful, but with no R&D $$$$ coming from Stuttgart, the writing was on the wall. Too bad.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
If it were $25k+ for the four-banger, I’d understand the criticisms. But at around $20k (probably including some discounts), it looks like a pretty good value on paper, at least for those needing basic transport for 4+ people.
May not be a looker, but it beats the hell out of the Kia Rondo, IMHO. And maybe the Edge…
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Did anyone hear about the Valentine’s Day promo sponsored by the Dodge Journey? You and your significant other were supposed to agree to get married in Times Square on national TV (though I never heard any more about it - I suppose it never got aired), and the winning couple would recieve a Journey, a personal concert by the band Journey, and a cruise.
Of course, the TV companion never aired, and the Journey deal fell through, so Dodge hired the next best thing: an unknown Journey cover band. Talk about a failed marketing exercise.