Dodge Journey 2.4 SXT (A) Review
12 Mar 2010|16,817 views
But it’s not hard to understand why after you’ve taken notice of the mildly disproportionate shape and angles the vehicle takes on the outside, and then paired up blindly with the boring generic interior dotted with faux wood trim panels all over on the inside.
Not the traditional sense of solidity and indulgence most of us have of American products.
So then, the review for the Journey should be a relatively straight forward one? Cheap plastics, questionable styling, and too little bang the buck buys you.
Debuting as early as 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and again two years later at the same show, Dodge came out to boldly state that they pegged the Journey against the highly successful and much praised Ford S-Max.
So having read up on the Journey’s ‘journey’ from design to production and trying to disassociate it from the brand’s other offering here, I constantly reminded myself to be fair in judgement with the test drive I was about to take, and to drive it as it would be driven by a typical owner on an ordinary weekday.
Gripping the arms of my imaginary playful children and juggling between that and answering the imaginary call from my hand phone, I got myself down to their new showroom at Chang Charn Road (further down from the Proton showroom at the Leng Kee auto belt).
Exterior
From the press pictures online, it’s clear that the designers were taking a more definitive stroke towards making a more marketable car – a more ‘American’ car you could say.
Not the traditional sense of solidity and indulgence most of us have of American products.
So then, the review for the Journey should be a relatively straight forward one? Cheap plastics, questionable styling, and too little bang the buck buys you.
Debuting as early as 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and again two years later at the same show, Dodge came out to boldly state that they pegged the Journey against the highly successful and much praised Ford S-Max.
So having read up on the Journey’s ‘journey’ from design to production and trying to disassociate it from the brand’s other offering here, I constantly reminded myself to be fair in judgement with the test drive I was about to take, and to drive it as it would be driven by a typical owner on an ordinary weekday.
Gripping the arms of my imaginary playful children and juggling between that and answering the imaginary call from my hand phone, I got myself down to their new showroom at Chang Charn Road (further down from the Proton showroom at the Leng Kee auto belt).
Exterior
From the press pictures online, it’s clear that the designers were taking a more definitive stroke towards making a more marketable car – a more ‘American’ car you could say.
 |
A no nonsense straight hood line at the front keeps the clear headlamps from taking any other line than that, making for a very strong and intimidating stance together with the very American chrome Dodge grill.
Past the blistered fenders, the belt line on the side leaves an elevating crease that runs parallel to one running just below the windows, giving the Journey a more sporty visual appeal.
At the back, thankfully without a weird slopping roofline and an abrupt end to it (read: Caliber), the Journey benefits greatly from a more predictable drop in angle. The tail lamps are large and the extending bumper adds to the muscular and solid outlook of the Journey.
If I had to point out one thing people might be concerned with though, are those 16 inch rims that look completely miniscule sitting around such a large gap between the tyre and the exaggerated arches.
Overall, I’m really liking this return to simplicity design language featured on the Journey. The side view mirrors are large as with most cars in this range, and there’s even a roof rack on the top for the active family over the weekends.
 |
Interior
On the inside, what caught my eye first was the gauge cluster recessed behind the steering wheel.
Lighted up in bright white and green, the slim rectangular design on them instantly threw me back to the 60s and 70s when the American Mercury brand had their ‘Woody’ station wagon in the home of most American families. It also, strangely, got me thinking about ‘Bewitched’ and ‘I dream of Genie’.
Moving on towards the centre where the obligatory collection of controls usually are housed, you’ll find a neatly compiled and displayed cluster with the two large air con vents sitting at the top, followed by the hazard and ESP off buttons, a larger section apportioned to the air condition controls for the front and the rear passengers and lastly, a touch sensitive multimedia system that controls all the audio and video input from your CD’s, USB wire and AUX in cable.
As mentioned, you’re able to play your movies on the go. A great addition but it’s probably not the best place to situate such a player, with the screen sitting right below the centre console. It’s too inconvenient and distracting to the driver and more so for passengers on the second row, as they’ll have to lean in to watch with their seat belts on.
The fabric seats are just a tad hard, but still shouldn’t prove to be a major problem for drivers and passengers alike on longer trips out of the country. Unlike in the Ford S-Max and the more recently launched Kia Sorento, the Journey only comes in a fabric trim. But you’ll be delighted to know that they’re stain resistant and odour resistant – something young parents would be very concerned about.
The plastics around the cabin don’t feel particularly expensive but neither are they cheap. The only pieces that felt cheap are the covers for the storage on the top of the centre console and another above the glove compartment (which has the cool air from the air con routed to it, thus acting like a chiller).
And that brings me to a major selling point of the car, storage space.
On the inside, what caught my eye first was the gauge cluster recessed behind the steering wheel.
Lighted up in bright white and green, the slim rectangular design on them instantly threw me back to the 60s and 70s when the American Mercury brand had their ‘Woody’ station wagon in the home of most American families. It also, strangely, got me thinking about ‘Bewitched’ and ‘I dream of Genie’.
Moving on towards the centre where the obligatory collection of controls usually are housed, you’ll find a neatly compiled and displayed cluster with the two large air con vents sitting at the top, followed by the hazard and ESP off buttons, a larger section apportioned to the air condition controls for the front and the rear passengers and lastly, a touch sensitive multimedia system that controls all the audio and video input from your CD’s, USB wire and AUX in cable.
As mentioned, you’re able to play your movies on the go. A great addition but it’s probably not the best place to situate such a player, with the screen sitting right below the centre console. It’s too inconvenient and distracting to the driver and more so for passengers on the second row, as they’ll have to lean in to watch with their seat belts on.
The fabric seats are just a tad hard, but still shouldn’t prove to be a major problem for drivers and passengers alike on longer trips out of the country. Unlike in the Ford S-Max and the more recently launched Kia Sorento, the Journey only comes in a fabric trim. But you’ll be delighted to know that they’re stain resistant and odour resistant – something young parents would be very concerned about.
The plastics around the cabin don’t feel particularly expensive but neither are they cheap. The only pieces that felt cheap are the covers for the storage on the top of the centre console and another above the glove compartment (which has the cool air from the air con routed to it, thus acting like a chiller).
And that brings me to a major selling point of the car, storage space.
One, two, three….I count eight all together!
On top of the two mentioned above and apart from the door storage areas (Dodge calls them map pockets) on all four doors, the middle console storage that can hold two cups and your other belongings under the arm rest and the glove compartment, the Journey has concealed storage space under the front passenger’s seat cushion, two in-floor storages on the second row (which can be loaded up with a dozen 335-ml cans) and finally, a 1461 litre cargo capacity with the rear seats folded flat.
That is an insane amount of storage options on a car, something that can come in very useful on the longer holiday road trips with the kids.
Dread the hassle of squeezing in to fit your child’s purpose-built seat in the second row? Worried your older parents might have problems alighting? With rear doors that open 90 degrees on both sides, Dodge has eradicated the above two situations for good.
Driving Impressions
Now on to the less impressive bits of the car, the engine and transmission.
With a 2.4-litre double overhead cam engine pushing out 170 hp and 220 Nm high up the range (6,000 and 4,000 rpm respectively), the power gets to the front wheels through a relatively outdated and long ratioed four speed automatic gearbox.
If you think that sounds bad, you haven’t heard the rebellious racket from under the engine when you’ve put pedal to the metal from the lights or when needing to overtake on the expressway.
The handling and the suspension on the other hand fit the car perfectly. Without any existing steering feedback and with a softly sprung setup, the Journey driving experience isn’t anywhere near sedan like, but will be perfectly suited to the driver of such a vehicle.
When pushed hard the Journey was returning figures of 5.3 km for every litre of petrol, just below a km shy of the Sorento’s 6.2 km/l reading.
On top of the two mentioned above and apart from the door storage areas (Dodge calls them map pockets) on all four doors, the middle console storage that can hold two cups and your other belongings under the arm rest and the glove compartment, the Journey has concealed storage space under the front passenger’s seat cushion, two in-floor storages on the second row (which can be loaded up with a dozen 335-ml cans) and finally, a 1461 litre cargo capacity with the rear seats folded flat.
That is an insane amount of storage options on a car, something that can come in very useful on the longer holiday road trips with the kids.
Dread the hassle of squeezing in to fit your child’s purpose-built seat in the second row? Worried your older parents might have problems alighting? With rear doors that open 90 degrees on both sides, Dodge has eradicated the above two situations for good.
Driving Impressions
Now on to the less impressive bits of the car, the engine and transmission.
With a 2.4-litre double overhead cam engine pushing out 170 hp and 220 Nm high up the range (6,000 and 4,000 rpm respectively), the power gets to the front wheels through a relatively outdated and long ratioed four speed automatic gearbox.
If you think that sounds bad, you haven’t heard the rebellious racket from under the engine when you’ve put pedal to the metal from the lights or when needing to overtake on the expressway.
The handling and the suspension on the other hand fit the car perfectly. Without any existing steering feedback and with a softly sprung setup, the Journey driving experience isn’t anywhere near sedan like, but will be perfectly suited to the driver of such a vehicle.
When pushed hard the Journey was returning figures of 5.3 km for every litre of petrol, just below a km shy of the Sorento’s 6.2 km/l reading.
 |
Should you buy it?
Decision time.
Besides the S-Max ($99,999), the Journey, which is retailing at $99,000, has some serious competition in the Sorento ($94,999) in my opinion. Although in different segments, the Korean car is very new to the market, holds the same number of people and has more equipment like auto headlights and HID lamps added.
But the Journey does have the overall cabin quality, extensive amount of useful storage spaces, good looks, and a strong American image going for it.
Decision time.
Besides the S-Max ($99,999), the Journey, which is retailing at $99,000, has some serious competition in the Sorento ($94,999) in my opinion. Although in different segments, the Korean car is very new to the market, holds the same number of people and has more equipment like auto headlights and HID lamps added.
But the Journey does have the overall cabin quality, extensive amount of useful storage spaces, good looks, and a strong American image going for it.
More considerate touches come in the form of a convex conversation mirror on the sunglass compartment at the top, dedicated air con controls at the second row, 12 volt sockets in all rows, a detachable torchlight in the boot wall, and even a reverse camera that can be viewed from the display screen on the centre console.
A very strong contender in the market with its pros and cons, I’d like to think the American brand has finally come to offer us something worth considering – something truly American.
A very strong contender in the market with its pros and cons, I’d like to think the American brand has finally come to offer us something worth considering – something truly American.
But it’s not hard to understand why after you’ve taken notice of the mildly disproportionate shape and angles the vehicle takes on the outside, and then paired up blindly with the boring generic interior dotted with faux wood trim panels all over on the inside.
Not the traditional sense of solidity and indulgence most of us have of American products.
So then, the review for the Journey should be a relatively straight forward one? Cheap plastics, questionable styling, and too little bang the buck buys you.
Debuting as early as 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and again two years later at the same show, Dodge came out to boldly state that they pegged the Journey against the highly successful and much praised Ford S-Max.
So having read up on the Journey’s ‘journey’ from design to production and trying to disassociate it from the brand’s other offering here, I constantly reminded myself to be fair in judgement with the test drive I was about to take, and to drive it as it would be driven by a typical owner on an ordinary weekday.
Gripping the arms of my imaginary playful children and juggling between that and answering the imaginary call from my hand phone, I got myself down to their new showroom at Chang Charn Road (further down from the Proton showroom at the Leng Kee auto belt).
Exterior
From the press pictures online, it’s clear that the designers were taking a more definitive stroke towards making a more marketable car – a more ‘American’ car you could say.
Not the traditional sense of solidity and indulgence most of us have of American products.
So then, the review for the Journey should be a relatively straight forward one? Cheap plastics, questionable styling, and too little bang the buck buys you.
Debuting as early as 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and again two years later at the same show, Dodge came out to boldly state that they pegged the Journey against the highly successful and much praised Ford S-Max.
So having read up on the Journey’s ‘journey’ from design to production and trying to disassociate it from the brand’s other offering here, I constantly reminded myself to be fair in judgement with the test drive I was about to take, and to drive it as it would be driven by a typical owner on an ordinary weekday.
Gripping the arms of my imaginary playful children and juggling between that and answering the imaginary call from my hand phone, I got myself down to their new showroom at Chang Charn Road (further down from the Proton showroom at the Leng Kee auto belt).
Exterior
From the press pictures online, it’s clear that the designers were taking a more definitive stroke towards making a more marketable car – a more ‘American’ car you could say.
|
A no nonsense straight hood line at the front keeps the clear headlamps from taking any other line than that, making for a very strong and intimidating stance together with the very American chrome Dodge grill.
Past the blistered fenders, the belt line on the side leaves an elevating crease that runs parallel to one running just below the windows, giving the Journey a more sporty visual appeal.
At the back, thankfully without a weird slopping roofline and an abrupt end to it (read: Caliber), the Journey benefits greatly from a more predictable drop in angle. The tail lamps are large and the extending bumper adds to the muscular and solid outlook of the Journey.
If I had to point out one thing people might be concerned with though, are those 16 inch rims that look completely miniscule sitting around such a large gap between the tyre and the exaggerated arches.
Overall, I’m really liking this return to simplicity design language featured on the Journey. The side view mirrors are large as with most cars in this range, and there’s even a roof rack on the top for the active family over the weekends.
|
Interior
On the inside, what caught my eye first was the gauge cluster recessed behind the steering wheel.
Lighted up in bright white and green, the slim rectangular design on them instantly threw me back to the 60s and 70s when the American Mercury brand had their ‘Woody’ station wagon in the home of most American families. It also, strangely, got me thinking about ‘Bewitched’ and ‘I dream of Genie’.
Moving on towards the centre where the obligatory collection of controls usually are housed, you’ll find a neatly compiled and displayed cluster with the two large air con vents sitting at the top, followed by the hazard and ESP off buttons, a larger section apportioned to the air condition controls for the front and the rear passengers and lastly, a touch sensitive multimedia system that controls all the audio and video input from your CD’s, USB wire and AUX in cable.
As mentioned, you’re able to play your movies on the go. A great addition but it’s probably not the best place to situate such a player, with the screen sitting right below the centre console. It’s too inconvenient and distracting to the driver and more so for passengers on the second row, as they’ll have to lean in to watch with their seat belts on.
The fabric seats are just a tad hard, but still shouldn’t prove to be a major problem for drivers and passengers alike on longer trips out of the country. Unlike in the Ford S-Max and the more recently launched Kia Sorento, the Journey only comes in a fabric trim. But you’ll be delighted to know that they’re stain resistant and odour resistant – something young parents would be very concerned about.
The plastics around the cabin don’t feel particularly expensive but neither are they cheap. The only pieces that felt cheap are the covers for the storage on the top of the centre console and another above the glove compartment (which has the cool air from the air con routed to it, thus acting like a chiller).
And that brings me to a major selling point of the car, storage space.
On the inside, what caught my eye first was the gauge cluster recessed behind the steering wheel.
Lighted up in bright white and green, the slim rectangular design on them instantly threw me back to the 60s and 70s when the American Mercury brand had their ‘Woody’ station wagon in the home of most American families. It also, strangely, got me thinking about ‘Bewitched’ and ‘I dream of Genie’.
Moving on towards the centre where the obligatory collection of controls usually are housed, you’ll find a neatly compiled and displayed cluster with the two large air con vents sitting at the top, followed by the hazard and ESP off buttons, a larger section apportioned to the air condition controls for the front and the rear passengers and lastly, a touch sensitive multimedia system that controls all the audio and video input from your CD’s, USB wire and AUX in cable.
As mentioned, you’re able to play your movies on the go. A great addition but it’s probably not the best place to situate such a player, with the screen sitting right below the centre console. It’s too inconvenient and distracting to the driver and more so for passengers on the second row, as they’ll have to lean in to watch with their seat belts on.
The fabric seats are just a tad hard, but still shouldn’t prove to be a major problem for drivers and passengers alike on longer trips out of the country. Unlike in the Ford S-Max and the more recently launched Kia Sorento, the Journey only comes in a fabric trim. But you’ll be delighted to know that they’re stain resistant and odour resistant – something young parents would be very concerned about.
The plastics around the cabin don’t feel particularly expensive but neither are they cheap. The only pieces that felt cheap are the covers for the storage on the top of the centre console and another above the glove compartment (which has the cool air from the air con routed to it, thus acting like a chiller).
And that brings me to a major selling point of the car, storage space.
One, two, three….I count eight all together!
On top of the two mentioned above and apart from the door storage areas (Dodge calls them map pockets) on all four doors, the middle console storage that can hold two cups and your other belongings under the arm rest and the glove compartment, the Journey has concealed storage space under the front passenger’s seat cushion, two in-floor storages on the second row (which can be loaded up with a dozen 335-ml cans) and finally, a 1461 litre cargo capacity with the rear seats folded flat.
That is an insane amount of storage options on a car, something that can come in very useful on the longer holiday road trips with the kids.
Dread the hassle of squeezing in to fit your child’s purpose-built seat in the second row? Worried your older parents might have problems alighting? With rear doors that open 90 degrees on both sides, Dodge has eradicated the above two situations for good.
Driving Impressions
Now on to the less impressive bits of the car, the engine and transmission.
With a 2.4-litre double overhead cam engine pushing out 170 hp and 220 Nm high up the range (6,000 and 4,000 rpm respectively), the power gets to the front wheels through a relatively outdated and long ratioed four speed automatic gearbox.
If you think that sounds bad, you haven’t heard the rebellious racket from under the engine when you’ve put pedal to the metal from the lights or when needing to overtake on the expressway.
The handling and the suspension on the other hand fit the car perfectly. Without any existing steering feedback and with a softly sprung setup, the Journey driving experience isn’t anywhere near sedan like, but will be perfectly suited to the driver of such a vehicle.
When pushed hard the Journey was returning figures of 5.3 km for every litre of petrol, just below a km shy of the Sorento’s 6.2 km/l reading.
On top of the two mentioned above and apart from the door storage areas (Dodge calls them map pockets) on all four doors, the middle console storage that can hold two cups and your other belongings under the arm rest and the glove compartment, the Journey has concealed storage space under the front passenger’s seat cushion, two in-floor storages on the second row (which can be loaded up with a dozen 335-ml cans) and finally, a 1461 litre cargo capacity with the rear seats folded flat.
That is an insane amount of storage options on a car, something that can come in very useful on the longer holiday road trips with the kids.
Dread the hassle of squeezing in to fit your child’s purpose-built seat in the second row? Worried your older parents might have problems alighting? With rear doors that open 90 degrees on both sides, Dodge has eradicated the above two situations for good.
Driving Impressions
Now on to the less impressive bits of the car, the engine and transmission.
With a 2.4-litre double overhead cam engine pushing out 170 hp and 220 Nm high up the range (6,000 and 4,000 rpm respectively), the power gets to the front wheels through a relatively outdated and long ratioed four speed automatic gearbox.
If you think that sounds bad, you haven’t heard the rebellious racket from under the engine when you’ve put pedal to the metal from the lights or when needing to overtake on the expressway.
The handling and the suspension on the other hand fit the car perfectly. Without any existing steering feedback and with a softly sprung setup, the Journey driving experience isn’t anywhere near sedan like, but will be perfectly suited to the driver of such a vehicle.
When pushed hard the Journey was returning figures of 5.3 km for every litre of petrol, just below a km shy of the Sorento’s 6.2 km/l reading.
|
Should you buy it?
Decision time.
Besides the S-Max ($99,999), the Journey, which is retailing at $99,000, has some serious competition in the Sorento ($94,999) in my opinion. Although in different segments, the Korean car is very new to the market, holds the same number of people and has more equipment like auto headlights and HID lamps added.
But the Journey does have the overall cabin quality, extensive amount of useful storage spaces, good looks, and a strong American image going for it.
Decision time.
Besides the S-Max ($99,999), the Journey, which is retailing at $99,000, has some serious competition in the Sorento ($94,999) in my opinion. Although in different segments, the Korean car is very new to the market, holds the same number of people and has more equipment like auto headlights and HID lamps added.
But the Journey does have the overall cabin quality, extensive amount of useful storage spaces, good looks, and a strong American image going for it.
More considerate touches come in the form of a convex conversation mirror on the sunglass compartment at the top, dedicated air con controls at the second row, 12 volt sockets in all rows, a detachable torchlight in the boot wall, and even a reverse camera that can be viewed from the display screen on the centre console.
A very strong contender in the market with its pros and cons, I’d like to think the American brand has finally come to offer us something worth considering – something truly American.
A very strong contender in the market with its pros and cons, I’d like to think the American brand has finally come to offer us something worth considering – something truly American.
Car Information
Dodge Journey 2.4 SXT (A)
CAT B|Petrol|10.6km/L
Horsepower
127kW (170 bhp)
Torque
220 Nm
Acceleration
11.3sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
All Used Dodge Journey
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