2009 Dodge Journey Review
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Crossovers are becoming an increasingly popular segment of the market, and the Journey gets Dodge into this game. The Journey is a crossover from Dodge, and many consider it to have been a replacement for the short wheelbase Caravan when Dodge discontinued it. This is leaving many to compare the Journey to the former Dodge Caravan. As one would expect from a vehicle designed to replace minivans, there are plenty of storage places and convenience features. In fact, the Journey’s cabin is one of the highlights of the vehicle. The Dodge Journey is available in five- and seven-seat versions and it is offered with four-cylinder or V-6 power, and either front- or all-wheel drive. The 2009 Journey has a number of competitors including the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Tribeca and Toyota Highlander. The Journey comes with a number of standard safety features and is available with amenities you may have seen in other Dodge models.
Journey Cabin
The inside of the 2009 Journey is simply amazing, it is loaded with convenience features and it is obvious the layout and design was well though out. There is theater-style seating, a window line low enough for children in back to see out, an optional emergency-size split third-row seat for carpool day (on SXT and R/T models), available rear-seat entertainment, and integrated booster-seat cushions in the second-row bench, which slides fore-and-aft nearly five inches. The front head restraints do angle a bit too forward, and the navigation system requires visual monitoring, a dangerous choice, especially when the system is placed all the way at the bottom of the stack, but the complaints end there.
The second-row seats slide and fold forward for third-row access in a one-handed operation, and the third-row seatbacks split, fold forward, or recline up to six degrees. The rear doors open nearly 90 degrees for ease of entry and loading, and there's a clever concealed storage area under the front-passenger seat cushion. The rear seat video is good quality and has a nicely sized screen; and the system provides a mounting point for the roof-mounted rear climate controls. The storage possibilities are immense, they include a center armrest in the back seat that doubles as a cupholder; map pockets with integrated large-drink holders on every door; a dual glove compartment whose upper level is designed to keep a large drink bottle cold; a small but deep covered center bin; a smaller center bin and a large bin under the center stack; an upper storage area above the center stack; a sunglass bin that doubles as a clever mirror to let parents keep an eye on all five rear seats; and underseat storage. Like the occasional-use rearmost seats, the middle seats can fold down to make more room for cargo; if all seats are up, there is very little cargo room. Front seats are firm but moderately comfortable; middle seats bring up the joke about scientists discovering a material harder than diamonds, which is being put to use in Chrysler seats. The rearmost seats are likewise made of park-bench materials.
Journey Design
As opposed to a sliding door on a minivan, the rear doors of the 2009 Journey open 90 degrees, which makes access much easier unless you're parked in between other cars, in which case you'll be missing those sliding minivan doors. The Journey is recognizable as a Dodge thanks to its crosshair grille bordered by rectangular wraparound headlights. Large front and rear fender flares accent wheels as large as 19 inches in diameter. The Journey measures 192.4 inches long overall, 72.2 inches wide and 69.9 inches tall with the available roof rack. The liftgate has a small spoiler.
Driving the 2009 Journey
The sound insulation on the Journey is excellent, protecting occupants from city and road noise as well as wind noise. While driving, engine noise generally was not part of the equation. From the driver's position, visibility is good going forward, but the rear window is fairly small and does not allow much visibility to the immediate rear of the tall crossover; and the rear quarter panel has a hopeless blind spot when
the middle row of seats is up, compounded by the headrest of the rearmost seats.
2009 Journey Power
The base engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces an estimated 173 horsepower. Two V-6s — a 186-hp (estimated), 2.7-liter V-6 and a 235-hp (estimated), 3.5-liter V-6 — are available. The four-cylinder and 2.7-liter V-6 drive a four-speed automatic transmission, while the 3.5-liter V-6 uses a six-speed automatic. The Journey comes standard with front-wheel drive, but models with the 3.5-liter V-6 can have all-wheel drive.
The Dodge Journey somehow makes up for what it lacks when compared to a minivan and becomes the perfect family vehicle. The features inside are everywhere and the outside certainly has a little more style than the typical minivan. The 2009 Journey has a starting of MSRP $20,925 – $29,335. For fuel consumption, the Journey gets 16 – 19 mpg in the city and 22 – 25 mpg on the highway. Read a Motor Trend First Look of the 2009 Journey for more research.
