OT - Anyone have a Dodge Journey??

[mommy*RN]

So, I'm thinking about a new car...and I want one that will hold my family of 5 and maybe a grandparent or two. I saw the Dodge Journey and I like it. Says it seats 7. I'm posting this on the family board because I'd love a family review of the car.

Thanks!

 

[MOMOFC&C]

We have one and I love it. We actually bought the 1st one in Western New York so we've had it for about 1 1/2 years. Ours has the 3rd row seat. There is not very much leg room back there and if I needed to use the 3rd row all of the time I would not of chosen the Journey. We only have two kids though so the 3rd row is just for when we have extra people with us. I've sat back there before and although my legs were cramped it is fine for a short period of time. My kids are 11 and 8 and they fit back there with no problem. Any other questions let me know.

 

[mommy*RN]

Wow, I'm so glad you replied! I've been reading reviews online and they are soooo not good. I prefer seeing what a family thinks versus what some random car snob thinks. Does it seem "cheap" on the inside? That is what a lot of reviews said. Does it drive nice? How do you access the third row seats? I have a 7yr old, 4 yr old and 19 month old.

 

[MOMOFC&C]

I don't think that it seems cheap! I actually love the way that it drives. We had a minivan before this and this drives more like a car which I like a lot. It is very quiet. The 3rd row seat is accessed by pulling down the seats in the 2nd row, just like if you were to get into the back seat of a 2 door car. Like I said I would not want it if I needed to access the 3rd row on a regular basis, but only using it once and awhile I love having it available. We usually keep the 3rd row seats folded down and just lift them up when someone is sitting there.

 

[mommy*RN]

I haven't test driven yet...just looking right now...so I hope I didn't offend you by saying the cheap thing! I was just reading about the car. I currently own a Chevy Trailblazer and LOVE it...but it's time to move on and they no longer make the Trailblazer. I will definitely have to get DH to take me to test drive one soon. I really appreciate your input. Thank you!

 

[BabyFu18]

My parents just bought a Journey (early July) before our most recent Disney trip and they really like it. They scaled down from a minivan and got the Journey without the third row because they wanted more cargo space. We made the Disney trip with the car and I thought it drove really well and rode well also. I don't think it looks cheap on the inside or anything of that nature, though my sister thought the radio/center console was laid out in an odd way (but that seems easy to get used to and I haven't heard any other complainants about that from anyone else in our family).

 

[HerdOHuds]

My husband has a Journey for his company work car and has put about 60,000 miles on it in the past 11 months. He is in the car all the time and finds the driver's seat to be very comfortable. His does not have the 3rd row so we can't ever use it for a family car because we would need that third row for carseats but couldn't put 2 carseats in the middle because of the folding down to access the back row issue.

I think if you have more than 2 kids in seats, it isn't the car for you. Also, if you use it for groceries, it won't be the car for you because with the third row in place and filled with people/seats, there would be NO cargo space behind the back seat.

For a family with one or two kids and no other riders, it is pretty cool. The extra cupholders are nice. The drop-down mirror/sunglasses holder is neato and affords a complete view of the back seat. The cooler under the floor in the second row is very neat and all the extra storage under the passenger seat and in the dash is uber handy.

It doesn't look cheap IMO, but more utilitarian. Which to me says 'easy to clean up' not cheap. But others could disagree.

For me it is the fun vehicle. He has satellite radio and I love that! And it isn't a beater minivan that I drive most of the time.

I will say that the controls on the steering column are not as logical as other vehicles I have driven. I always am going for the cruise control when I want the wipers. But I don't drive it often, so if I were used to it, it would be simpler.

 

[mommy*RN]

HerdOHuds - may I ask what you drive with your four kids?

 

[amjg]

Not to butt in, but if you have a Trailblazer and love it, I would suggest a Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia or Saturn Outlook. The Journey is not going to have as much room as the Trailblazer does, but these others will and more. But this is coming from someone who drives a Suburban with 4 kids. I love having lots of room for groceries and ball equipment.

 

[Tam1067]

Not to butt in, but if you have a Trailblazer and love it, I would suggest a Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia or Saturn Outlook. The Journey is not going to have as much room as the Trailblazer does, but these others will and more. But this is coming from someone who drives a Suburban with 4 kids. I love having lots of room for groceries and ball equipment.

We just got a Traverse, and we LOVE it!

 

[dfchelbay]

So, I'm thinking about a new car...and I want one that will hold my family of 5 and maybe a grandparent or two. I saw the Dodge Journey and I like it. Says it seats 7. I'm posting this on the family board because I'd love a family review of the car.

Thanks!

We considered it last May, but when we priced the insurance it was nearly $200 more every six months. We were told because(1) it was a Dodge and rated higher due to younger (mostlt male) drivers; (2) The amount of damage and repair after an accident.

Price out your insurance before you buy. Price of this car is great, but for us the insurance rate was horrible.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

We looked at it, but it was just not big enough for us with 3 kids and all of our gear. We ended up with a Saturn Outlook and LOVE it.

 

[HerdOHuds]

HerdOHuds - may I ask what you drive with your four kids?

We have an old minivan that is thankfully paid off. It also sports some lovely dents and scratches--none of which came from me! It does the job, but we hope to get something that will allow us to have more storage in the back and still will hold our family of six.

With 4 carseats, we can only hold two adults comfortably. It will be good when the kids graduate to boosters and we could squeeze in a 3rd adult.

Vehicle choices are a constant discussion on boards I visit with multiple children. My dad alwasy says it makes the job a lot easier when you have the right tools, and in our case, the right vehicle translates to the right tool!