The NHTSA awards the Journey four stars overall, while the IIHS calls it a Top Safety Pick. The ride quality remains a strong point, with the proper damping and roll control for a family vehicle, but the rather quick steering ratio feels a little out of place. Last year Chrysler reworked the suspension to include stiffer, better-responding shocks and a lower ride height in front, and it's honed some of the Journey's duller responses. The Journey's handling is reasonably responsive. The six-speed automatic can take some of the polish off the package, though: in some versions we've driven, the automatic juddered and hesitated before it downshifted. Chrysler's 3.6-liter 'Pentastar' V-6 makes 283 horsepower and is hooked up to a six-speed automatic for much better responsiveness. Otherwise you should head straight to one of the V-6 versions, as they're excellent and refined. Their loud, coarse 173-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic are dawdling and disappointing in nearly every respect. Inside, the Journey follows a smooth, swoopy look and simple layout, with large dials and knobs and an LCD touchscreen framed by high-quality materials.įorget about the Journey if you're set on the idea of a four-cylinder or top-drawer fuel economy. The look isn't so different as to be wacky, but different enough to avoid the family-vehicle styling rut. The Journey walks the line between boxy SUVs and tall wagons, but what we like most is how it shakes off the same-as sheetmetal dressing other crossovers and puts on sheetmetal that's refreshingly different, even if it isn’t necessarily fresh.

Now, with the smoother instrument panel and trims subbed in a couple of years ago, as well as the new Pentastar V-6 and some improvements that make the Journey quieter and smoother, the Journey is one of the better picks among crossovers-especially if you want a small third row for extra occasional kid space but don't want to be driving a huge vehicle. The Journey was new in 2009, when Chrysler was in the middle of corporate turmoil, and in that original form the interior and its refinement just weren't up to the task. The Journey's poor timing is to blame, we think, because with recent updates to the drivetrains and interior, it's a very competitive, in-between offering that splits the different between too big and not flexible enough. And for the most part, it's lagged behind against competitors like the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V and Toyota Venza. The Journey sits in the heart of the mid-size crossover market, but may have a bit of a perception problem since it actually comes in both five- and seven-passenger versions-one of its great advantages, along with good packaging and great feature content. The Dodge Journey crossover with sporty driving dynamics and wagon-like design cues.

2013 dodge journey