Photo: Jeffrey Ross
Dodge decided to give the Journey a well-deserved update that includes some rather essential novelties that still make this crossover a worthy candidate on any family’s possible car list. While we were reluctant towards the improvements of the 2015 Journey, our review showed its strengths and weaknesses.
On the good side of things we find a conjuring of sixes. The V6 engine is still a peach and the awards it won over the years have not been handed out for nothing. Another six can be found in its capacity, being rated as a 3.6-liter with 283 HP and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque at its disposal.
The best thing about it is that it’s not all that thirsty but here comes the third 6. That’s the number of gears the new slushbox has. Up until now, the Journey used one of the last 4-speed automatic gearboxes available both in this segment and probably in the world.
Now, you can get it with a six-speed automatic which is a huge improvement. Sure, it’s not as refined and efficient as the new 8-speed and 9-speed units that Chrysler is playing with today, but it’s still miles ahead.
When it comes to noting the downsides, the gearbox is alos one of them. While it is a big improvement compared to the antique 4-speed, it does show moods here and there.
For example, the shifts seem slow at times and that is nerve wrecking on the long run. We do understand that some corners had to be cut for efficiency-sake but still...
Speaking of cost cutting, that’s the major flaw of this car. The test we had showed only 4,000 miles (6,400 km) on the odo but the interior was already starting to fall apart. For example, the driver’s side leather was already showing creases.
Sure, the cars we get are used for testing purposes and are exposed to worse treatment than a regular car would but even so, after just 4,000 miles, that’s unacceptable.
The storing spaces are aplenty and we did like the ones under the floor, especially in the back, where the passengers will find that they are actually keeping their feet atop a sort of secret box. That’s really nifty.
Overall, the Journey is exactly what it claims to be: a cheap crossover that gets the job done. It is not an accident that it’s still in production after all these years and even as we’re writing these words, the 2015 Dodge Journey keeps on going...
The best thing about it is that it’s not all that thirsty but here comes the third 6. That’s the number of gears the new slushbox has. Up until now, the Journey used one of the last 4-speed automatic gearboxes available both in this segment and probably in the world.
Now, you can get it with a six-speed automatic which is a huge improvement. Sure, it’s not as refined and efficient as the new 8-speed and 9-speed units that Chrysler is playing with today, but it’s still miles ahead.
When it comes to noting the downsides, the gearbox is alos one of them. While it is a big improvement compared to the antique 4-speed, it does show moods here and there.
For example, the shifts seem slow at times and that is nerve wrecking on the long run. We do understand that some corners had to be cut for efficiency-sake but still...
Speaking of cost cutting, that’s the major flaw of this car. The test we had showed only 4,000 miles (6,400 km) on the odo but the interior was already starting to fall apart. For example, the driver’s side leather was already showing creases.
Sure, the cars we get are used for testing purposes and are exposed to worse treatment than a regular car would but even so, after just 4,000 miles, that’s unacceptable.
The storing spaces are aplenty and we did like the ones under the floor, especially in the back, where the passengers will find that they are actually keeping their feet atop a sort of secret box. That’s really nifty.
Overall, the Journey is exactly what it claims to be: a cheap crossover that gets the job done. It is not an accident that it’s still in production after all these years and even as we’re writing these words, the 2015 Dodge Journey keeps on going...
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