When you have a large family but not a large budget, one of the best options for your driving needs is the Dodge Journey.
This SUV has been an interesting vehicle in the market for several years. With seating for seven people, a spacious cabin, and just enough power to get you going, this Dodge can take you where you need to go. You might not have luxury comfort, you won’t have dynamic performance, but you will have a steadfast SUV that fits into your budget and carries your family where you want to go.
A No-Frills SUV, but…
Even though you’re not going to find a lot of upscale features and frills offered in the Journey, you will find the features that you need when you’re ready for you a drive. There are seven seats, a Uconnect infotainment system, comfortable seating, the gauges you need, and an easy drive. With the low price of this vehicle, your payments will be affordable, and you can easily afford the night out at the movies, time at the beach over the weekend, and that annual vacation that everyone anticipates each year.
Looking at the Pros and Cons
Every vehicle has them, let’s take a shortlist of pros and cons regarding the Dodge Journey:
Pros
- Affordable
- Seven seats
- Tons of storage areas in the cabin
- Comfortable
- Uconnect infotainment system
Cons
- Aging design
- Very few driver-assistance features
- Poor resale value compared to others in its class
- No V6 engine offered
Will the pros be enough for you to put you behind the wheel of the Journey and allow this SUV to be the one that you use whenever it’s time to take your family out for a drive?
Each Row has its Own Level of Comfort
The Dodge Journey is a good SUV for a growing family. The comfort in the front row is generous, average in the second row, and cramped in the rear. The second row of seats slides and reclines, giving your older kids more comfort during the drive. The best way to use this SUV is to save the rear row for smaller kids and for short drives, making use of the middle seats more often. You can fold the seats down in the rear and have much more storage room for the stuff you need to bring home.
Charming Chunkiness is Part of the Journey
If you’ve admired the thickness and substantial build of other Dodge models, you’ll be glad to see this quality finds its way into the Journey as well. This chunkiness is a charming part of this SUV, and it makes the vehicle easy to admire and drive when heading out on the road. Select the Crossroadsmodel, and you’ll see black alloy wheels, a blacked-out grille, black roof rails, and tinted side glass that give this vehicle a greater appeal that can be ideal for you to have the drive you want to enjoy when you’re behind the wheel.
Enjoy the Command Center of this Dodge
The infotainment system of the Dodge Journey is more than just a place to connect your phone and listen to your playlist. This Uconnect system gives you voice-activated music selections, control for several functions in the vehicle, and easy-to-read navigation guidance. You can have an upgraded 8.4-inch screen when you want a bit more for the center of your dashboard and a place where you can see the icons and maps much easier than on the smaller screen of the base model of this vehicle.
Two Trims Offered for this Dodge SUV
SE Value Trim
- 17-inch steel wheels
- Cruise control
- Tilt steering wheel
- 4.3-inch infotainment screen
- Dual-zone automatic climate controls
- Power heated mirrors
- Six-speaker audio system
Crossroad Trim
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Leather upholstery
- Tri-zone climate controls
- Touring suspension
- 8.4-inch infotainment screen
- Fog lights
- Body-color mirrors
- LED taillights
- Overhead console
- In-floor storage areas
- Power sunroof
A Few Packages for your Journey
The options you’ll find for the Dodge Journey come in packages that you can add to the mix. The Blacktop Package is offered for the SE Value trim to give you a black grille and black wheels. The Popular Equipment Group brings you a power driver’s seat, premium cloth upholstery, Uconnect voice command, tri-zone climate controls, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
If you select the Crossroad trim, you can have the benefits o the Popular Equipment Package with different items that the same package offered for the lower trim level. For the Crossroad trim, this package gives you a remote engine starter, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a navigation system, and a premium audio system with a subwoofer.
This package can be improved with a rear-entertainment system that includes a nine-inch video screen, wireless headphones, and a pair of child booster seats.
The Powertrain You’ll Find
There’s no getting around the fact that Dodge gives you an underwhelming powertrain to have a drive in the Journey. This powertrain is comprised of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 173 horsepower and 166 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is good enough to pull a small load of 1,000 pounds when you need to tow a little bit, but it’s not meant for strong performance and towing. The purpose of this engine is to keep your price down and get you where you need to go.
Can the Dodge Journey be Right for You?
Your family needs to go places together. You can either buy a pair of sedans and split them into two vehicles whenever you go out, or you can buy the Journey. This SUV fits your budget with a price that will be comparable to one of those two sedans you might have considered, and it gives you room for seven people to get where you want to go together. Check out this SUV at your local Dodge dealer and see if it has what you’re looking for in the next vehicle that you drive with your family.
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