Durango vs. Journey - That is the Question.
 

Please forgive if already asked and answered (I looked over the forum and found nothing, so feel pretty safe).

Family's looking to replace our tired Sienna minivan. Really like the Durango, but wife came across the Journey and started asking, "Why not? It's $10,000 less, etc." (Stats: would be wife's car, we're a family of 4 but both kids in high school and in two yrs will be off to college, mostly city driving in-and-around north Dallas.)

So, what say you? Dependability? Reliability? Build quality?

Thanks, all!

Very simple answer, do you need/want a V8 or do any towing? if not then Journey is the way to go. Same V6, same # of seats, more storage options, weighs less, gets better gas mileage, and is cheaper like she said. Plus, you should check on isurance rates, ill bet the Journey is cheaper to insure also.

But the Durango is way better looking IMO!

I have no opinion on the Journey, but I can say the 2012 Durango RT has been the worst vehicle purchase I have ever made. Sadly, I would rather drive my 2003 Pontiac Montana than my Durango.

Issues I have had in first 20000kms

Steering wheel wobble(still ongoing)
Vehicle pulled to the right(fixed a year after)
Clunk from the rear end(still on going)
Numerous creaks and rattles(seats, doors and roof liners) from day one(still on going)
Power seat memory not functioing(hit and miss)
Slight pop/surge(sensation of something catching than releasing) from rear end when proceeding from stop(ongoing).
Gas guzzler(my own fault as I knew this going into purchase).
Paint flaking off on the rear bumper (used touch up paint)
Pieces of metal fell into the paint during the painting process(fixed)
Radio has a tendancy to freeze or not link with Ipod(ongoing)
Clunk when shifting into gear(fixed)
Moulding which is located underneath wipers and covering windshield warped and had to be replaced(fixed)
Hestiates to shift on occassions(ongoing).

At this point I am just waiting for my TIPM to go as it seems this is a problem that appears to be growing as well.

Now that I have bashed the Durango here are the things I do like

Looks and Style
Hemi Power
Comfort and Space
Exhaust tone on the R/T is fine by me
Durango RT handles like my Charger RT
Seemed ok in winter even with the Kuhmo tires

I am just waiting to come even on my loan so I can trade or sell this vehicle. This is just my opinion and I'm sure there are lots of people out there that will defend the Durango

Equip the two vehicles the same and the price difference drops - more like $6k to $7k.

Fuel economy is not much different: 17/25 Journey and 16/23 Durango.

I haven't drivern the Journey but given its lineage I'd bet it rides worse than the Durango, which is related to the Mercedes ML CUV.

Durango is significantly larger. 40% more passenger volume. 8 inches longer, 4 inches wider, 5 inches higher.

If you want to have a moderately smaller monthly payment for much less space, only you can answer that!

Another thing to consider is durability. I have to suspect that the Journey has about the durability of a Caravan. Having owned three Caravans followed by two Durangos, I can verify that the Durango is much more durable than a Caravan (and then probably a Journey). My 2005 Durango went 104k miles before I had to do the rear brakes, and 145k on the front brakes. On the Caravans I would typically have the brakes fail every 30k miles - often traumatically and while on vacation - with no towing. Also, had to frequently replace sway bar bushings and other front suspension components - again with no towing or off-road, while I never had to do anything to my 2005 Durango in 170k miles. Lastly - I went through a lot of transmissions in the Caravans and in one Caravan had it fail at 16k miles, then again at 70k. Another Caravan tranny failed at 31k. No such problems on my 2005 Durango. My 2012 has 28k miles and no real issues. If you do get a Durango, get a 2014 because some of the issues with earlier ones will have been fixed.

It seemed pretty well built when we test drove it, but it was definitly light duty, and drove like other front wheele drive crossovers we tested.
Some things you will get with the Journey, that arent offered in our Durangos for some reason:

-sliding and reclining second-row seat
-built-in child booster
-containers that double as coolers
-hidden compartment under the front passenger seat cushion

Edmunds says:
"In 2011 it got a completely redesigned interior with better materials, tighter construction and a smarter control layout. The improvements in ride quality and steering feel made the Journey more competitive with the top-ranked crossovers in this class."

These are the things we liked about it, before we came across its tow rating and marked it off our list.

The Durango's second row does recline.

One highly practical feature you can't seem to get on the Journey is the power liftgate. Never cared much about it before but now that I have it I'll never go back.

Consumer Reports said "Despite the new engine and updated interior appointments, the Journey is still mediocre overall. The Journey was a mediocre performer when we last tested it in 2008, and a new engine and interior appointments haven't helped much. It rides well and is quiet, but that's about all."

Meanwhile the Durango is pretty much universally complemented by the auto press.

I personally did not see anything "mediocre" about it when we compared it to like vehicles in its price range, but again thats just an opinion, you would need to see if its worth saving the thousands of dollars for yourself, but I wouldnt write it off without checking it out.

Agreed it's all just opinions. But that's what the OP asked for! He/she really does need to just go drive both for themselves and stop asking for forum opinions when such opinions are almost always split 50/50, thereby really being no help.

:icon_starwars::icon_starwars:

Thanks, Crew Member, and everyone else! I agree, a question like this brings out all the "my opinions," and can be quite subjective. That's partly why I asked for a bit more objective observations/facts such as durability, reliability, etc. (though they too can be anecdotal). But I appreciate everyone's subjective and objective feedback. Love the value of this forum! Thanks all, and I'd appreciate hearing from more!

I think the OP is smart to ask for opinions like this before purchasing. If more people did this you would not have near as many complaints. Too many folks buy more vehicle than they needed, then proceed to complain about its cost of ownership (example:people that buy a full size crossover and then later complain because it gets full size cross over MPG's). Or people that buy less vehicle than needed and complain about its poor performance(example people that buy a crossover then complain because they dont have the ground clearance of an SUV). Etc......

More people would be happier with their purchase if they did the same, not because they purchased a better or worse vehicle, but because they purchased the right vehicle for their circumstances because they new all the pros and cons of the vehicles they were considering, and who better to aske than current owners.

I think the Durango is a great vehicle, but if the OP is replacing a minivan, and their kids are moving out, it might be too much vehicle for this circumstance.

Good deal Huskerfan. Hopefully I gave you some good dimensional facts in my first post. Here's another fact:

Consumer Reports rates the Journey poor for predicted reliability and good for owner satisfaction, and is not recommended.

It rates the Durango good for predicted reliability and excellent for owner satisfaction, and IS recommended.

I would buy a Minivan before I buy a Journey, just personal preference... They priced about the same, but the Minivan are more dependable, more practical, and better resale value.


Quality wise, I think the Durango is way ahead of the Journey in every way (well, duh, for an extra 10k). Just test drive them, you can tell the obvious difference. Check out the Grand Cherokee too, it is practically the same car as the Durango.


If you do a lot of city driving, I assume fuel economy is a huge concern for you, right? Chrysler has a Jeep Cherokee that will hit the show room in another 2 or 3 month. 9 speed trans, i4 or V6 engine. They are roughly similar price and size of the Journey.

Had the steering wheel wobble since day one, had all four tires balanced and it is completely gone. Get the transmission clunk when parked on incline, but only on incline , what was the issues?

Some sort of radio issue with Satellite radio or Ipod/Iphone I have had with almost all my cars, Toyota was the worst. Try the pedal recalibration for the hesitation or try driving in tow/haul and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes disconnecting the negative battery cable for 30 mins and letting all control modules reset can solve a lot of problems too.

I understand how you feel, but IMO all car brands have quality issues the difference comes in the customer service. I have family members that have more issues with their BMW's and Range Rovers then I do with my Ford's and Dodge, but they get taken care of very well at the dealer and by customer service.

And I believe the slipping or popping you feel is from the Hill assist setting. I read this on another forum. It doesn't even take an incline to set itself. Turn that off in your evic settings and you will feel difference. As Dreams said above all makes have their issues its how they are taken care of by service departments.
Keep your eyes open I got an inside word that engineering was/is handing down new alignment specs for 11-13 R/T D's..something about that after the suspensions settle in more after few weeks of ownership alignment is off a bit. My companies auto tech said Hunter alignment already notified him of a software change for them. As soon as he gets the software he will get my D to align, since he is a bit more skilled than avg.
STEVE

lol...I'm replacing my 2002 Pontiac Montana with a '14 Durango.

I've put over 190k miles on the Montana (had it since new. ). overall, the power train is OK, though it had a known issue with a valve cover or head gasket that needed replacing early in its life and was not covered under warranty. I had numerous issues with the rear AC unit and with the ABS sending units.

I've had the trans replaced with a used unit at about 160 k miles. The engine makes a disturbing "Knocking like" sound over 2000 RPMs that no one can seem to diagnose. The steering rack has been replaced.

The biggest issue with Monty (as we call him in our family) is that he's literally falling apart. Rust on the underside is eating its way outward. The headlamps are held on by basically luck, as is the font bumper cover. Just yesterday (no lie) the front air deflector fell off. The radiator support upon which it is attaches is basically rusted through so there'S nothing left to attach it to! Every time the van goes up on a lift the supports that are there for the lift bend and break as they are essentially pure rust.

Yes, I am in the northeast...but no other car I've had had such horrid rust issues after 10 years.

I can't WAIT for my Durango to be delivered...

No, I had that issue too. It's really a programming false of the 4WD system. There is a TSB which covers this issue. It also has to do with bad steering in parking lots where in tight turns the cars doesn't want to go sideways (as the diff locks up). I had the TSB done even if my cars VIN was not on the list(!!!) and the issue is gone since then! Also the car feels now like "free". I always had the feeling that something is holding it back somehow. Especially in coasting situations where the cars was rolling. That felling is now also gone and MPG raised also a bit. I think the 4wd system was working more than it should in normal situations or overacts during off the line starts and locked which feels like this bump. Ever engaged the 4wd system during 3mph cruising? I always had this bump there too. So let the tech upload the TSB even if the cars is not on the list! It's worth a try. It helped on my D.

What TSB # are you referring to?

It was this here: http://www.wk2jeeps.com/tsb/tsb_wk2_2100313.pdf

If some of you have irratic shiftig or lame accelleration you should perform http://www.wk2jeeps.com/tsb/tsb_wk2_2100613.pdf. This also changed how the car drives now. It's still not that great like with the Hemifever tune I have but still better than before. This was one of the reasons I bought a Intune.

Thanks guys for those tsbs. The Durango is on its way to the dealership on Wednesday(clunk in rear/power seat/pop off the line). I will reference those on my arrival.

GOOD TSB's Ill probably have to popping one checked as well
STEVE

Shocks have been replaced and sound persists. The good news is the dealership acknowledges the problem and hasn't given up. They are now waiting on Dodge engineers to get back to them with the what the next step as the sound disappeared when they drove the unit without shocks. The driveline tsb was also completed but it still feels like something is catching in the rear end when I accelerate from a standstill.