2013 Dodge Journey Total Car Score Analysis

The 2013 Dodge Journey earns an average Total Car Score for the Midsize SUVs & Crossovers segment. 
 
Value remains the big selling point of the 2013 Dodge Journey. Dodge feels so strongly about that message, in fact, that it has named the base Journey model the American Value Package, or AVP for short. Carrying a sticker that starts at $18,995, the Journey AVP is one of the least expensive five-seat compact crossover vehicles on the market. To keep costs low, Dodge offers the AVP and Journey SE as five-seat, four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive models only. You have to shop the higher trim levels for the optional V6 engine, third seating row and all-wheel drive.  
 
Yet Dodge's value message for the Journey doesn't stop at the base models. The price of the Journey Crew has dropped by $200, even though leather upholstery, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are now standard on the model. Premium leather upholstery is also now standard on the R/T, which has seen its base price cut by $1,000.  
 
The Journey gets mixed reviews among automotive critics. The base 2.4-liter engine is universally panned as slow, unresponsive and returning mediocre fuel economy, which isn’t helped by the aging four-speed automatic it’s hooked to. The Pentastar V6 and its six-speed automatic get higher marks and mileage that’s nearly identical to the four-banger.  
 
Reviewers like the Journey’s size, as it’s more compact than other three-row crossovers but still offers enough room in the back row for a couple of kids. They also appreciate the Journey’s standard features, which even in the base models includes push-button start, a display screen for the audio and climate controls, and a cooled glovebox.  
 
The Dodge Journey was introduced some four years ago and went through a freshening two years ago. We wouldn’t be surprised to see an all-new version in another year or so.

2013 Dodge Journey Model Line-Up

The 2013 Dodge Journey is a compact five-door crossover that will seat up to seven passengers in three rows of seats. It is offered with two engine choices and in five trim levels.  
 
The standard engine for the Journey is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that sends 173 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque through a four-speed automatic transmission to drive the front wheels. A 3.6-liter V6 is also available; it produces 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels or all four when AWD is ordered.  
 
The base Journey model is called the AVP (for American Value Package) and features standard equipment that includes 17-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, keyless entry and push-button start, and a Uconnect Media Center with a 4.3-inch display screen. Moving up to the Journey SE adds deep-tint windows, roof rails and LED taillights.  
 
The SXT swaps the SE’s steel wheels for 17-inch alloy wheels and also has different front and rear fascia (for a sportier look), foglamps, satellite radio, and the option of a powered sunroof and an 8.4-inch Media Center. Crew models are fitted with 19-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, heated seats, automatic climate control, and the 8.4-inch Media Center screen as standard.  
 
The top-tier R/T has a performance-tuned suspension, monochromatic paint, accent stitching on the leather upholstery, and a six-speaker sound system with a 368-watt amplifier.  
 
All versions of the 2013 Journey return nearly identical fuel economy. The four-cylinder FWD models earned an EPA rating of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined, while the FWD V6 models returned 17/25/20 mpg, and the AWD V6s saw 16/24/19 mpg.  
 
Properly equipped, four-cylinder models of the 2013 Dodge Journey are rated to tow up to 1,000 pounds, while V6 versions earn a 2,500-pound tow rating.

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