I've never driven the first iteration of the Journey, but judging from random office chatter, I'm not missing much. Not surprisingly, everyone is raving about the new Pentastar V-6. It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but let me just repeat it -- the Pentastar engine rocks.
Our short-term tester is equipped with AWD and the Pentastar has no issue sending 283-hp to all four wheels. Steering and handling is more on the cushy side, but not bad for a crossover, although I felt like
I was driving a minivan at times. That could probably be attributed to the cavernous interior with tons of legroom, a huge dashboard, and long windshield. Our tester was equipped with the updated navigation and audio interface, which features a sharp, bright, and over-sized touchscreen. The system was intuitive, though expected more from the Alpine-sourced speakers, which sounded more stock than premium.
The Journey is packed with thoughtful and trick storage solutions, including the compartment located under the flip-up passenger seat cushion. Our tester wasn't equipped with the third-row seats, leaving the cargo area with 39.7 cubic feet of usable space. Fold the second row seats down and that number goes up to 67.7 cubic feet. If you have more passengers than cargo, you could opt for the third-row seats and transform the Journey into a seven-person hauler.