Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I hadn't really thought that it could have been the dealer at fault for not fixing it. I'm not super worried. If I was a real safety nut, I probably would have bought one with side airbags.
I really like the Torrent package. The flexibility of the sliding rear seat is great. The best thing about this vehicle is that it was designed with the idea of comfortably seating adults in all of the seats. Sure, the kids ride in back, but it's also quite comfortable for adults. Adults cannot ride in the back of a modern minivan comfortably. As for the engine, I am a fan of pushrod simplicity and the great gear ratio and tranny really offset the engine's lack of peak power. It's smooth and reasonably quiet, and even has a nice exhaust note.
As for price, I can't really say. It wasn't a really big factor in the decision, buying the right car was more important than the price (as long as we could afford it, obviously). We only really compared it with Ford's Freestyle/Taurus X and the Edge, and the Edge was a ripoff and the Freestyle/Taurus X offer a truly miserable, boring driving experience, but are otherwise very nice vehicles. I've never driven or even sat in any of the foreign competitors. The new Journey has a lot of neat features but awful seating throughout.
Based on what I read in the automotive press I guess I'm an oddity, as hardness of interior plastics and precision alignment of panel gaps don't really figure into my purchasing decisions.
