High gasoline prices, foreign wars in oil producing nations and fears of global warming have made fuel efficiency the new patriotism. Yet many Americans reject clown-sized economy cars and suppository shaped CUV’s and minivans. They cling to the outdoorsy lifestyle and the go-anywhere freedom embodied by rough-and-tumble SUV’s. In a second attempt to address these shifting values, Jeep has unveiled the Patriot. It's an SUV for gas conscious Americans! Actually, never mind all that. Please, oh please, just let it be better than the Compass.
Visually, the $15k (FWD) Patriot succeeds where its mechanical doppelganger, the Compass, fails. The Patriot actually looks like a Jeep. Its grille is more upright and the hood smartly folds over the seven slots and round headlights. Beneath the bumpers, the Patriot’s body work tapers back, facilitating off road-friendly approach and departure angles.
Muscular fenders frame the trademark Jeep trapezoidal wheel wells in the Grand Cherokee fashion– as opposed to the Compass’ fat Elvis fender work. The Patriot’s upright greenhouse follows the same rectangular proportions as the Commander, which itself is an homage to the Cherokee. Wrangleresque it ain’t, but the Patriot’s Mom was clearly playing in the Jeep gene pool.
Serious Jeepers aren’t picky about interior aesthetics. Dirt lovin’ Wrangler and Liberty owners have been known to strip their rigs’ interior carpeting and spray pickup truck bed liner over the bare metal. These fearless depreciators will appreciate the Patriot's interior’s Rubbermaid chic.
Sure it has carpeting, available leather seats, a leather wrapped steering wheel and splashes of trendy faux aluminum, but every other surface and compartment is constructed from textured molded plastic. No matter how dusty and foul the Patriot’s cabin gets plugging mud, crawling over rocks and slithering through sand, cleanliness is only a damp rag away; it’s like wiping down a baby’s high chair.
Of course, the pairing of this highly washable interior with a vehicle designed to appeal to off-road-crazed Jeep owners is strictly coincidental. Chrysler uses this same nasty cheap plastic in nearly every car they make, including the identically appointed Jeep Compass. Furthermore, the most dedicated (and filthiest) off-road enthusiasts will stick with Wranglers. The Patriot will be competing for acceptance in urban and suburban environs, where drivers expect more refinement.
On the positive side, the seating position is excellent, especially for taller drivers. Drivers trading in their gas sucking Jeep Liberty will appreciate the Patriot’s generous leg room and reclining rear seats.
When it comes to driving, the Patriot takes a back seat to its fraternal twin, the Compass, whose ride and handling are already on the wrong side of unacceptable. Although only 1.5" taller and 33lbs heavier, the Patriot is much more sensitive to all non-linear motions, thanks to its four-wheel independent suspension. The dynamics are strictly Olde Worlde; the Patriot leans and flops its way down a winding road like a wounded Hessian.
The Compass’ excellent brakes are… AWOL. The Patriot’s stop pedal engages its four-wheel disks very slowly indeed, and resents driver input. Nonetheless, the long legged suspension eagerly dispatches bumps and gobbles up highway carbuncles, hinting at the Patriot's off-road potential.
Unfortunately, these sisters-under-the-skin share their most vital greasy bits: their drivetrains. Both vehicles come incomplete with an atonal 2.4-liter 16-valve four-cylinder Dual Variable Valve Timing World Engine, attached to a buzz-inducing (and not in the caffeinated sense of the word) Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
The 172hp mill motivates the Patriot to 60mph in… yawn… stretch… ah, who cares? You’ll get up to freeway speeds, you know, eventually. And yet this engine is Patriot’s raison d'être. In 4×2 trim, the EPA prognosticators promise 24/27mpg. It’s a [theoretically] stratospheric achievement. You know, for a Jeep.
Early four-pot 4Runners, Monteros, Pathfinders and Cherokees conquered hill and dale with aplomb. Though capable in the bush, these lightweight vehicles were gutless tin cans compared to their robust descendants. Their modern incarnations now tilt the scales well in excess of two tons. By contrast, the Patriot is an SUV lightweight: 3,326lbs. in full regalia. And it’s still a pig.
For off-roader drivers, Jeep reinforced the Patriot’s underlying Mitsubishi GA platform with an ultra-high-strength steel cross-car beam above the rear axle. Optional Trail Rated models ($25k and up) get the Freedom-Drive II drive train system (utilizing the CVT at a 19:1 ratio for steep ascents and descents), downhill braking control mode, an engine oil cooler, extra ground clearance and skid plates. Packaged with the Patriot’s Jeepish looks, these features give the ute the cred that the Compass lacks.
Not that Jeep cares. On the official website, under “Capabilities,” the copy talks about the Patriot’s “smooth, agile and responsive handling… on mountain switchbacks and [during] evasive maneuvers” and, I swear, “parallel parking… made easy.” If Jeep is aiming the Patriot at the CR-V, RAV4 and Escape, they’re in big trouble. With its Playmobil interior, gutless engine and questionable handling, the Patriot is far better off road than on.
98 Comments on “Jeep Patriot Review...”
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Ah, parallel parking in the wilderness. Finally somebody admit what the SUV thing is all about.
William, did you have a chance to off-road it at all? Old Wranglers and Cherokees were no speed demons on the road either, but we know their off-road abilites. If the Patriot is at least capable in the dirt, it gets extra props from me.
UnclePete, other than tearing around a dirt lot I did not get a chance to really go wheelin’ in the Patriot. I would love to do so and test the 19:1 CVT gear ratio in the wild.
There is a video making the rounds on YouTube that shows the Patriot doing some pretty serious off-road driving. If I can find it I will post the link in a comment.
patriot looks like a kmart version of commander. the point is that, patriot being launched recently ,already looks obsolete, something like having dived out straight from late 80ies.
it`s typical american car- mitsubishi lancer platform. interior doesn`t have any single chromed piece, everything cries out cheap plastic. air conditioner controls remind ultraprimitive supereconomy dacia at least. even if the seat leather won`t shine like bald man`s head, still the environment reminds starvation of detailing.primitive black plastic mirrors, thick uneven door gaskets( to windows), gas cap that opens from outside.
well,. the car looks recognizable, associates me with the whole primitivism paradigm that i remember from wrangler, which couldn`t push technology, so had to push all-rugged-out legend, ditto harley -davidson.( jeep was the only company for a long time that afforded such attavisms as putting leaf springs up front!)
patriot is in no way to compete with rav4. the whole jeep brand exploits non existent legend, that is telling- rough, strong, durable. ( rough, because there is no quality and gaps are huge everywhere, and no money for centuries was invested to deal with those issues,
strong? well if strenght is measured by hp or torque, then…, durable- because it was so primitive ,there were no virtually parts that could break down, like bolt, that doesn`t break). patriot among commander is destined for total failure. and believe me, i
am not nostrodamus.the only way americans sold cars, was because the looked proportional and beautiful( or beautifully distinctive from europeans). this hasnothing- it is not american , it is not beautiful, no quality, no finish, no texture.bang for the buck? yupp. discount is like a suspicion of inability to sell crappy stuff.
After driving both the Caliber and Compass, and absolutely despising nearly everything about the latter, I haven’t yet found inclination time to check the Patriot out. But at least it looks a lot better than the Compass.
My price comparison and reliability site’s page for the Patriot:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/Patriot.php
After a rocky start, reliability of the related Caliber appears to be trending towards average.
From your review I think this may be a good idea, but the ball dropped in its execution. Reading the first couple paragraphs, I thought that this might be something I should look at. Bigger than a Wrangler, but competent off road at that price point sounds great. I live in the city, but in California the mountains and desert are not far away (I miss camping in Ocotillo on summer nights). The thing is, I want some semblence of handling and road feel for M-F in the city. A Wrangler is just too small, and other SUV’s are either too expensive to play in the dirt or too toyish. Oh well, I haven’t bought an American car in 9 years anyway so why would I think one would be compelling now?
Well now, American-Benz (AKA Chrysler) has finally figured out that most Americans want something that looks tough but only really needs to be tough enough to make it over those nasty speed bumps at the grocery store. Although it’s a shame to see the Jeep name watered down and badge engineered.
The off-road video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2stIOe9QJg
It looks fairly capable, but I’d like to see more…
Yes, the CVT sucks. Didn’t you forget something though? There IS a stick shift available, and from what I have read this makes it a much better driver.
I test drove a CompASS and it was just a terrible car. I’m not sure how much better a Patriot would be, but if it’s better offroad, then at least it serves more of a purpose.
Oh and concerning the stick shift, you can’t get it in the off road Trail Rated package.
I like the new road test format with the star ratings as well as quick recap statements.
I've read nothing but positive reviews on this vehicle.
It comes available in Rubicon Trail Rated trim and I recently read an article from an Off Road mag where they took the Patriot and the new Wrangler on a monster trail in the snow, and the Patriot was able to follow the Wrangler everwhere but the absolute most extreme stuff.
You CANNOT find a better SUV for the price. Period.
“Although it’s a shame to see the Jeep name watered down and badge engineered. ”
Comments like these must have been expected by Jeep folks. They still went ahead with it. What does that tell you? Either they are very smart or very dumb. Do they know something that we dont?
William,
What was the price as tested for the Patriot you drove?
If you are looking for performance numbers out of a Jeep, try the SRT-8, otherwise I agree with SuperAROD…
By creating both the Compass and the Patriot, Jeep (in my opinion) has crushed the potential for the Patriot to succeed. I think if it was introduced on it’s own, it would have relative merit–honestly, this is a great car for the active Generation X…easy to clean interior, (cheap, sure, but easy to clean is more important in a vehicle that may actually be used for utilitarian/adventurous purposes), rugged, off-road capable, and still gets 25+ mpg. This is a very practical vehicle. Many people (not on this website, but most people in general) do not give a $&*% about 0-60 times or the fact that their interior is carved out of italian marble and the hide of an endangered minx. They look at the utility of a vehicle, and this vehicle shines in that respect. I do think this car is a nice and unique alternative to many other small cars and CUV’s.
Unfortunately, the Compass is so disgusting that it will cast a bad aura over this vehicle. I bet the Patriot would have done better on it’s own than with the Patriot & Compass, plus, Jeep would not have bastardized themselves so much, and Chrysler could have kept some development $$ in it’s pocket.
Thanks to flexible production, I would figure that they can sink the Compass without a trace and replace it with their siblings. At least they didn’t spend that much R&D money to differentiate the Compass. I hope.
My test car was a loaded (navigation system, satellite radio, leather seats, etc.) 2007 Patriot Limited 4×2. Sticker price: $23,670.
Brett in SF,
Did you drive a Wrangler Unlimited?
As for some other posters – the preponderence of Jeep bashing is sickening…not a single competititor can hold a candle to the mountain goat abilities of the Wrangler….not Rover, RAV 4, Toureg, nada…none…zilch.
The Jeep cousins, distant as they may seem, were not designed to do all the things that Wrangler can….that would be the true definition of watering down the brand.
How many SUV, SAV vehicles take their rides off-road, let alone through a rain puddle…let’s try comparing apples to apples.
NN:
Yes, the Patriot has the stink of Compass on it. On the other hand, by comparison Compass helps Patriot look more appealing.
So how is this CVT thing gunna do on an off road application? Is it better than a regular automatic, or is it just gunna burn itself up ?
Is there a history on the CVT unit in this vehicle?
“It comes available in Rubicon Trail Rated trim ”
Um, no. This wouldn’t make it to the entrance of the first stage of the Rubicon Trail. DCX did away with the Rubicon Trail requirement years ago and substitued “Trail Rated” in it’s stead. In my considered opinion, the fact that a Liberty could be “Trail Rated” speaks volumes about the rating.
All this vehicle tells me is that the Compass should never have been born. It’s the Danny DeVito character in Twins.
I have driven a few Patriots and for $15k they are GREAT. The MINI Cooper, Versa and Patriot top my list of what to buy next. Unfortunately, my caravan looks to be perfect through 100k miles and it might be hard to part with it since I have had ZERO problems with it.
Martin,
As a Liberty owner and enthusiast, I just want you to know that it is an incredibly underrated vehicle. I have taken it on many trails, practically bone stock save for new tires, and haven’t gotten stuck on anything yet. It is quite a beast and I love the thing to death. It’s almost never without an “Alabama paintjob”(mud/dirt). The only thing I’d ever trade it for is a Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited, which will be done in the summer. I just miss driving stick.
The seats might fit tall drivers but they don’t offer great support.
I couldn’t believe how T I N Y this vehicle was when I saw it in person.
In my opinion, the best low end “Jeep” SUV at this point is the…. Nitro
Here is a good video I found on youtube showing the Patriot off-roading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTYMFvcZQbw
another not so bad video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UCEqbxAvKo#
in-depth, real review:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/reviews/patriot/index.htm
These guys that do this for a living (to MAKE money) conclude:
“Conclusion:
The Patriot is without question the best OHV performer in it’s class
and also has great highway performance and 30mpg economy. I am not
suggesting that the Patriot is a replacement for a Rubicon Unlimited
or Toyota Tacoma on the trail, or a Toyota Land Cruiser for a Round
The World Expedition, but it will provide a great ride, value,
economy and rugged track performance for the buyer. I would not
hesitate to take the Patriot on the White Rim Road, or El Camino Del
Diablo, loaded full of gear. This segment is about providing value,
and for the first time, there is an option that also provides
performance on the trail.”
The Patriot succeeds where all of the Car-based SUVs of the last fifteen years (Rav4, X-90, CR-V, Geo Tracker, etc) failed. It provides ACCEPTABLE on-road performance, no worse than any average, mid-line vehicle, with EXCELLENT off-road capabilities, for a very, very good price. This thing is perfect for the young family that likes to go camping off in the National Forest but can’t justify/afford/store a special-purpose vehicle for that trip and doesn’t want to pay a gas-mileage penalty for driving such a vehicle on a daily basis.
Seth, I kinda figured that myself. When I think of the Jeep psyche,I am reminded of Harley Davidson. Both companies have a hard core following and (at least until recently as far as Jeep is concerned) and a tightly targeted product line. you could almost say that HD and Jeep were more of an attitude than a product. I dont think that HD would be where thay are today if they slapped their name on anything with two wheels. They tried that in the seventies and it failed. With that in mind I hope the same thing doesnt happen to Jeep. Although I am no big fan of their SUV’s, I have great respect for the good old CJ type Jeep. I am not biased – I dont ride and I drive a Nissan Pickup.
I wonder if Jeep will have trouble with this introduction. My guess is that most Compass intenders walking into the showroom will notice that with all the incentives on it, the Liberty is the same money, and a lot more Jeep.
Why, oh, why did Jeep kill the Cherokee?!?!
The Liberty is no Cherokee. I have a 1998 Cherokee that I have abused since November 1997. Coming up on 10 years and it’s still going strong, both on and off road. I’ve driven several Liberties and they just don’t compare in any measurable way. I can’t stand the way they look, either. The next gen Liberty at least solves that issue.
Jeep must stop watering down the brand. The Compass must die, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to take the Patriot with it. That said, Jeep does need a vehicle that is capable off-road and costs less than the Liberty. That doesn’t mean it needs to suck though.
An accurate and entertaining review, as good as the other ones by WCM. I liked it!
DharmaDog: “Jeep must stop watering down the brand.”
So true. I could see if Jeep were its own company then to survive it would need to have a car for every puropose. But since it’s under the DCX umbrella, Jeep can afford to just focus on doing one thing and doing it right. And I think most people will agree with me that that “one thing” is off road ability and utility. I wish I could still buy a striped down CJ with no extra frills. But since I can’t I’m out this weekend looking at buying a ‘76 CJ-5.
What a good idea! I think this Jeep will be a great addition to the model lineup. It’s utility, practicality, small size, and good off-road ability sort of put it in a class by itself. What else can do all that stuff and still get good gas mileage? The only thing is, I bet real-world fuel economy won’t be that great, especially if you have to flog that dull motor all the time…Oh, and kill the Compass for God’s sake. If I were a Jeep enthusiast I would be sick to my stomach until it dies, then have a jamboree (isn’t that what Jeep folks call a party?)
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/reviews/patriot/index.htm
[i]# TWX:
March 9th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
The Patriot succeeds where all of the Car-based SUVs of the last fifteen years (Rav4, X-90, CR-V, Geo Tracker, etc) failed. It provides ACCEPTABLE on-road performance, no worse than any average, mid-line vehicle, with EXCELLENT off-road capabilities, for a very, very good price. This thing is perfect for the young family that likes to go camping off in the National Forest but can’t justify/afford/store a special-purpose vehicle for that trip and doesn’t want to pay a gas-mileage penalty for driving such a vehicle on a daily basis.
[/i]
Of course, they could always rent a vehicle for those camping trips…
As a former Colorado 4×4 junkie, in my younger days I did everything from mild (don’t spill my latte) to insane in my old CJ-5. The only thing that could stop my Jeep was, sadly, itself. It was built by AMC, and in the course of my stewardship it required a new engine, tranny, steering gear, and radiator.
I watched the DCX promotional video on YouTube, and I’m not overwhelmed. It looks rugged to those who have never really off-roaded, but I’ve done more serious off-roading in my wife’s ‘02 CR-V and I think I even have the photos to prove it, somewhere.
It’s amazing where you can go with a little ground clearance, when combined with careful clutch/throttle action and a healthy dose of common sense. During my wildest CJ-5 jaunts, I often met ’80s Subaru wagons and even VW buses carefully picking their way over amazingly rugged mining and loggin trails.
I like the Patriot. It’s got the trendy jerrycan looks that compel couch potatoes to drive Hummers, while undercutting the CR-V and RAV4 by thousands. It’ll put the Compass out of our misery in no time.
I, too, lament the dilution of the Jeep brand with products like this. But let’s be realistic: it’s nothing compared to the dilution of Jeep *drivers*, and SUV owners in general. Off-roaders just don’t contribute to Jeep’s bottom line enough to drive DCX’s product decisions. Same reason Mitsubishi dropped turbos and AWD from the Eclipse line.
Speaking of Mitsus, I love that the road-noise-prone Compass/Patriot/Caliber platform is dubbed GA (”gaa” being a tire engineer’s term for unwanted coarse-surface thrum).
Those Videos are great, THey show that the Patriot is about as good as a FWD car off-road. They are going fast over the hills to let the momentum carry them over, Its not Traction or Suspension flex that getting that car through those obstacles. If driven like that off-road you would end up with a great deal of damage.
“# TWX:
March 9th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
The Patriot succeeds where all of the Car-based SUVs of the last fifteen years (Rav4, X-90, CR-V, Geo Tracker, etc) failed. It provides ACCEPTABLE on-road performance, no worse than any average, mid-line vehicle, with EXCELLENT off-road capabilities, for a very, very good price.”
You aren’t familar with Suzuki’s and off-road performance are you?
I don’t think people are familiar with Suzuki, period. That’s half their problem!
The Suzuki Sidekick (aka Tracker and several other badge engineered clones) has a huge cult following in the off-road world. They are damn capable vehicles with a lift kit and the right tires.
In TWX’s defense, however, he spoke of “acceptable” on-road performance and that is something to which you could only credit the Suzuki if you were in a particularly generous mood. (I should know, I’ve owned a fully-optioned Sidekick for 11 years).
well i own a Samurai, and well, a Tracker is a like riding on a cloud
The Compass “Limited” I drove through 2 weeks of winter was very impressive! Even with only FWD and 18″(!)wheels it confidently handled ice/snow conditions – hills and braking were no problem.
I can appreciate some of the negative comments regarding exterior styling but like many other vehicles it grows on you and actually looks good from the rear. Really good if it’s black.
From a value standpoint this vehicle compares favourably to anything … heated seats, ESP, spacious, comfortable, and contrary to what people who have never been in one say; a quality interior … for under 20k.
As both Patriot and Compass are sold globally and offer diesel and RHD in other markets Jeep should have no problem finding enough intelligent consumers to warrant keeping both models.
The Compass does represent a lot of metal and equipment for the money, but–and excuse me if I sound indelicate–the only way someone could think it has a “quality” interior is if they hadn’t set foot in any current like-priced vehicle.
In all honesty, go check out the interiors of the lowliest bottom-feeders on the market–the Chevrolet Aveo, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, et cetera… they all have thicker, more substantial-feeling dash plastics and more padded touch points. Even late-’90s Kias exhibit nothing as blatant as the sharp mold flashing inside the lip of the Compass’ passenger-side dash cubby.
You lost me when you wrote, “Visually, the $15k (FWD) Patriot succeeds…”
You’d think 50 years after the real WW2 Willys GP, Jeep would have come up with something better.
Cheap, crude little boxes with an antiquated look don’t impress me much. If this is Chrysler’s answer to the fuel economy challenge, it’ll be good that they collapse under their own ineptitude.
I remember seeing a sticker on the engine-side of the hood on an early Suzuki Samarai (I paraphrase) “For off-road use only, vehicle life 50,000 miles”. I thought it was weird for a carmaker to admit such a thing; I can only assume that it was Gov’t mandated…
I’m amazed that Jeep (DCX) is upstaging its own Compass with the Patriot (I’d say that the Patriot would appeal more to the “Jeep” cult). Seems counterproductive (schizo) to me.
I know they are appealing to a market I’ll never understand, but a fwd SUV is, well, useless. Good luck selling that thing as a used vehicle anywhere in the snow belt.
Why can’t people who buy junk like this just admit they really want a car? Plenty of nice cars over at the Subaru dealer…
Why would anyone even bother THINKING about getting the trail rated package on one of these things when they could have twice the vehicle in the Toyota FJ Cruiser for less money??
Tankdog: I don’t know what the prices are where you live but in Colorado you can’t touch an FJ for under $28k. And most of them are optioned out to the $30k+ range.