Rear Seat and Cargo Area
Second row seat comfort in the 60/40 split, folding rear bench was decent. I had enough room for my feet, knees and head, but it was a bit tight in spots. After all, the Patriot is one of the smaller AWD vehicles on the market. Door openings are wide and more than adequate to let me in and out.
Cargo space, when you first look at it, seems small. This is a bit of an illusion since once you remove the privacy cover, you can stack about four hockey bags in the back and still have some space left over.
Exterior
Outside the traditional slab sided Jeep is still recognizable, but time has rounded the edges and it makes the Jeep look more refined, like Sylvester Stallone in a business suit. The front fascia seems to drop quite low to the ground and if the snow is deep enough, it makes a pretty decent plough. Going up or down a hill is a different story; the front wheels are far enough forward that approach angles are still pretty good. At the back, departure angles are about the same, but at least, the rear bumper usually has a trailer hitch on it and that drags first so the body work doesn’t get damaged.
Power train
Getting up and down these hills is the job of the engine and transmission. I have to admit that at first I thought the CVT transmission would be a nuisance since a manual transmission is available on some versions. I was wrong, the CVT performed flawlessly and I never did have to resort to using the steering column mounted paddle shifters.
The engine for play time was the 2.4 litre DOHC, 16 valve, four cylinder that puts out 172 horsepower. Variable valve timing allows the motor to have a wide torque band and that lets it motor around without seeming to work very hard. If you do happen to hit a bit of a slick spot, there is a centre diff lock switch located at the base of the centre arm rest. Lift it once for on and a second time to disengage it.
Second row seat comfort in the 60/40 split, folding rear bench was decent. I had enough room for my feet, knees and head, but it was a bit tight in spots. After all, the Patriot is one of the smaller AWD vehicles on the market. Door openings are wide and more than adequate to let me in and out.
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| The steering wheel was just the right diameter with good grip. (Photo: Charles Renny/Auto123.com) |
Cargo space, when you first look at it, seems small. This is a bit of an illusion since once you remove the privacy cover, you can stack about four hockey bags in the back and still have some space left over.
Exterior
Outside the traditional slab sided Jeep is still recognizable, but time has rounded the edges and it makes the Jeep look more refined, like Sylvester Stallone in a business suit. The front fascia seems to drop quite low to the ground and if the snow is deep enough, it makes a pretty decent plough. Going up or down a hill is a different story; the front wheels are far enough forward that approach angles are still pretty good. At the back, departure angles are about the same, but at least, the rear bumper usually has a trailer hitch on it and that drags first so the body work doesn’t get damaged.
Power train
Getting up and down these hills is the job of the engine and transmission. I have to admit that at first I thought the CVT transmission would be a nuisance since a manual transmission is available on some versions. I was wrong, the CVT performed flawlessly and I never did have to resort to using the steering column mounted paddle shifters.
The engine for play time was the 2.4 litre DOHC, 16 valve, four cylinder that puts out 172 horsepower. Variable valve timing allows the motor to have a wide torque band and that lets it motor around without seeming to work very hard. If you do happen to hit a bit of a slick spot, there is a centre diff lock switch located at the base of the centre arm rest. Lift it once for on and a second time to disengage it.
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| The engine for play time was the 2.4 litre DOHC, 16 valve, four cylinder that puts out 172 horsepower. (Photo: Charles Renny/Auto123.com) |