Powered by a 2.4L 4 cylinder, my tester came with a 5 speed stick shift, which is the way I would go if I were purchasing one. The manual gearbox allows the most out of the vehicle and makes the Patriot a lot of fun to drive. It also helps with acceleration situations such as merging onto highways etc.
New & improved interior!
One of the peeves which I had with the first Patriot was the interior, as it looked very un-jeep-like, and reminded me too much of the Dodge product. Not that the Caliber dash layout was not pleasant enough, it's just wasn't suited to a Jeep product. Well, the company has sorted that out now, well, kind of! The new 2009 Patriot now sports a rather nice rounded style fascia, which is much better suited. However, from what I understand, the new Dodge Caliber carries a similar style dash, so now maybe I'll be thinking the same, just in reverse.
Comfort and ride quality is pretty good on the vehicle, and when you consider what you get for the money ($18,995 base, $25,040 as tested), I think that the vehicle is extremely well priced. It looks great from the outside, comes with lots of nice features as standard, and for the money is a real pleasure to drive.
In my mind, it's an almost perfect vehicle for drivers who want the added security of a 4x4, but don't want to be forever paying for it at the pumps!
I heard once that the reason the company produced the Jeep Patriot was because the stand alone Jeep dealers (mostly south of the border) were impressed with the Dodge Caliber and wanted a similar model to offer their customers. At first I didn't quite understand the logic behind putting a soft-roader on the lot, but now I do, because this is the perfect entry level Jeep!
photo:Kevin Corrigan
 |
| The new 2009 Patriot now sports a rather nice rounded style fascia, which is much better suited. |
New & improved interior!
One of the peeves which I had with the first Patriot was the interior, as it looked very un-jeep-like, and reminded me too much of the Dodge product. Not that the Caliber dash layout was not pleasant enough, it's just wasn't suited to a Jeep product. Well, the company has sorted that out now, well, kind of! The new 2009 Patriot now sports a rather nice rounded style fascia, which is much better suited. However, from what I understand, the new Dodge Caliber carries a similar style dash, so now maybe I'll be thinking the same, just in reverse.
Comfort and ride quality is pretty good on the vehicle, and when you consider what you get for the money ($18,995 base, $25,040 as tested), I think that the vehicle is extremely well priced. It looks great from the outside, comes with lots of nice features as standard, and for the money is a real pleasure to drive.
In my mind, it's an almost perfect vehicle for drivers who want the added security of a 4x4, but don't want to be forever paying for it at the pumps!
I heard once that the reason the company produced the Jeep Patriot was because the stand alone Jeep dealers (mostly south of the border) were impressed with the Dodge Caliber and wanted a similar model to offer their customers. At first I didn't quite understand the logic behind putting a soft-roader on the lot, but now I do, because this is the perfect entry level Jeep!
photo:Kevin Corrigan
Article Gallery