2007 Jeep Patriot Review

Specifications

Oh Say Can You See

This is what a Jeep should look like! As good as the Jeep Compass looked in the early sketches and then, souped up pre-production tuner influenced duds, it lost much of its credibility as a true Jeep when it showed up at Detroit with 15-inch skinny wheels and a droopy, sad-sack jowly face without fog lamps; not to mention its not Trail Rated. Its a great idea for the Jeep brand to branch out and give people reasonable (read: city-slicker) options, but with the Caliber picking up the slack at the very lowest end of the price bracket for Chrysler Group, I personally think the end product should have maintained a more aggressive identity and kept the Compass looking street-race ready. Caliber, Compass, and now Patriot all share the same super platform engineered in collaboration with Mitsubishi, and despite Chrysler Group displaying great mastery of brand engineering with the LX cars (300, Charger, Magnum… Challenger?), it seems like Compass has lost its direction (not to mention design focus).

The Patriot, on the other hand, looks all Jeep and is proportionally closer to the Cherokees of yore than the ungainly Commander, but they all follow the two-box (and I do mean box, thats not just a fancy design term in this case) theme with upright vertical pillars, only the A-pillar showing a bit of rake. The seven slot grille and round headlights give a healthy nod to the Jeep brand image, and the matte metal-look bumper inserts recall military nuts-and-bolts Jeeps while somehow appearing stylish and slightly uptown. The sides arent sheer panels, as the wheel wells are embellished with a bit of Liberty-esque flare.

In the Jeep family, the Patriot slots in under the Liberty, but it remains slightly above the road-going Compass, or at least at the upper reaches of Compass equipment. It will give entry-level shoppers a second option to the Compass, with rugged good looks and the option to make it equally rugged off-road. Unlike the Compass, Patriot can be made into a Trail-Rated off-roader with the big Freedom-Drive II off-road package. Now thats Patriotic! Freedom-Drive II means full skid plates and automatic four-wheel drive with a locking low-range gear for bulling your way through Gods country. The Off-Road package also adds 17-inch all-terrain OWL tires and aluminum wheels, a full-size spare tire, air-filtration system, tow hooks, fog lamps and seat height adjuster, so you can look down on everyone else stuck in the mud.

Of course, the Patriot starts off with socialists-need-only-apply front-wheel drive (self-explanatory, I hope) before bumping up to Freedom-Drive I, which includes the same automatic four-wheel drive with a less extreme differential, meant to handle mostly snow piles at the side of the road or dirt tracks at the construction site. Not to be forgotten, all models get standard brake traction control, stability control (ESP), electronic roll mitigation, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this car-based SUV, with its independent front suspension and CVT gearbox, will be able to handle the rough stuff.

Since were talking standard features, Im going to throw a list your way of all the features that come standard in a Patriot. Take a deep breath: standard side-curtain air bags, four-wheel disc brakes, Sentry Key theft-deterrent system, rear 60/40 fold-flat seats, vinyl load floor, AM/FM single-disc CD radio with an auxiliary audio input jack, outdoor temperature display, 12-volt power outlet, tilt steering wheel and a center console sliding armrest that moves forward 3 inches to accommodate shorter drivers and the armrest lid features a unique flip pocket for storing a cell phone or an MP3 player.

The standard and only engine for the Patriot will be the 2.4-liter “World Engine” that also serves as the top dog in the Caliber and Compass. In the Patriot, it will make 172 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque, making use of dual variable valve timing for both intake and exhaust camshafts. The two lesser members of the new engine family wont be offered as the Patriot is heavier due to the off-roading kit it must lug around. Standard transmission on lesser models is a five speed manual, but upgrading to either of the four-wheel drive options means getting Chrysler Groups second-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT2), promising “pleasing engine response” and better fuel economy than a comparable automatic gearbox.

The interior equipment is pretty much the same as the feature list available with either the Caliber or Compass, but since Im in list mode tonight, Im going to paste the full option list in here because it absolutely makes me dizzy and I just want to share that tingly sensation: the aforementioned Freedom Drive I or the Freedom Drive II 4×4 system, seat-mounted side airbags, reclining rear seats, fold-flat passenger seat, air conditioning, power windows, including driver one-touch down feature, speed-sensitive power locks, power foldaway mirrors, remote keyless entry, 115-volt outlet in the center console, a removable/rechargeable interior cargo lamp, map lights, six-disc CD player and MP3 CD play capability, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, UConnect hands-free communication system, deep-tinted sunscreen glass, trailer tow prep package, soft tonneau cover, and a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics Premium Sound Group (which features the MusicGate hanging speakers packaged in the rear hatch; open the liftgate and the speakers swing facing rearward for tailgating parties and general mayhem and noise pollution).

Theres no denying that these features are nifty, tricky and downright clever; I mean, how appropriate is it to have a pop-out flashlight in a Jeep? But what I truly feel this Jeep has going for it is its looks; while theres no denying some similarities to the Liberty, it doesnt suffer from the Libertys unfortunately tall, gawky proportions. Its a Cherokee recaptured on a slightly more compact scale, with shorter overhangs, plus modern detailing and fluidity. Im sure Jeep will do well with the Compass coming in at the lowest price point ever for a Jeep, but the Patriot is, to me, what Jeep is all about. While not as single-minded as a Wrangler (TJ, YJ, CJ and so on), its quest to redefine the utility of a Jeep lead the Patriot downtown into street-ute practicality without losing sight of what every Jeep used to promise: mountainside trails, fording backcountry rivers and taking us away from the city that we must survive in order to get out to the country that we love. Its the great escapist, and it offers that promise even to the escapists that never get out in the mud on weekends.