Has anyone had any real time in a Patriot? Just kinda curious right now, throwing some ideas around.

No, but I don't think it's completely horrible anymore. It's like a Subaru Forester before it turned all soft.

Not really. All I can say about it is, "At least it's not a Compass." It has shortcomings, but it's a Jeep. That's pretty much the same thing you can say about all Jeeps.

I think one of BV's relatives bought a Jeep. I poke around the interior of anew one briefly, much nicer than before. That's all I can say.

They're safe if you get the optional torso airbag. Great structure, too - only the Patriot, Tiguan, and Forester got "good" roof strength ratings.

Check Edmunds' owner reviews. Last time I did, owners gave it fairly high marks, even if it is non-traditional.

A cousin of mine who has had two excellent Jeeps in a row (Cherokee and Liberty), does not like the Patriot, she actually prefers the Compass for some strange reason. Nevermind that... she actually likes the CR-V better than either of those, without really seeing the new Equinox, which I am pitching to her.

The only Jeep dealership left in the area doesn't have any in stock. The Patriot would fit all my needs, it has room for 4, it can haul a kayak or two, it has some cargo room, and its priced right, plus C4C compatible. Not as fuel efficient as the Prius, but I could replace two cars with one. Its tempting.

Just get the manual.

I guess you can get the AWD, 2.4L and manual trans as an option. That would be the one I'd want. No CVT for me. I wish they'd go to a six-speed auto on these.

I test drove a Patriot 5 speed at a local dealer last year. Overall I would say it is a nice solid vehicle. It drives well, the stick shift although notchy is assured and does not miss the gates. It rides decent, the road noise was a little high around 65 mph. The vehicle has softer tuning and therefore feels like a tall dinghy. It gets like 27 MPG highway, not bad for a SUV. The storage place while decent is not well thought out. Quality of materials while not questionable is certainly cheap. Folding seats are very cavernous and are useful. I can totally see me driving one for my bicycling trip. It is the only FWD Jeep that is trail rated. I think you should look into it.

AWD stick would be the way to go, finding one is the problem. The Jeep/Chrysler/Nissan/Kia dealership has one Wrangler and one Grand Cherokee, thats it for Jeep inventory.

Wow, the 3 dealerships within 30 miles of me have a combined 11 Jeeps in stock, none of them Patriots.

There are 5 new Patriots in all of Los Angeles County. C4C plus the matching cash (now down to $3500) made them fly off lots.

This is the reason why Chrysler has curtailed their C4C matching rebate scheme... lack of inventory due to the stoppage during court proceedings. I hope they can get the pipeline flow problem fixed, pronto.

I would ask how long it would take to factory-order one the way you want it. If more funds are approved, you might luck out and still be able to take advantage of the program if it can be built quick enough.

Edited August 5, 200916 yr by ocnblu

would an AWD patriot have any power?

you looking for a loaded one? i.e. leather etc?

you mentioned kayak. the 010 outback brochure i was looking at i think they have subie accessory racka esp for kayaks. the outback now gets a 22/29 mpg rating and starts in the low 20's. although that is prob several grand over a CFC heavily incentivized Patriot so i see why you might find the Patriot appealing with that kind of money on the table.

Edited August 5, 200916 yr by regfootball

Jeep dealer basically said at the time its nearly impossible to get ahold of a Patriot. I can get my hands on a Mazda 5 or a Honda Element through C4C.

Patriots are selling well in your area I guess?

Apparently. Although part of the problem may be that the largest Jeep dealership in the area shut down last fall (the accompanying Chrysler/Dodge dealer shut down a month or two ago) and no other area dealerships had room to really add any Jeeps to their lots. The Chrysler/Kia/Nissan store ended up tacking Jeep on, but they have no room to expand the Chrysler/Jeep side of things because of a liquor store.

Just get the manual.

I assume they have fixed the early issue with some of the third (?) synchros burning up at low mileage? I also like the Pat as it is one of a select few small utes that IMO doesn't look Korean and/or like a total chick ride.

Hearing of issues with the early manuals turned me off though as I still could not trust a CVT after working at a Saturn retailer and seeing a number of VTi VUEs have a $6K tranny meltdown at less then 100K.

The Jatco CVTs have held up in the Nissans somewhat well so far though.

after driving a CVT again today, it just reminds me how weird the CVT is. I know they say folks get used to it, but eh, in a Jeep?

Kinda wierd that a CVT is required to get the "Trail Rated" version as well.

Kinda wierd that a CVT is required to get the "Trail Rated" version as well.

Wow, I didn't know that. I was assuming you could go offroading with the 5-speed. That is a real bummer.

Jeep dealer basically said at the time its nearly impossible to get ahold of a Patriot. I can get my hands on a Mazda 5 or a Honda Element through C4C.

Transit Connects have arrived...

The Patriot seems decent, at least it's not a Compass. I'm waiting on the '11 Grand Cherokee before I consider another Jeep, though the prices on '09 GCs and Commanders now make them tempting... oddly, the Commander has grown on me.

Rob

I dont recall the last time I saw a Compass in person. I thought they discontinued it like a year ago.

When we went dealer hopping we saw a few Patriots. There's a few of them at my local dealer as well. I like the new interior. Its world's better than the nasty one that used to be inside.