Jeep Patriot reviews

Key strengths: Economy, looks, engine & gearbox, tax band
Areas for improvement: Interior trim

Traded in an 06 Suzuki Grand Vitara for the Patriot. Feel the Jeep is better in most respects. Nice price, good economy from the VW sourced diesel (not available in USA) plus plenty of power. 6-speed gearbox is slick. Averages over 42 mpg day-to-day driving, and more on long runs. Vehicle is comfortable. Limited has leather heated seats, which give good support on long journeys (they include lumbar adjustment). The Patriot is pretty nimble (even on Highland and Islands roads). Opted for the full audio pack, which is impressive (6 CD changer and nine speakers). People tend to criticise the interior but I find it quite acceptable - and it cleans up easily (if you really don’t like it, I understand a re-vamped, and ’Europeanised’ interior will become available later this year). Rear visibility is slightly limited, but apart from this, I thoroughly recommend it.



The running costs for Jeep Patriot CRD Limited are normal

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Key strengths: On-road handling, high-speed acceleration, foot room
Areas for improvement: Boring styling, not the greatest value

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION
The 2008 Patriot comes with either a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine which produce 158 and 172 horsepower, respectively. The Patriot's 3100+ lb weight means the engine never has enough power. At highway speeds, passing is next to impossible since the you literally have to floor the pedal to get the automatic transmission to down shift, and when it finally does it sounds like the engine is straining to increase speed by a few miles per hour. The automatic transmission on the sport edition which I had doesn't have a manual selector for up/down shifting and the smoothness of shifting left much to be desired.


COMFORT
Although the Patriot looked roomy from the outside, sitting in the car felt cramped, especially for backseat passengers who would have to be small children with little need for leg room. The driver's seat provided minimal support without lumbar and the driving position was low with moderate forward visibility and very poor rear visibility which felt as if the back glass was miles away from the rear view mirror. The Patriot's ride is also mediocre since you manage to feel and hear every bump in the road, while you strangely get both poor handling and limited road feel.


INTERIOR
Materials making up the sport edition were cheap-looking and not likely to survive significant wear. Clearly, there was a stark contrast between the sexy styled exterior and the drab interior which looked like it was pulled off a Chrysler minivan. The standard radio with 4 speakers was equally poor in quality and required replacement/upgrade to the optional Boston Acoustics system.

The running costs for Jeep Patriot Manual are normal

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