Jeep

Review: 2010 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4

Family Friendliness: 8.0

Recommended: No

Specifications apply to test vehicle only.

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By Keith Buglewicz

The Jeep Patriot was one of a pair of crossovers introduced by the rugged off-road brand for the 2007 model year, the first ever car-based vehicles the company had ever offered. Based on the same basic structure as the Dodge Caliber compact hatchback, the Patriot and its sibling the Compass angered Jeep's longtime fans because it wasn't a clearly dedicated off-roader, despite a "Trail Rated" all-wheel drive system. Even non-Jeep fans found plenty to dislike about the Patriot, which was roundly panned in the press for its laughably cheap interior and noisy engine. However, an update for the 2009 model year promised to fix many of the Patriot's shortcomings, and I decided it was time to take this little Jeep for a spin and see just how Family Friendly it was.

Model & Pricing

My test vehicle for the week was an Optic Green Metallic 2010 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4 with the Freedom Drive II off road package. The base price of an all-wheel drive Patriot Limited is $24,550, not including the $630 destination charge. Added to that was the $825 off-road package and $1,050 low-range transmission. A $1,295 Sun and Sound package included a sunroof and high-end audio with hatch-mounted rear speakers that flip down to provide tunes for tailgate parties. A $1,235 Security and Convenience group added a remote starter, supplemental front-seat air bags, an alarm, cargo cover, and adjustable roof rails. Add in the $890 navigation system and $35 engine block heater and you have a surprisingly steep $30,510 price tag.

Safety

The 2010 Jeep Patriot scores well on the Family Friendliness scale thanks to its dirt-cheap base price rather than stellar safety scores. Our test Patriot had the optional seat-mounted side airbags as part of the Safety and Convenience option group, augmenting the standard front and curtain airbags and providing more protection (and upping the IIHS side impact test to Good, rather than Marginal). Stability and traction control are standard, as is brake assist. However, there is no collision avoidance or active cruise, and our test Jeep didn't have a backup camera or even backup sensors.

Behind the Wheel

The 2011 Jeep Patriot is not a sublime urban cruiser. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine puts out a decent 172 horsepower, but it's mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission. This kind of transmission maintains the same engine speed as you accelerate. Hit full throttle entering a freeway and the engine revs up to around 5,500 rpm, staying there until you release the gas pedal. This would be fine, but the Patriot's engine is loud and unpleasant. It's quiet when just cruising, but when you need full power, it's like fingernails nails on a blackboard, and this despite improved sound insulation compared to the original Patriot. Fuel economy was also disappointing, clocking in at only 17.8 mpg in mixed driving, less than the EPA's 20-mpg city estimate.

Utility & Comfort

Like most crossovers, the 2010 Jeep Patriot has pretty good cargo capacity. The rear cargo area is large enough for a stroller and some groceries, although you'd have to get a smaller stroller or make two trips to bring home a week's worth of sundries. If you need to maximize cargo space, the rear seats fold flat with a single handle, and return upright in the same way. For really long loads, you can fold down the front passenger seat, which has a durable plastic back.

So the Patriot can carry bigger stuff, but the same can't be said of smaller items. In front there are numerous storage cubbies, but they're all on the small side. The door pockets, center console storage, the tray above the glovebox, and the glovebox itself are all undersized. At least the cupholders molded into the center console plastic are decently sized. It's not any better in the rear, with storage limited to very small door pockets and cupholders that are mounted on the floor behind the center console. If your knickknacks tend to be large, numerous, or both, you'll be buying an organizer at Pep Boys before you know it.

From a comfort standpoint, there's also room for improvement. The front seats offer good head and legroom, and are also plenty supportive. Legroom in the rear is tight, not unusual for the class, but at least there's ample headroom and the seatbacks adjust to give passengers a chance to recline. Center passengers have no footroom thanks to the floor mounted rear cupholders, so the Patriot is four-passengers only for long-distance trips.

Another problem is the Patriot's styling, and I don't mean aesthetics. To differentiate it from the Dodge Caliber, Jeep's stylists moving the leading edge of the roof forward to give the Patriot a more Jeep-like upright windshield. It all looks good from the outside, but the far-forward roof obscures traffic signals, the windshield pillars block your view in turns, and the sun visor is both far away and useless when flipped into the side position, especially if you're tall like me. It adds up to poor visibility, despite the tall stance. It's worse in the back, with small windows and tall head restraints blocking the rearward view, and no backup camera available.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was with the "improved" interior, which is still well below the standard set by the class leaders. The design is fine, but acres of hard, shiny plastic confront you everywhere you look, and the cheap leather in my test Jeep felt like vinyl. The climate control knobs felt pretty good to the hand, and the window switches and navigation system felt high quality, but the rest of the interior still has a ways to go to compete with the class leaders. It'd be more forgivable on the base $16,000 Patriot, but this fully loaded Limited model cost nearly twice that, and more refinement is in order. Interestingly, Jeep knows this and promises yet another interior upgrade for the 2011 model year, with materials more closely resembling the excellent new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Family Friendliness

In some ways, the Jeep Patriot improves on the Jeep Liberty we drove a while back. For example, it's lower to the ground and has a typical pull-style door handle, so little ones can more easily climb into the back seat without help. Once back there, the Patriot is slightly narrower than the Liberty and thus feels even more cramped. Throw in the same floor-mounted cupholders that ruin the center position's footroom and you have a decidedly unaccommodating rear seat. In addition, the cupholders are too low for short arms to reach. The LATCH points are easy to access, although an infant seat will likely rub against the front seatback. Cargo room is inadequate with a stroller back there, but fine without.

Conclusion

I went back and forth about whether to Recommend the Jeep Patriot. On one hand it has off-road capability that's usually missing in this segment, and since it's available in base models you don't have to step all the way to the Limited model to get it. On the other hand, compared to the class leaders the Patriot has many flaws, even with the improvements made last year. The final tipping point was how the Patriot compared to similarly priced and optioned competitors, and there it simply fell short. Even the Mitsubishi Outlander -- itself no class leader -- trumps the Patriot in several areas, and actually costs less than the little Jeep. In the end the off-road advantage didn't outweigh the flaws, and I decided not to Recommend the Patriot, but with an important caveat: If Jeep makes good on its promises for the 2011 model year's interior improvements, that ranking may change. But for now, I say keep shopping.

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