Jeep Patriot

Jeep Patriot in Nigeria

The 2017 Jeep Patriot is a little out of date, but it's still a terrific deal. It's a vast improvement over the original Patriot. It may not be as well-equipped as some of its competitors, but it's a practical package with a genuine Jeep personality and enough politeness to serve as a nice family vehicle.

The Patriot competes against mainstream crossovers such as the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4, as well as smaller vehicles such as the Subaru Crosstrek, Nissan Juke, and Mazda CX-5.

Overview of the vehicle

Although it doesn't appear like the Jeep Compass, which Jeep touts as a more premium vehicle, the Patriot is essentially the same under the skin, with a lower price and a stripped-down version available.

The Patriot will be redesigned in 2018, so it will remain untouched in 2017. The base engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and a 5-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission as an option (CVT). Only front-wheel drive is available with this engine, which defies the purpose of a Jeep. There are better crossovers if that's all you desire. The alternative engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 172 horsepower and a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. It also includes the all-wheel-drive feature.

In several crash tests, the Patriot does well, but in the small-overlap frontal crash test, the IIHS gives it a poor rating. The 2.0-liter engine with the 5-speed transmission and front-wheel drive gets 23/30 mpg city/highway, or 26 mpg combined, according to the EPA. Mileage reduces to 20/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined with the 2.4 liters, 6-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive.

Specifications of this vehicle

Lineup

Cloth upholstery, air conditioning, and manually operated windows and door locks are standard on the 2017 Jeep Patriot Sport. There is an option for all-wheel drive.

Power locks and windows, as well as better seating and tires, are included in the Patriot Latitude and Latitude 4WD upgrades. The High Altitude Edition adds leather-trimmed seats, distinctive interior and exterior trim, and other upgrades to the Latitude.

Interior

The Patriot cabin feels like it's about toughness, not a luxury, even in the top-of-the-line High Altitude with all of the inside options, including leather upholstery.

The cabin is practical, with rear seatbacks that simply fold forward to provide room for cargo. There's enough space in the front, but there's not much in the back for passengers to stretch out. Climbing in and out is a breeze because of the high roof, which also provides plenty of headroom in the front and back. However, the low seating position, high dash, and thick roof pillars give the impression of being hemmed in.

Driving Impression

Buyers who intend to take their Jeep Patriot off-road can opt for the Freedom Drive II package. Higher ground clearance, hill descent control, skid plates, tow hooks, and, unfortunately, the CVT, which makes the Patriot less drivable on the road due to its boorish behavior. It feels like a gigantic rubber band, and it's the CVT's fat Achilles heel.

The good news is that on the highway, the optional 6-speed automatic transmission performs admirably.

Do you want to get yours?

With the Patriot, it's all about the pricing. We can't guarantee it outperforms its more current counterparts in any way, but if you can find one for thousands of dollars less, it might be a good fit for you. However, if you choose the 2.4-liter engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, which you should, the price difference may be negated. You can check out Cars45 to see what they have to offer.