2016 Jeep Patriot

Overview: Priced from $18,690, the Patriot is the least expensive way you can strap yourself into a new Jeep—and also the most affordable vehicle with at least semi-serious off-road credentials. It has been living on borrowed time for the past few years, awaiting an all-new Renegade-based replacement, with one more model year in prospect (2017) while that development finally reaches full term. The Patriot is one of the last vestiges of the ill-starred Cerberus Capital Management chapter of Jeep’s corporate history, a vehicle developed on the platform that also supported the late and generally unlamented Dodge Caliber. Introduced in 2007 in concert with the slightly more carlike Compass, the Patriot revived the rectilinear styling that helped to make the original XJ Jeep Cherokee an SUV game-changer in the 1984 model year. The Patriot is available with front- or four-wheel drive; two four-cylinder engines (2.0 and 2.4 liters); and four transmissions (a five-speed manual, a six-speed automatic, and two CVT variations, one paired with each engine in four-wheel-drive models). The CVTs are allied with off-road packages that include outback essentials such as skid plates and 9.1 inches of ground clearance.

What’s New: For 2016, Jeep has pared the Patriot’s models to two: Sport and Latitude. The Uconnect infotainment system and satellite radio are now standard. A rearview camera is newly optional, as is an SE package for the Sport model. The SE package includes a continuously variable automatic (CVT), leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats, 17-inch wheels, and gray exterior accents. A 75th Anniversary edition adds to the Sport bronze 17-inch wheels, a power sunroof, remote start, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus the 2.4-liter engine and the six-speed automatic. Compared with the base Sport, the Latitude adds air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, keyless entry, and heated seats, among other essentials. The High Altitude option package adds a sunroof, a power driver’s seat, a CVT, and other luxuries to Latitude models.

What We Like: It’s hard not to like bargain pricing, and the straightforward two-box styling, distilled from the 1984 Cherokee, is enduring in its appeal. The addition of a conventional automatic option for 2014 was a welcome alternative to the continuously variable transmission that was the only automatic in years past. Sourced from Hyundai, the six-speed automatic is shared with the Dodge Dart. Interior appointments are reasonably attractive, rear-seat room is generous, and the Patriot will swallow lots of cargo. Also, with the Freedom Drive II off-road package, the Patriot is surprisingly capable off-pavement.

What We Don’t Like: The Patriot’s dynamics rate as merely adequate, and it can’t really be called fun to drive, although the manual transmission provides crisp engagements. The CVTs persist with the Freedom Drive off-road packages, and while they aren’t too tedious in low-speed four-wheelin’ action, they’re a trial to the spirit on the highway. The constant spooling up and down, as the engine seeks parity with road speed, makes drivers yearn for the next rest area. The powertrain mooing that goes with the CVT is exacerbated by road and wind noise. The Sport model is sparsely equipped, one of the few new cars still available without air conditioning and with crank windows. Also, the interior quality is mediocre at best.

Verdict: There are likely to be some tantalizing deals during the Patriot’s final year on the market.

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Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front- or 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

BASE PRICES: Sport, $18,690;
Latitude, $23,290

ENGINE TYPES: DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 158 hp, 141 lb-ft; DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter inline-4, 172 hp, 165 lb-ft

TRANSMISSIONS: 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode, continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.7 in
Length: 173.8 in
Width: 69.2 in Height: 66.5–66.8 in
Passenger volume: 102 cu ft
Cargo volume: 23 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 3100–3600 lb

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 20–23/23–28 mpg

C/D TEST RESULTS FOR:
2007 Jeep Patriot Limited 2.4L CVT 4x4
Zero to 60 mph: 10.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 35.0 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 10.4 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 5.1 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 7.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.1 sec @ 81 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 188 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.72 g
Curb weight: 3572 lb
C/D observed fuel economy: 21 mpg