2007 Jeep Patriot North 4WD Road Test

Not perfect
The Patriot, of course, is not without flaws. Aside from the underpowered engine and irritating CVT, there's a significant amount of average-looking hard plastics. Plus, durability has yet to be proven. Soundproofing is better than with a convertible, as one can imagine, but there's still work to do in this regard.

The controls are suitably laid out, but the material quality leaves much to be desired.

As for fuel economy, my tester seemed to drink that liquid gold like a thirsty Godzilla. Granted, the microscopic size of the fuel tank made me stop at the gas station more often than what I could have ever expected. But throughout my test week, despite all my efforts to drive reasonably, the best result I ever got was 12 liters per 100 kilometers. Here's hoping my tester had some kind of technical failures that could explain the Patriot's poor fuel economy.

All in all, the Patriot is far from an extreme off-roader. But as a little urban SUV that's capable enough to venture off the beaten paths with confidence, the Patriot offers interesting value to traditional Jeep enthusiasts in need of a little more versatility.


Ride comfort
Trail Rated capabilities
Handling


Hard plastics



Microscopic fuel tank