The Jeep Patriot (MK74) is a five-engined, five-door compact crossover SUV that comes with either a front-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive system. In April 2006, it was unveiled together with the Jeep Compass at the New York Auto Show. Both vehicles share the same Chrysler GS platform, rolling off alongside each other on the production lines in Chrysler's Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois. What separates them are their different designs and marketing strategies. The Patriot offers off-road capabilities, while the Compass did not initially have the 'Trail Rated' badge.
The Patriot features Jeep’s proprietary Freedom Drive I system or Freedom Drive II with the CVT automatic transmission. These systems control power allocation to the front or rear wheels electronically and offer better traction in off-road situations.
Engines
In Australia, powertrain options include:
- 2.0L World inline-four petrol engine paired with a CVT automatic transmission
- 2.4L World inline-four petrol engine paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, CVT or 6-speed automatic transmission
- 2.0L inline-four diesel engine paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox
Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the Patriot ‘Good’ in Moderate overlap frontal crash, ‘Poor’ in the Small overlap frontal crash, ‘Good’ in Side-impact with optional side airbags, ‘Marginal’ in base equipment, and ‘Good’ in Roof strength.
IIHS scores from highest to lowest are Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.
The NHSTA rated the Jeep Patriot (2007-2010) and gave it five stars for Frontal Passenger, Side Driver, and Side Passenger, and four stars for Frontal Driver, 4x2 Rollover, and 4x4 Rollover.
The 2013 model scored lower, with an Overall rating of 4-stars, with reduced Frontal Driver, Frontal Passenger, and Rollover safety.
Trims and Features
The Patriot has three basic models with several additional options available:
- Sport - vinyl-wrapped steering wheel and dual-note horn, cruise control (not all model years), anti-theft ignition, vinyl (later cloth) seating covers, manual front bucket seats, folding rear bench seat, heater and fan blower, tinted windows, roof rails, 16-inch all-season tyres, 16-inch styled steel wheels, four-speaker stereo system with radio and CD functionality
- Latitude - power windows w/ one-touch driver's auto-down feature and power door locks, SIRIUS-XM satellite radio (optional accessory), leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry w/ panic feature and security system, cloth seating cover, air conditioning w/ manual control, 17-inch all-season tyres, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear dome light flashlight
- Limited - leather seat trim, CD multi-changer, power front driver's seat, fog lights, heated seats, power sunroof, U Connect hands-free Bluetooth telephone system
In 2009 at the North American International Auto Show, Chrysler included the Jeep Patriot in Chrysler’s ENVI lineup. The Jeep Patriot EV of the previously announced Jeep Wrangler EV is an extended-range electric vehicle with a battery range of 64km and a petrol range of 644km. After the merger with Fiat, Chrysler discontinued the ENVI fleet with no plans of further developing the electric variant.
In 2011, the Patriot got minor interior and exterior upgrades, which shrunk and relocated the front fog lamps and replaced the "Patriot" caption on the bumper with a more traditional rear bumper. In the US, three trims were available, namely, Sport, Latitude, and Limited. Limited was a replacement for the earlier Latitude X.
There were four trims in EU: Sport, Sport Plus, Limited, and an Overland version. In the EU market, a 2.2L Mercedes-Benz twin-cam common-rail diesel engine delivering 163 hp (122 kW) replaced the 2.0L Volkswagen PD diesel engine.
In 2011, a Sport variant of the Patriot came out with either olive or beige interior colours as a 70th Anniversary Edition honouring Jeep’s long history. It also featured unique alloy wheels, a nine-speaker Boston Acoustic premium sound system with subwoofer as well as fold-down lift-gate speakers. The interior further boasted of Sirius XM Radio, a leather steering wheel, leather seats, heated front seats, and other amazing features. However, it was available just for a few months, from May to October 2011.
Starting production in May 2012 was the Altitude Edition, also based on the Sport model. It had black leather upholstery, heated front seats, unique black-finished alloy wheels, 9-speaker sound system, Sirius XM Radio, a leather steering wheel, and black-painted exterior accents.
In 2013, a Freedom Edition model entered the market, in commemoration of Jeep’s commitment to the US Army. Again based on the Sport model, it featured a unique star hood decal, Commando Green body-colour, power leather seats, a leather steering wheel, Sirius XM Radio, and dark-finished alloy wheels.
Production ended in December of 2016, with the last models sold in 2017, bringing the total sales for both generations to 734,121 units in the US and 60,500 outside of the Americas. The Patriot’s end gave way to the introduction of the second-generation Jeep Compass.
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Author: Andrijana Pavlovic