2009 Jeep Patriot

Chrysler's Jeep division scrutinized the entry-level market before launching its Patriot, as a 2007 model. Like the smaller Compass, which debuted in the same year, Patriot targeted potential customers who hadn't joined the Jeep family before. Likely prospects, in their early 20s to 40s, might not have been able to afford previous Jeeps.


Long ago, all Jeeps might have been considered "entry-level," if that term had existed when "Jeep" entered the automotive lexicon, early in World War II. Today, of course, even a traditional Wrangler can get expensive.

Styling and Performance

External dimensions are similar to those of the Jeep Cherokee, which was supplanted by the Liberty for 2002, except that the Patriot is longer, and its windshield is more upright. Even the back window is almost vertical.


Trapezoidal wheel flares help give Patriots some contemporary "attitude," according to marketers. So does the "signature" seven-slot Jeep grille. When the Patriot debuted, Jeep executives noted its "simple, rugged, but timeless design."


The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine develops 172 horsepower, driving either a five-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Front-drive Patriots may instead have a milder, 158-hp 2.0-liter engine, offered only with the CVT. That version gets a fuel-economy estimate of 23/27 mpg in city/highway driving, versus 21 mpg city/25 mpg highway for a 2.4-liter Patriot with the CVT. With manual shift and either front- or all-wheel drive, the 2.4-liter Patriot gets a 23/28 mpg estimate.


Because the Patriot is intended for at least moderate off-road chores, two full-time four-wheel-drive systems are available with the 2.4-liter engine: Freedom Drive I, or Freedom Drive II. The second version uses a different gearset, to provide a lower simulated "first-gear" ratio in the CVT.