When I reported on the Jeep Compass last year, I suggested that the American 4x4 maker had lost its way.
Now I’m happy to tell you that it has pretty soon found it again in the shape of the newer Patriot and it seems that buyers agree.
During the first big sales month of this year, March, the Patriot was Jeep’s best selling car in the UK. And in America, where Chrysler, Jeep’s maker, has more than 430,000 new cars stockpiled and is offering finance with zero per cent interest for up to six years, it’s the Patriot that is still pulling in the punters.
In a 4x4 world where we have been accustomed to excess, the major draw for Patriot buyers is that it is small and relatively cheap while still looking like a Jeep. Take away the leather seats from the CRD Limited model we have just been trying and replace them with cloth and you have probably the most appealing small SUV on sale in Britain if you want one with proper 4x4 abilities.
The car is a throwback to the Cherokee that got the brand really established here in the 90s. That car was replaced by one with much softer styling and which I preferred - but buyers did not agree. They wanted a return to the chunky, square styling that was a trademark and the new Cherokee that is just launching goes down that route.
But it may be too late to boost Cherokee sales as buyers who enjoyed the original will now find virtually all that they want in the Patriot.
My new next door neighbour, Dan, who I have actually known since he was a boy, used to regularly come to visit his Gran as a passenger in his father’s Cherokee so he knows the original inside out. When he sat in the Patriot he was impressed. The rear seat offers more leg and head room, he reported, and no longer feels as upright as a park bench.
Open the tailgate and you’ll also find a load area that’s just as useful as it isn’t cluttered by the spare wheel stored vertically on the left. As a result, this car really does deliver for a huge number of original Cherokee owners even if the 1,277 litre load space doesn’t sound that brilliant on paper.
One snag with the Patriot’s tailgate is that it does not open high enough. Tall people will find it ready to act as executioner whenever they forget to duck but bending down to get into the load area is a lesson that’s quickly learned.
The one area where the Jeep falls down is as a towing barge. You won’t see a Patriot pulling a huge horse box unless the horse is out of the trailer and attached to the car to assist. The Patriot can only shift 1.5 tonnes, which is not brilliant. Toyota’s RAV4 manages two tonnes and has a bigger boot but costs more to buy.
However, if you want a hard working alternative to a Honda CR-V or the Toyota then Jeep is able to deliver exactly what you need. And with the base Sport diesel costing £16,995 it’s cheap enough to be abused, the reason why so many country types bought Isuzu Troopers rather than more expensive Land Rovers.
If you want to save more money, then £1,000 less will get you the 2.4 litre petrol car but you’ll likely find it difficult to shift again. I’m sure it only really exists so that Jeep can boast a Patriot starting price of £15,995.
But the CRD Limited is a rather heftier £19,005. For the money you get a 2.0 litre Volkswagen turbodiesel producing 138 bhp and 229 lb ft of torque. It drives through a six speed gearbox so the Patriot managed 38 mpg. Not brilliant, but in view of the rest of the package, just about enough.
Maurice Hardy
Some people genuinely do need a 4x4 in their lives but others are too ready to be dismissive and think that all SUVs are unnecessary.
We’ve been playing with a few 4x4s recently some, like the Jeep, quite sensible and others quite horrendous for their impracticality and impact on the planet. They have rekindled fond memories of our own days of 4x4 ownership when we used to off-road in a keen amateur sense rather than tackling the world with the mountain-crushing gusto that some drivers adopt.
The Jeep Patriot could quite easily fit into the lives of people who want a 4x4 for the right reasons. It’s compact but not too small, has 4x4 ability like that you would expect from a Jeep but not at the expense of huge fuel consumption.
While I might hesitate to take a Patriot on road tyres into really difficult territory you would be surprised how far it could go just as it comes out of the showroom. And, what’s more, you know it would be tough enough to take the knocks and it’s not so pricey that dents and scratches will worry you.
And even if your dog ate the interior, you still might not weep too much. The dog wouldn’t look so happy though, judging by the hard plastics. Some of the interior trim would give a bone a run for its money when it comes to hardness. On the other hand, that should also make it durable and kidproof.
Annette Hardy
Car: Jeep Patriot 2.0 CRD Limited
Does it fit your ego?...
0-62 mph: 11.0 secs
Top speed: 117 mph
Bhp: 138 @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 229 lb ft @ 1750 - 2500 rpm
...and your wallet?...
Price: £19,005
Urban: 32.1 mpg
Extra urban: 51.4 mpg
Combined: 42.2 mpg
CO2 emissions: 180 g/km
Insurance Group: 11
Best bits: appeals to Jeep fans; cheap to buy; capable 4x4.
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