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I’ve been given a lot of big, chunky, rugged vehicles to test out recently, which may be luck of the draw, or may just be the fact that I’m somewhat drawn to them. Whatever the reason, I’m not complaining.

I recently had the Jeep Patriot 2.4L Limited Auto to test out, and despite extensive flack the car has taken, I thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Essentially the Patriot is a basic SUV, and one of the smaller and more accessible of the Jeep range. It’s not one of the curvy models like the Grand Cherokee or Compass, but rather a Jeep wagon styled vehicle.

So what do you need to know about the Patriot? Along with the Jeep Compass, it is the smaller and cheaper versions of the Jeep range. For a while the two vehicles overlapped pricewise, but now have a bit of a gap. Originally unveiled in 2006, and commercially available from 2007, the Patriot was based on a Daimler-Chrysler/Mitsubishi GS platform.  

Drive experience:

Again, I must point out that I’m a bit of a SUV junkie, so from the time I climbed into the Patriot I felt quite at home. Being 6 foot 5, I found the cabin spacious and roomy. I liked the simple interior design and found it quite comfortable experience.

 

The multi-function steering wheel took a moment or two to get used to, as it has unlabelled control buttons on the back of the wheel. You just need to play around to figure out which button does what. However having driven quite a few Dodge vehicles with the same set up, it didn’t take too long to become accustomed to their functionality.

 

I was tweeting about the drive throughout my time with the Patriot, and sparked interest from a motor journalist who wasn’t too impressed with the car. One of his gripes was the gearbox. I will admit that it can be somewhat sluggish in lower gears, but the automatic gearbox slides into gear and the car just sails along on its merry way. It’s in no way a high performance racer, but then again why would you want it to be?

 

It’s a fantastic, spacious car about town, and fitted perfectly into my busy schedule. From PR drop offs and pick-ups one day, to monthly grocery shopping, and carting around a large group of friends to an event. Space was never an issue, and the Patriot proved to be a rather versatile little SUV.

 

Design:

It’s a boxy vehicle, with sharp lines and squared edges from the exterior view. Inside it’s back to basics with a very “down to earth” layout and setup. Although having an entertainment centre with CD player, radio and AUX input, it’s otherwise a no frills vehicle. The patriot has an elegant, black/charcoal interior, but I did find the interior door panelling a little too plastic for my liking.

 

Let’s talk specs:

The Patriot comes in two models, both 2.4L petrol, one manual and the other automatic, with about a R12 000 price difference between the two. The model I was testing has 125kW of power, a six speed automatic gearbox; with four-wheel drive. She was rather thirsty- although the car specs claim consumption of 9l/100km, I sat on around 13.2l for most of my drive.

 

Leather seats, six airbags and cruise control come standard on this vehicle. The only option you have is adding in SatNav.

 

Comparing it to its peers:

 

 

Jeep Patriot 2.4 Auto

 

Chevy Captiva 2.4 Auto

 

Honda CR-V 2.0 Comfort AWD

 

Kia Sportage 2.0 4WD

 

Price

 

R336 990

 

R337 900

 

R346 900

 

R345 995

 

Power

 

125 kW

 

123 kW

 

114 kW

 

122 kW

 

Transmission

 

6 Auto

 

6 Auto

 

5 Auto

 

5 Manual

 

Drive

 

4 wheel

 

Front wheel

 

4 wheel

 

4 Wheel

 

 

Features I didn’t like:

  • The fuel tank requires your key to open- it’s a minor thing, but it’s one I’m not too crazy about.

  • The AUX jack it positioned high on the centre console in the radio/entertainment centre. This means there is a cumbersome cable hanging down by the gear stick, and unless you have a long enough AUX cable, your music player needs to balance quite awkwardly.

 

All in all, the Jeep patriot is good small/medium sized SUV and serves the purpose it was designed for. It’s a comfortable drive and a versatile vehicle. Dubbed the “Jeep lite for the boys”, I’d agree with that entirely, and see it as a positive label. If you want a big powerful Jeep, shift up to the Grand Cherokee or the even the STR8. If you want an everyday run around, the Patriot hits the spot as a real 4x4 with the feel of a station wagon. Just be ready to top up the 51l tank regularly.  

 

Weblink to Jeep Patriot's site

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