Preview: 2007 Jeep Patriot

As a purveyor of only sport-utility vehicles, Jeep had a big hole in their lineup: nothing to offer in one of the fastest growing vehicle segments—compact SUVs, or, cute-utes if you prefer.

Sales of these scaled-down, car-based sport utilities have grown from 266,000 units in 2000 to slightly more than 520,000 units last year, and are expected to reach 814,000 units by 2016.

Those are big numbers and the competition, led by the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Saturn Vue and Toyota RAV4, is though.

Not One, But Two

To fill in the hole Jeep brought to market not one, but two offerings, the 2007 Jeep Compass that went on sale last summer and the 2007 Jeep Patriot, which began arriving at dealers in January.

Two models was not what Jeep had planned originally. But when the marketing types presented the Compass and Patriot to focus groups, rather than one of the two designs being favored as expected, both earned a preference by gender and by continent (the two Jeeps will be sold on both sides of the Atlantic).

When all the focus groups votes were tallied, the Compass was favored by females in the U.S. and nearly everyone in Europe, while the Patriot was the solid choice of American males.

These results would appear to be a dilemma not to be solved with the mere flip of a coin. Then a funny thing happened on the way to the bean counters... "When the numbers were added up, the bottom line was that both models could be produced within the parameters of the program's budget," said Larry Lyons, vice president of the front-wheel-drive product team at Jeep. "That was a pleasant surprise."

Front-Wheel-Drive Jeeps. Sacrilege?

As you can tell from Lyons' title, the Patriot and Compass are front-wheel-drive vehicles, which seems to run smack against established tenets of what's expected from a Jeep—slogging through rutted muddy trails, climbing over logs and rocks and fording streams. But hey, neither can two-wheel-drive versions of the Jeep Liberty, Commander, Grand Cherokee or the iconic Wrangler. Only offerings of these models with Jeep's "Trail Rated" badge can accomplish these feats.

And guess what? The Patriot offers an off-road package on four-wheel-drive models, which earns the company's Trail Rated designation, a designation the Compass doesn't offer.

The ability of off-road cavorting isn't the only thing that distinguishes the Patriot from the Compass, however. While both are mechanically related to the Dodge Caliber hatchback, and are built alongside the Caliber in Illinois, distinctive exteriors clearly separate the two. The Patriot's rectangular styling mimics the original Jeep Cherokee, a look that Jeep marketeers say resonates with current Jeep owners and with male buyers in general. The Compass with its softer lines, they claim, appeals to women and to people who have never previously owned a Jeep.

Return of the Cherokee (Almost)

If you're one of the Jeep faithful who mourns the Cherokee's passing (1984-2001), the Patriot's looks should cheer you up: classic two-box design; upright vertical roof pillars with only the front A-pillar showing a bit of rake; flared trapezoidal wheel openings; and, of course, round headlights separated by a seven-slot grille.

Adding to the illusion that the Patriot is a reincarnated Cherokee are the dimensions, it is only a few inches here and there larger. With a two-inch longer wheelbase (103.7 inches), the Patriot's 173.6 in. length is six inches longer than the demised Cherokee and gives rear-seat passengers more legroom. While width is near identical, a two-inch increase in height provides more interior headroom.

Two models of the Patriot are available, Sport and Limited. Notable visual differences are the Limited has standard fog lights, adds bright metal bumper covers and upgrades the 16-inch steel wheels to 17-inch, five-spoke alloys.

The Patriot shares its standard 172 horsepower 2.4-liter four cylinder engine with the Compass and Caliber. Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on both the engine's intake and exhaust camshafts helps optimize the torque curve at all speeds and produces more power and improved fuel economy. A five-speed manual transmission is standard.

There's a choice of three drivetrain configurations. In addition to the standard front-wheel-drive system, two four-wheel-drive systems are available, Freedom Drive I and the Freedom Drive II Off-road Package.

Both of the 4X4 drivetrains feature a continuously variable transmission (CVT). If you're not familiar with a CVT, it uses a drive belt between two variable-diameter pulleys rather than gears in the traditional sense. Think of a ten-speed bicycle with its chain (belt) and large and small size sprockets (pulleys). Instead of ten speeds, however, a CVT offers a stepless, variable range rather than discrete gears.

Introduced on the Compass, Freedom Drive I in reality is an all-wheel-drive setup. This means it requires no intervention from the driver and it automatically transfers power between the front and rear axles.

Basically, all the torque goes to the front wheels until the electronically controlled system is called upon to route up to 60 percent to the rear wheels when road conditions become slippery. When traction becomes paramount, such as deep snow, a locking lever can hold the torque split to 50/50 (4X4).

"The Freedom Drive II Off-road Package uses all-new Jeep 4X4 technology to achieve Trail Rated capability," said Lyons. "This four-wheel-drive technology, developed by Jeep engineers, provides many of the benefits of a traditional transfer case without the additional weight."

This new engineering design includes a second-generation CVT with a low-range 19:1 gear ratio—ideal for crawling over obstacles. Off-road Brake Traction Control maintains forward motion during heavy articulation or on split-friction surfaces where one wheel loses traction.

Hill-Descent Control modulates hydraulic brake pressure without driver intervention for downhill controlled rate of speed. A driver controlled Three-mode Electronic Stability Program and off-road anti-lock brakes (ABS) also add to the Patriot's off-road capability.

Is It Tough Enough?

However, it takes more than a low range gear and fancy computer controlled mechanisms to crawl over rocks and cross creeks. The Trail Rated Patriot has nine inches of ground clearance, a 29-degree approach angle, a 34-degree departure angle and a 23-degree breakover angle.

To keep components safe from the great outdoors, the underpinnings are physically enhanced. Skid plates and strong suspension arms prevent unwelcomed breakage, while extra sealant and raised vents allow 19-inch water fording capability.

Also vital for successful off-roading are tow-hooks, all-terrain grade 17-inch tires and wheels and a heavier duty cooling and electrical system.

Contrary to popular belief, the Trail Rated insignia affixed to a Jeep does not mean the ability to conquer the infamous Rubicon trail in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, and this applies to the Patriot. To satisfy Jeep enthusiasts, Lyons said the Patriot's Trail Rated credentials were earned with testing over numerous rugged off-road terrains, including several trails in the scenic Canyonland National Park near Moab, Utah.

Despite Lyon's assurances that the Patriot was an off-roader in the Jeep tradition, as we turned off the highway onto a desert trail near the Tonto National Forest not far from Phoenix I was still a skeptic.

My misgivings? I questioned the CVT's ability to perform adequately in an off-road application.

An hour later I became a believer.

The first couple miles, a washboard, pot-holed hard dirt surface didn't require moving the gear selector to the off road "L" position, but was a good test of the Patriot's four-wheel independent suspension. The ride was firm, but certainly not the buckboard action you experience with solid axles found on the Wrangler. The suspension absorbed all but the deepest potholes without upsetting the steering.

The trail morphed into long stretches of sandy desert arroyos with scattered narrow sections hindered by volcanic boulders that tested Lyons' statement that "Drivers will have the confidence of knowing they're in a Jeep 4X4."

The Patriot surprised me again and again as we crawled over boulders, climbed loose grades, inched down the other side, chewed up and spit out a mile-long stretch of a sandy creek bed at 40-some mph. Locked into "L," the electronic throttle control worked with the four-wheel ABS traction control to smoothly maneuver over large boulders, sometimes with a front or rear wheel hanging in the air.

Granted, hardcore enthusiasts would consider our Patriot's workout little more than a walk in the park, however, if they put it through its paces they'll be floored by the Freedom Drive II off-road system.

On the Highway

Driving on city streets or Interstates, the Patriot mimics its Compass cousin. The unibody design with all-independent suspension delivers a pleasant ride; engine output is more than adequate to handle the everyday chores of merging and passing; steering responds quickly to the driver's input, although there is little feedback; cornering is taken in stride with some expected body roll when pushed but there's an unexpected lack of understeer; and the four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes perform competently when those "Oh-my-god" situations suddenly appear.

Do-it-yourself shifting elicits no complaints but the CVT, which offers increased fuel mileage, takes some getting used to. A CVT selects the most efficient or powerful engine operation and gear selection to tackle a given driving condition. Occasionally, this results with an affect that feels like a clutch slipping.

Inside, the Patriot is a mirror image of the Compass. From a driver's view, the command position is very good. The seat is squarely behind the steering wheel and there's a clear view of the instrument cluster. Large knobs and controls for the audio and climate systems on the center stack are easy to reach and intuitive to use. Jutting out from the lower center stack, the shift lever, either manual or CVT, falls easily to hand.

Rear-seat passengers will find a generous amount of rear head- and legroom, and lots of space for feet under the front seats. However, placement of the rear cupholders on the floor behind the center console renders the middle seating position useless for anyone more than 10 years old.

Affordable Jeep

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Patriot is not that it is built around a front-wheel-drive platform with an all independent suspension that can bushwack through the woods, it's the price—$14,425 plus $560 destination charges for the base front-wheel-drive Sport.

This may be a stripped down model (vinyl seats, manual crank windows, manual outside mirrors and no air conditioning) but it's loaded with standard safety features: side-curtain airbags, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control and electronic roll mitigation.

In addition to its frugal price, the base Sport is frugal with fuel consumption, 26 mpg in the city, 30 mpg highway.

If you like the security of all-wheel drive, the Sport with Freedom Drive I starts at $16,175 and delivers 23 mpg city/26 mpg highway. For those wanting to leave the confines of urban life and head for the great outdoors, the Trail Rated Sport has a starting price of $18,615, one heck of a bargain that yields fuel economy of 21 mpg city/23 mpg highway.

The Limited version, as you might expect, adds leather seating, air conditioning, cruise control, remote keyless entry along with power windows, locks and mirrors. Pricing begins at $19,425 for the 4X2, while a 4X4 Limited off-road version starts at $22,615.

In 1977 American Motors rolled out the proposed replacement for the Jeep CJ-5, the Concept II. It was a front-driver with an optional 4X4 system that never saw production. Thirty years later the Patriot four-wheels into dealers, and it's tough enough.

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