Friday, April 6, 2012

In the driveway: 2012 Jeep Patriot Latitude

2012 Jeep Patriot Latitude is in the driveway for review.
In the driveway this week is Jeep's smallest offering, the Patriot. It looks like a refreshed Cherokee, but is actually on the old Dodge Caliber platform. This one is equipped with the dual vvt 2.4 liter engine and a CVT. I really like the updated styling vs. pre-2011 models.

So far the Patriot has proven comfortable and simple, which is great. It, unfortunately, has some squeaks and rattles with only 1,500 miles on it. Plus, after 50 miles, it's getting under 19 MPG. We'll see if the fuel economy goes up a bit as the week progresses. However, this model is only EPA rated at 20/23 (opt for the manual transmission and it'll net you 22/28). Stay tuned.

3 comments:

rubicon4wheeler said...

Since you're a Suzuki SX4 and Sidekick owner, I'm really anxious to hear your opinion of the Patriot. I hope you'll get a chance to take it off the pavement and put its AWD system to the test too.

Anonymous said...

Cool! Do some offroading with it & give us a review. I'm thinking about getting one just to do some very light offroading & to explore some of the remote regions of our national parks & monuments a bit more. Don't want to rock climb the thing, but do want it to clear most trails, go through sand, maybe a bit of mud after a rain, & related.

Dan said...

I know that the Patriot isn't even Trail Rated, and that does break my heart a bit but that kind of mileage for that vehicle is horrible! If its not good enough to help Jeep even out on the CAFE standards, what is its purpose?! Same goes for the Compass!