Howdy Patriot Lovers everywhere,

I parked beside a Patriot in my 2000 Ford Focus (4-door sedan) at a mall parking lot today and immediately noticed the two vehicles appeared to be the same length. When I got home some quick research revealed:

[/INDENT]Focus Patriot
Wheelbase: 103" 103.7

Length 174.9" 173.6"

Fuel: 13.2 gal. 13.6 gal.

And as we all know, that's where the similarities end. Curb Weight is 2564 for the Focus vs 3251 for the Pat. Under the hood is a different story as well - 110 hp for Focus, 170 hp for Patriot.

The Patriot looks bigger than it is.

While some dimensions are similar, my 7 month old black lab cross breed needs more room. Also need more room for gear.

Now the wait begins. I've ordered a Metallic Green North 4 x 4 with 17" wheels. Have to admit it was love at first sight when I saw first images of the Patriot last fall. Then when I test drove it, that sealed the deal. My daughter describes the ride as "mellow".

welcome Patriotrox, and congratulations :)

Thanks for the welcome, jrott32. And so the waiting game begins.

Yeah i am waiting on mine as well :/ 6-8 weeks is what they tell me and i am on week one haha

Congratulations on the order! With the price of gas these day's a "mellow" Jeep might be the next big thing in the States and Canada.

Welcome to the boards. I hope you get your Patriot soon and have many good years with it.

As someone who's current daily driver remains a Focus but keeps the Patriot at home right now, they are worlds apart. My Focus has the 2.3 liter engine but they are tuned entirely differently. The Focus acts light and feels small while the Patriot feels much larger. Pat can seat 5 comfortably while the Focus cannot. Gas mileage right now is about the same owing to an automatic Focus versus a stick 4x4 Pat. My Limited's seats are much more comfortable than the Focus seats. Pat is much quieter.

As someone who's current daily driver remains a Focus but keeps the Patriot at home right now, they are worlds apart.

You're absolutely right, they are worlds apart. I found the Patriot seats to be more firm, which to this aging back equates to comfort. My test drive revealed what feels like a large vehicle - sitting at the same height as an S10 Blazer ahead at a traffic light. Yet the ride is quiet and responsive for an SUV. On a cold morning, we could barely hear the engine idling on the dealer's lot as the engine warmed up. And of course there is the space factor. Lots of room for dog, kid and stuff. Not to mention the safety improvements and 4X4. I don't plan any off-road adventures, but there are gravel roads in the rural areas nearby. I'm not a big fan of parking lot door dings, stone chips and touch up paint.

Again, I was surprised the two vastly different vehicles share the same wheelbase and length and thought I'd point it out as a point of interest. Cheers.

I just remembered...the Patriot is built on the Caliber chasis. As in car.

I just remembered...the Patriot is built on the Caliber chasis. As in car.


As it is a unibody that is somewhat misleading. Nethertheless the pieces are different where it counts. Having driven all 3 of the CCCP (cominded caliber compass patriot) triumverate they are all unique.

I just remembered...the Patriot is built on the Caliber chasis. As in car.

The Volvo XC90 is built on a S80 (car) platform.....I wouldn't really consider it a car though:

http://www.purnellmotors.com.au/images/volvo/xc90/overview.jpg

Nice. I wonder how many Patriots you can buy for the price of the Volvo XC90? :) I think the industry term is "Crossover". Yes, the Pat is on a car platform. Has the space, height and off road ability of an SUV, with the quiet, smooth handling ride of a car. Love it. What started this thread was noticing the similarity of the footprint. This is not to knock the car platform, just an observation.