Hello,
Before I place my order at the end of the month,( I settled on a Limited which has many options I want that are extra or not available with the North or Sport versions). My main concern is towing a 1500lb. tent trailer with the towing package and FWD. I currently drive a '97 Safari rear-wheel drive used to tow the trailer (only twice a year). I like the mileage of the FWD Patriot, which will have the CVT transmission, as my wife does not drive a stick and would be driving the jeep some of the time. My concern is having the 2.4 four and FWD pulling a 14' trailer in some of the Provincial & National parks, which have some pretty steep grades and rough surfaces. Would the CVT FWD be up to the job or should I opt for 4x4 version for steep grades and rough surfaces? Next, early reviews seemed to indicate that the 4x4 patriot came only with the automatic CVT transmission. If this is true, why, on the Jeep site do they charge for the 4x4 option and additional charges for the CVT, if the manual is not available for the 4x4 Patriot, or were these early reviews wrong with respect to the options? Finally, a local dealer (last week) indicated a 4 week wait for an order from the factory, if they did not have on their lot a Patriot with the options I wanted. Yet, I see from these forums that many are still waiting for their orders after 7 weeks?

Stick shift is available with Freedom Drive I. If you would like Freedom Drive II, with the super-low gear ratios and other items which make it "Trail Rated" your only transmission choice is the automatic CVTL

I have a 4x4 Limited with a 5 speed. Also have the towing package but awaiting the trailer hitch for installation. The Freedom Drive II trail rated model has been in extreme backorder but production appears to be catching up. While the amount being towed is not much I would think the 4x4 pushing power to the rear wheels would be beneficial.

For your concerns about towing: With the CVT - the Patriot should beable to compute a short enough gear to help you up the steep slopes found in areas you like to frequent.

The FWD version will perform the same as the 4x4 setup in almost all situations except when the road surface starts to get "loose." That is where the ability to send some power to the rear tires would come in handy.

So the choice of the two systems comes down to what kind of roads you'll be doing the most driving on.