hello, i am seventeen and looking for a rugged small SUV but i'm torn between the bigger engine in the Liberty and the mpg of the Patriot. a 1 year old Liberty has the same price as a new Patriot so price isn't the issue. i am going to have to make a decision by november which car i am interested in. right now i am leaning towards the Liberty becasue it has a bigger engine and it seems to be a little more agile off road.

It looks as if a somewhat stripped down 2008 Liberty will be going for about the same price as a well-equipped Patriot. I do like the style of the next gen Liberty. It is to me what the old Cherokee should have evolved into--minus the IFS.

It doesn't look like gas mileage will be that much different between a Trail Rated (R) Patriot and the 08 Liberty. If that is the case, I would go with the Liberty, which like you say, has more off-road prowness.

The only question, is when will the 08 actually be available for purchase? On the Jeep website, it says "Summer of 2007". However, almost everywhere else, it says the 3rd Quarter of 2007.

Well I have the 07 Dodge Nitro, and It is a great SUV, but if you want a Jeep, I would wait for the 08 liberty. It is almost identical to the Nitro, has the same engine yet has the Jeep name. I love my Nitro so I can only assume that the 08 Lib is the same.
BTW, I am 16 and the Nitro is my first car. If you go with the 08 lib, you will be riding in style.

i looked at a liberty and almost almost went with it... but my Ex fiance fit in the patriot better ( we were together when i ordered it) and honestly i feel like it has way more room in the back seat and in the cargo area then the liberty does...
i am very very happy with my choice
and with the way gas is right now.. its only going to continue to go up... id rather have good mpg then a v6... and i cant tell a whole lot of difference
and i drive cars hard....

I am also seventeen. I will be getting a '08 patriot next may when i get back from my first year of college. I have a ford ranger right now and the gas milage is horraible, thankfully I don't pay for the gas, but for my friends who have to pay for their gas and are driving midsize suv's or powerful cars (grand cherokees, blazers, bmw 3s, acuras) are starting to feel presure. If your choice is between a new patriot or a 1 yr old liberty, I would definetly go for the partiot especially since the liberty got a redisgn and it would look old.

I had a Liberty and traded it in for a new Patriot, reasons
- Under the front skid plate on Liberty is 6.4 inches of clearance, I was hitting it on everything off road, my Patriot has about 8.5 inches.
- Power wise the Liberty has a bigger engine, however the Patriot has a higher horsepower to weight ratio - (The Patriot is faster than my old Libby)
- Gas mileage on the Patriot is MUCH better.
- The Patriot seats are more comfortable - The Libby has short seats (for your butt and legs) not very comfortable on a highway trip.

Have not missed the Libby yet!

thanks alot i just hope that the pat has enough power. i am coming from a bmw so power might be a problem

thanks alot i just hope that the pat has enough power. i am coming from a bmw so power might be a problem
Power for what? You're coming from a passenger car to an SUV. If you plan on smoking people off a standing start in a Patriot, forget it. But if you are concerned about the Patriot having enough power to accelerate with traffic and not be pokey, then don't worry... the Patriot has plenty of power for that.

thanks for the help and i am not planning to burn people off the line. how does the Pat handle at higher speeds because highway speeds in california can reach 85 just to keep up and not be a hazard? i test drove a Liberty last week and i noticed that the seats were not comfortable and it felt like i sat upright at a 90 degree angle, how comfy are the pat's seats?

yeah 85-90 feels totally solid to me...at first I had that worry when buying the patriot but I have had it going fast and it feels totally safe and stable

I had an issue with my Patriot that forced me into a rental Liberty. I HATED it. First, my blood pressure soared when I thought about having to put gas in it. Thank God I only had it for 16 miles and didn't have to fill it up. Second, as mentioned by cjhike, the seats. They are no where near as comfy as the Patriot. With the mileage the Patriot gets, this will become your road-trip vehicle, seats are important. And then there's the dash. Or, should I say, what dash in the Liberty. Not that the dash does anything, but it is nice to have a little space between you and the windshield.
I must admit, if I made $10k more a year, I would have waited for the '08 Liberty. It looks sick! Good luck with your decision.

+1 for the patriot. I have a Trail rated, FDII/CVT2L and it can probably go anywhere the liberty can go. The only downside to the patriot is that it can not tow as much. So, if you have a boat or plan on doing some towing, go with the liberty. I would wait for the 2008. The patriot has a very smooth ride, and has good gas mileage.