Per the fourm's request for site improvements, how about a forum that is a wishlist. The wishlist can be for anything from drivetrain, to audio to whatever you wish a Patriot had or had deleted.

Once a enough responses are gathered and they common threads are realized, perhaps these could be forwarded on to Jeep.

Just my .02

the cargo area needs to be abount 4 inches WIDER to fit my golf clubs....

A Trail Rated six speed diesel. Not that there is anything wrong with a little gas.

Personally I'd be happy with just a 6 speed. Just lower the 1st gear to match the 18:1 crawl ratio of the trail rated, then ad a taller 6th gear to lower cruising RPMs on highways... I can't believe I just complained about getting an average of 27 mpg...

They need to make the MyGig system available or at least include aux jacks on all of the stereo models. An option for a factory installed iPod integration kit that fit in the center console would be nice too...

man I agree with the mygig... I have been watching Ebay for one.

A Canadian view:

"Personally I'd be happy with just a 6 speed. Just lower the 1st gear to match the 18:1 crawl ratio of the trail rated, then ad a taller 6th gear to lower cruising RPMs on highways..." Got my vote on that.

It's a Jeep...get the spare out where it belongs (hey the other guys are doing it) and get more room in the trunk.

Make the standard bumper able to accept Tow Hooks (get the bumper with the holes as standard bumper).

Longer roof rails, as mentioned elsewhere in a post.

Door map pockets...for maps folded in 4 maybe...c'mon, make them longer.

And produce them, instead of holding them back and saying there's a high demand...of course there's a high demand, there are barely any on the lots, except to the privileged dealerships, in select large cities.

man I agree with the mygig... I have been watching Ebay for one.

At this point my biggest wish would be to be able to find a 5 speed Limited with the options I want without waiting 3 or 4 months for it to come in... I picked the wrong time of the year to get my heart set on one of these. :doh:

Add MP3/WMA capability to the standard stereo
Add telescoping capability to the steering wheel
Change the rear liftgate to a tailgate or door
Mount the spare on the rear tailgate or door
Make the cargo floor lockable so we can lock things in the spare-tire well
Reduce or remove the rear seat headrests, or make them removable
Produce a 2-door version and/or a pickup version of the Patriot

I agree with the tire on the back!!

I have to disagree about moving the spare tire to the tailgate/door. One of the reasons why I quickly dismissed getting a Toyota RAV4 (besides wanting to buy American), is that the location of the spare tire ruins the lines of that vehicle (IMO).

Adding to the wish list:

Change the color of the headliner of this off-roading vehicle to something other than thumbprint-spotlighting-white.
Improve the quality of the interior plastics, even it may come at an additional 'optional'/Limited price. I currently drive a 1997 Dodge Avenger and have been truly surprised when comparing the interior of my Avenger vs. the interior of the Patriot. At the time, the original MSRP of an Avenger ranged from $14,600 to $17,600...comparable to the price range of the Patriot. However, the interior of my Avenger is IMO comparatively far nicer than what I've seen of the Patriot (i.e. dashboard is soft to the touch, 'armrest' on the top of the driver/passenger door at the window is also soft to the touch in addition to looking more upscale - no hard plastic except for the door openers, the center console where the cup holders are located, and the radio/A-C control area). And by no means is the Avenger at all what would be considered extraordinary. It just really took me aback to realize that, in 10 years in the same automotive family, not only has the basic aesthetic stuff not been improved, but some of it has actually been taken away. And that's not even really considering the loss of the other amenities available on the Avenger then (power driver's seat, lighted vanity mirrors, etc...) and the Patriot's competitors now. I've had to do and am still doing some serious internal monologuing to convince myself that I'll be okay with the hard plastics for 7-10 years...that I'll actually be buying something that isn't as aesthetically nice on the inside as my 10-year old car.
Aside from the CVT reliability, the interior plastic issue was my last serious hangup about going with the Patriot. I've read on this and other boards all about how this is a Jeep and with Jeep you have to love it despite itself sometimes, however, I think this is something that Jeep should consider if they truly want to conquer and/or remain competitive with their Compass/Patriot target customers (i.e., people like myself who would have never considered a Jeep prior to the offering of these two models).

Sorry about the novella!

Hey, Dryland305! I just tell whoever's in my Patriot with me "I LOVE the hose-out interior, since all of my (clients, relatives, friends, etc.) are slobs." I always hear back "Yeah, it's a Jeep."

As for the tire on the back I was considering a hidden hitch with a spare tire rack that swings to the side for access to the lift gate. Kind of a hassle, but opens up more storage space and give it more of a jeep look.

Hey, Dryland305! I just tell whoever's in my Patriot with me "I LOVE the hose-out interior, since all of my (clients, relatives, friends, etc.) are slobs." I always hear back "Yeah, it's a Jeep."

Heh. I'm sorry if I came off as a big cloud of negativity in my last post...believe it or not, I'm still pretty excited about the Patriot despite my reservations. I've just about gotten over these issues, but I am a paragon of practicality and can't help myself when it comes to comparing bang-for-the-buck vs "luxury" items vs. 'what do I really need?' and making the appropriate compromises. Many of my friends, family, and coworkers (who look to pay around the same price for a vehicle as I do -- $17,000 base with a range to just below $25,000) however, aren't such paragons and will not budge from expecting a certain level of interior quality and available options. I think there may be too many sacrifices involved with buying a Patriot/Compass to attract these otherwise potential Jeep customers.

I agree with the 6 speed tranny... I would also like to see a diesel... Outside mounted spare would be nice, but I can see how it would probably increase drag and lower fuel economy... Definately increase production, at least until you get through the backlog. I can understand not wanting to over produce, but come on! Eight weeks or more for delivery? Makes you wonder how many sales they lost due to that.

I really can't say much about the dealer lots. Local dealer here in Appleton WI has about 6, just not equipped the way I like. In an odd twist, they don't even really want to sell them unless they can get one from the factory to replace it. They view them as bargaining chips with other dealers and an attraction to get people on the lot....go figure.

a dealership who doesn't want to sell their cars? I'm going to get a REALLY warm jacket b/c I think he!! is about to freeze over!

I wish, since this is a wish list, that moderators would strongly encourage members to include in their posts, the model and basic features of their Patriot/Compass. Since we often discuss, mine does this, yours does not do that, it is nice to know if the poster's vehicle has a CVT, 5 speed, 2.0 engine or diesel, 4x2, FD1 or FD2 and modifications. Especially on issues of comparing performance, these things are important to know for an informed comparison. It is easy to add, either to your profile in the upper right corner of your post, or as a tag line at the bottom.

I'd be happy with just one improvement: soft arm rests. I find the current ones to be so uncomfortable.

In addition, a rear dome light that actually could be switched on while the car's running would be nice to have too. Or a central armrest for the rear seats. Or lights for the vanity mirrors, the glove box or the power window buttons. I wonder why cars that are much cheaper and that belong to lower categories of the market have those items and the Patriot doesn't.

The current iPod holder needs to be redesigned or removed, because it's useless in its current form. The glovebox should be bigger, and there should be more interior storage in the cockpit area, adding for example pockets to the back of the front seats.

I'm starting to get the impression that sub-standard interiors are common in American cars. Yesterday I went to a Chevrolet dealership to see the HHR, which started selling here a couple of months ago, and which I like for its looks and novelty. When I got onto the driver's seat, I found many of the same issues that the Patriot has: almost-useless sun visors, hard plastics everywhere, little out-of-sight interior storage, small glove box, and a general lack of care for the details noticeable in small items like the door handles, the door locks or the lack of climate control even as an option. But in general, the HHR's interior looked and felt to the touch better than the Patriot's, although it was nowhere as roomy.

Better sound isolation would be good...

Bigger map pockets, and a trail rated badge on the other side of the truck. (I like symmetry!) Also more ground clearance

Locking glove box and a switch for the electronic locks on the passenger side.

Sunroof that closes itself when the ignition is shut off. A couple of times, I've left it open. Luckily, it didn't rain, and I wasn't in the car wash. Maybe the "auto-closing" feature could be overridden.

I wish, since this is a wish list, that moderators would strongly encourage members to include in their posts, the model and basic features of their Patriot/Compass. Since we often discuss, mine does this, yours does not do that, it is nice to know if the poster's vehicle has a CVT, 5 speed, 2.0 engine or diesel, 4x2, FD1 or FD2 and modifications. Especially on issues of comparing performance, these things are important to know for an informed comparison. It is easy to add, either to your profile in the upper right corner of your post, or as a tag line at the bottom.

In your profile where it says "Ride:" would be a perfect place for that information. Some people, however, prefer to put an entire list of what's in their driveway. :p It's really up to the individual member how much information they want to disclose. Obviously the less information they give us, the less helpful we can be when answering questions.

In your profile where it says "Ride:" would be a perfect place for that information. Some people, however, prefer to put an entire list of what's in their driveway. :p It's really up to the individual member how much information they want to disclose. Obviously the less information they give us, the less helpful we can be when answering questions.That is why I specifically said "or the tag line at the bottom".;)