I did a wiki on the Patriot, and it lists it as a crossover vehicle along with the Compass, but isn't the Patriot supposed to compete with the other compact SUV's...not crossovers?

Also, I noticed that if the Patriot is competing with the likes of Ford Escape and Honda CRV, it is doing so at a base price of $5000 less, so at this point the Patriot seems to sit in a confusing position. If it is competing with these vehicles, it's going to create some price pressure on the other manufacturers. I noticed that Ford is now adverstising it's 2008 Escape, (which by the way has several features of the Patriot), which tells me Ford is scared of the Patriot...and is taking counter measures.

Compact SUV and crossover are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably and for marketing purposes by car manufacturers...both the Compass and the Patriot could be considered both, depending on who you talk to...crossovers are generally thought to be a combo car/SUV, lower to the ground than an SUV and with perhaps less or no off-road capability...

Depending on which model/options of the Patriot you choose...(off-road option with higher ground clearance and full-time 4WD or the Freedom Drive version with lower ground clearance and no lower gearing)...the Patriot could be considered a compact SUV or a crossover...

The Compass and Patriot are both marketed as entry level Jeeps for those who may not have been able to afford a Jeep in the past and those who may not have considered a Jeep before and/or 1st time buyers...

...both the new Ford Escape and the CRV could be considered both compact SUVs and crossovers as well...both have a more upscale interior than the Patriot yet neither offers the off-road package that the Patriot will offer...price is also another differentiating factor as the Patriot's retail price is well below these two offerings....while they are all similar in size, they are all marketed towards different segments in the Compact SUV market...

for example, the new CRV is targeted towards females and mothers with small children; hence, the emphasis on safety, lack of off-road capability, and ease of use, conservative styling, good road manners, upscale interior (lightweight rear cargo door) etc...the new Ford Escape with its more masculine appearance is targeted more towards males, bland but functional interiors and exterior and differentiates itself with an available 6 cyl engine and hybrid version...

The CRV and Escape will not be direct competitors with the Patriot but are simply in the same class of vehicles...it is unlikely that they will come down in price to match the pricepoint of the Patriot given that they are offering different features and value for the extra money they retail at....

Top sellers in the compact class of vehicles are the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV and Jeep Liberty...given that this class is expected to grow tremendously in the next several years, all manufacturers will be looking to expand their lineup in this field by diversifying their offerings and targeting different segments in this class...

Nice post but I don't agree the Escape justifies the additonal $5000 difference by offering more or better, in fact if you compare the two vehicles the Escape offers less than the Patriot, it doesn't even have lockable 4-wheel drive.

Again, perhaps it doesn't offer full-time 4 WD because it's target market does not want or require this option...most people who would buy an Escape probably do not drive their vehicle in conditions that would require fulltime 4WD...

Instead, they may be looking to buy an Escape because of the Hybrid option or the V6 engine with higher hp/torque and towing capability and/or the larger cargo space in the rear and/or they may simply personally prefer its' styling...

Wait a minute. Does anyone know what the base price is supposedly going to be on the Patriot? Jeep's web site has no pricing information.

It's 15k base price with the 5-speed.

That's why I say the other manufacturers are doing the freak right now. There are no other compact SUV's below $20k base price...too high if you ask me. Ford is already pushing the 2008 Escape on their website and says it will be available in a few months...I think they're having a panic attack.

Before Jeep took the build and price feature off their website the way we wanted one equiped was around 21k.That was about what we paid for our Tribute in 2001.If they can keep the price anywhere near what they had listed they hit a home run.I thought the price was very reasonable.