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#21 ·
I took me awhile to get used to the acceleration of the Pat. My last Jeep was a 4.0L 6-cyl. Cherokee with a 5-speed, and my wife has a 3.7L V6 Liberty (automatic), so I was used to much more torque. The Pat's gas pedal felt soft and unresponsive by comparison. After a few months, I figured out how to drive it, and it feels pretty zippy. But when I get in my wife's Liberty, I have to be careful about mashing the pedal down.

I also use the autostick to shift manually when I want to accelerate more quickly. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but it certainly feels like it does.
 
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#23 ·
My major complaints thus far in no particular order of importance:
1 - Rear hatch doesn't have a lock button, you have to use the key. (manual locks in mine)
2 - Not enough side to side leg room, my knees rest against the door and on the hard plastic console of the shifter.
3 - Headlights don't come on when I start the motor.
4 - interior lights don't come on when I stop the motor.
5 - Want more range, bigger gas tank or even better, more MPG!
6 - Vehicle computer does not address me as Sir or Captain when I am playing Battlestar Galactica.


All in all nothing really important to complain about.
 
#24 ·
chicaboo said:
Hey Binnsy, where did you test drive your Patriot? I did a test up Crackers [Mt Gravatt] lookout, and again at Kippa Ring. I found the CVT fairly good up Mt Gravatt, not that it's the steapest of hills, but it wasn't struggling at all. OTOH, I took an Escape auto for a run up Dennis Road at Springwood, and it almost died in the arse trying to get up there...
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I took it for a drive around town, I was at the dealers at Holland Park. I don't know that area well so just toddled around the local streets and up Logan Road.
I went for a drive up Tamborine a week after I bought the car. I was down to second gear going up the Mountain, and I was alone in the car with no load???

I still like it, but have shelved the idea of towing a camper, for now anyway...

;)
 
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#25 ·
I think with power/weight, it's the same as taking a small car up Tamborine. I've had plenty of small 1.6/1.8L cars [even heavy 2.2L Camrys] up Tamborine and need to use 2nd and 3rd gear quite a bit. The only gentle way up there is from Mt Warren Park, all the other ways up [Henry Roberts, Oxenford, Goat Track] are what I'd call very steep, and 2nd gear would be normal.

When I get my car back from windscreen replacement, the first place it's going is up Tamborine, so I'll see how the CVT handles that. But the easy way up should be exactly the same as going up Crackers lookout at Mt Gravatt. I'm surprised Leo Muller salesman didn't take you up there on the test drive, as it's only about 3km from the dealer. :( They certainly know about it, as they take the photos for their car ads up there.
 
#26 ·
I don't have a problem with the Patriot's acceleration. Compared to the MILs Saturn (2.2 auto), Lil Ignatz (2.4 CVT) is a rocket. Took the Saturn to NY last weekend and with Wifey & me and a full trunk it was working pretty hard on the modest hills of western Connecticut, and only got 31MPG. I think Ignatz would have done better on those hills and delivered better economy on the overall trip. So why did I take the Saturn to NY? I wanted to keep the miles off Ignatz.

That said, my old Grand Prix (3.8) could have passed either one on those hills and still gotten the same fuel economy. If Pontiac hadn't dropped the Grand Prix when they did, I'd still be driving one. Still love my Patriot, though.
 
#27 ·
My big gripe about the patriot is the useless sun visors. I can't tell you how many sunny days I end up with a headache from the glare coming in through the drivers side window. I plan on getting the windows tinted soon and am hoping that will help some.
 
#28 ·
BlueHeeler said:
My big gripe about the patriot is the useless sun visors. I can't tell you how many sunny days I end up with a headache from the glare coming in through the drivers side window. I plan on getting the windows tinted soon and am hoping that will help some.
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Yeah. Even fully extended they don't do the job.
 
#29 ·
The thing about the speed is that the Patriot not slow compared to the other 4 cylinder CUv's. It's slightly quicker than some, slightly slower than some. What's the big deal? It goes through snow like nobody's business......
 
#30 ·
Billofthenorth said:
3 - Headlights don't come on when I start the motor.
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You can go to the dealer and get that turned on. The DRL can be activated on Patriots that didn't come with it. I've never heard of anyone being able to get it turned off though.... I'm going to try sometime
 
#31 ·
mrJeepr44 said:
You can go to the dealer and get that turned on. The DRL can be activated on Patriots that didn't come with it. I've never heard of anyone being able to get it turned off though.... I'm going to try sometime
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If you have the daytime running lights and it is that sort of grey, murky, foggy, rainy day that you know you should use your lights but don't want the hassle of turning them on and off all you need to do is turn your lights to the park light position.

With that you have lights all around while you run but as soon as you park the headlights go off, leaving the park lights only.

Now, if you leave those on for more than a few minutes...they go off automatically. Pop right back on as soon as you open the door. start the vehicle and wammo...you have headlights, park lights and tail lights again.

We are grey up here in winter and I haven't turned my park lights off for a month so I can have full lights as I drive. no harm, no foul. No playing with the light switch.
 
#32 ·
MoeBucks said:
Lol. That awkward moment on the ramp when you're sitting there waiting for there to be a gap in the flow of traffic, and there's cars lined up behind you honking because you're too scared to try to risk pulling onto the highway. Only if they knew that you wish you could...
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As long as I remember that I'm in my patriot entering traffic, and not my hemicharger....I'll be ok
 
#34 ·
My 5-speed, 2.0 package is fine, as long as you treat it like a sport motorcycle. Nothing much happens below 3k, but it's fine once you wind it up a bit. I have no anxiety entering the freeway. The fun ends at around 6k, wheareas the bike keeps going until 12k, so of course I never confuse the two. The bike actually makes more hp.

I really like the 2.0, and don't get why people call it unrefined. I need to look at the tach sometimes to know it's running, and its quiet and smooth right up until 5 or so, where the airbox noise increases. It's one of the smoothest 4-cyls I've had. The diff, trans and tires make more noise than the engine does, and that's still pretty moderate.
 
#39 ·
That's one of the advantages I have, lol. Manual door locks for the win. :D Joking aside though, isn't that a safety feature? Doors locking when put in drive and unlocking when in park? That or locking after a couple minutes of the vehicle moving, and you need to unlock 'em when you wanna get out.
 
#40 ·
RossoRacer said:
That's one of the advantages I have, lol. Manual door locks for the win. :D Joking aside though, isn't that a safety feature? Doors locking when put in drive and unlocking when in park? That or locking after a couple minutes of the vehicle moving, and you need to unlock 'em when you wanna get out.
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17-1/2mph (well, around there on mine) and they lock.
 
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