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Can I take the Patriot offroad?

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#61 ·
kojack said:
I wheeled my 2010 FDII ALOT. went everywhere I pointed it, winter or summer. it really is very capable. I am adding the FDII skids on my new 2015 FDI.
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Yeah it's not a hard core 4x4 like a Land Rover Defender or a Wrangler/CJ, but the Patriot/Compass does feel pretty confident off the beaten path.

My mother moved to a small coastal town near the woods, and when I was driving her to her new house in her Jetta sedan, the GPS took us off the highway down a rutted dirt road. That is a great route to her new place, but in her Jetta I just turned around and went another way.

Then she decided to get another vehicle to replace the aging Jetta. The town she lives in has a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership and it's the only dealership in a 100 mile radius. So I took her down and she fell in love with a bright white Patriot FD1 and bought it. She later drove me down that rutted road a few days later after getting the Jeep. Easy in her Patriot. It sure gives her confidence having a vehicle that's more capable than other cars. Not that she drives on dirt, rutted roads a lot, but they do exist around there.
 
#62 ·
Yep. I have run more than some rutted roads, I put mine up some pretty nasty stuff. The FD1 I have now won't be doing any of that as I have my lifted JK unlimited for the harder stuff, but Its nice to be able to jump in my gas sipper and do a nice 500km run on dirt and not worry about anything.
 
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#63 · (Edited)
Hell yes the Patriot can go offroad!
It's no Wrangler but it's a very capable little Jeep. The unfortunate thing about this little Jeep is the silly 4-cylinder.



More pics for more proof the Patriot is capable:
http://s844.photobucket.com/user/Danger_Riot/DangerRiot/story
This is my 2011 FDI. It's done some crazy things stock.
 
#65 ·
Even an FWD Patriot will do well on marginal trails due to its weight over the front tires and a fairly high ground clearance. Mine's gotten me through a couple roads I wouldn't have chosen to be on, but the little guy clawed his way through. Frankly, one road I was on shouldn't have been open. Anything less than a Patriot wouldn't have made it through. The whole time I was thinking to myself, What am I doing here??? How did I get in this mess??? I posted the story a couple years ago in the FWD threads.
 
#66 ·
ms.mimi said:
...The unfortunate thing about this little Jeep is the silly 4-cylinder....
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Yeah, true....but...the ORIGINAL jeep (WW2) was only a 4 banger of 60 hp, although a lower gear ratio...
 
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#67 ·
jack.allwardt said:
Yeah, true....but...the ORIGINAL jeep (WW2) was only a 4 banger of 60 hp, although a lower gear ratio...
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Yeah, modern cars would probably get 90 MPG if engineered and tuned for gas mileage instead of speed.

Nowadays, people expect even something like a $12,000 economy car to do 0-60 in 8 seconds. Heck, back in the 1980's you had Porsches that could barely do that. :) And back then econoboxes were getting 40 MPG even though they had carburetors and not nearly as many computers in them.
 
#68 ·
jd_1138 said:
Yeah, modern cars would probably get 90 MPG if engineered and tuned for gas mileage instead of speed.

Nowadays, people expect even something like a $12,000 economy car to do 0-60 in 8 seconds. Heck, back in the 1980's you had Porsches that could barely do that. :) And back then econoboxes were getting 40 MPG even though they had carburetors and not nearly as many computers in them.
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we expect to be able to crash them at 80 miles an hour and walk away.

The original golf GTI weight 1,785 lbs, the current one weighs in at 3,086 lbs. that's a huge difference in weight! same thing has happened to all cars. an XJ weighs about 3,357 in stock form, a patriot is 3,263lbs, I know that is close, but a patriot has a MUCH smaller lighter engine, a MUCH smaller lighter transmission, no transfer case no solid axles (and let me tell you, they are very heavy) no special unibody + frame design (just a uni body), with less horse power and less torque.
 
#69 ·
Heck yes the Patriot can of off-road. Just be sure to keep momentum when going up steep hills and ruts.
 
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#70 ·
Jack, jd1138 and AIC are all right on. A 4cyl can pull anything on the road. 18 wheelers have a power range that is not much more than a car, but they can pull 10-15 times the weight. Its done with gears and patience. Considering the power:weight ratio, the truck is far more efficient. And a locomotive is even more fuel efficient.

Too many of us are just drunk with the need for speed -- gotta be faster than the guy next to us on the highway, and if he dares pull in front, we)'ll pass him to show him. :p Those glorious cars of the 1930s had less power than a Jeep Patriot, they weighed a lot more, and were a lot more fun to drive.

My first car was a 1960 Ford Falcon with 85 horses from an engine the same size as my Patriot (2.4L = 144 CID). It got comparable fuel economy (30mpg) but was a lot slower. Slow, but it got me there. I had it for my first 3 years of driving and never got a speeding ticket with it. :)

With today's technology, such a car should be able to run with an engine 1/2 its size -- hence double the fuel economy -- if we'd be content with that level of performance.
 
#71 ·
I didn't see any information on my Jeep purchase about FD1 or FD2. Where can I find this? I have a 2016 Patriot Latitude 4x4 ! With 17in .. and would love to take it on the trails.. but was nervous the 2.4l wouldn't hold up to normal 4 wheel'n.. ?
 
#72 ·
You can take every car offroad, but...

but, to be earnest, the actual question is: will you be able to take it back?
Answer: yes, patriots can, but expect some minor damage here and when, due to:
1. relatively low clearance (which is good for fuel consumption on road)
2. no low gear, minimum usable speed about 15 kmh
3. suspensions road oriented (this is good on road...)
besides Euro pats (as mine) have (not sure for more recent models) plastic shields, not iron shields...
 
#74 ·
Allwatts said:
I didn't see any information on my Jeep purchase about FD1 or FD2. Where can I find this? I have a 2016 Patriot Latitude 4x4 ! With 17in .. and would love to take it on the trails.. but was nervous the 2.4l wouldn't hold up to normal 4 wheel'n.. ?
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Not sure on FD1. If it's FD2, it'll be fine. The FD2s have a metal skid plate under the engine/trans, and under the fuel tank
Image


Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
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#75 ·


Even a 2wd Patriot can have some fun.

a FD2 Trail Rated could get you into some trouble. :)
 
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