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Had to trade away the patriot

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alajoe

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
The good, the bad, and the ugly, my thoughts after 16 months with one.

I bought the patriot brand new on Valentines day of 2009. I traded a 2001 Ford Escape in on it. I bought it because the air conditioner had gone out in the Escape and at that time Chrysler was offering major incentives. My 2009 had a sticker price of $18,495. I bought it for $13,999.

I was never that fond of the patriot to begin with but I bought it thinking it would grow on me. It never did. I guess because the patriot is not an SUV. At best I would call the patriot a crossover to be classified with a Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, or Chevy Equinox. In reality I would call it a compact station wagon that is shaped like an SUV. I would consider as competitors to the patriot the: Chevy HHR, PT Cruiser, Scion XB, kia Soul, and Nissan Cube. I never could get past the car like seating position. I really tried to like the patriot because it got great gas mileage (I averaged about 24 mpg) but it was just not an SUV; not even a compact SUV like the Escape.

As far as Quality goes I have no complaints. In the 21,000 miles I owned it I had not one single issue. The Car performed flawlessly.

As Far as Performance goes; it is woefully underpowered. Granted I only had the 2.0L that was 158 HP but the 2.4L the biggest engine made for it only has 172 HP and that is only 9% more than the 2.0L. This, ride height and the seating position would be my biggest reasons for calling it a compact station wagon and not an SUV.

As far as value goes this is where it shines. The Patriot I bought brand new for $13,999 I got in real trade dollars $12,700 for it and the dealer which has a website has my trade priced at $15,999. Sadly the second owner of this patriot will likely pay more for it than I paid brand new. I know trade numbers can be manipulated. They actually claimed they gave me $14,500 for it but knowing what the vehicle I was buying was worth I can say I got in real trade dollars $12,700.

So what did I trade it in on? I bought a 2002 Ford Escape. Yes that is right I traded a 2001 Ford escape in on the 2009 Patriot and traded the 2009 Patriot in on a 2002 Ford Escape. I am basically back where I was 16 months ago and I got to say I am happier driving an 8 year old Ford Escape than I was driving a one year old Jeep Patriot.

For what its worth..................
 
#3 ·
Dont forget the Patriot was only ever designed to be a small entry level , family station wagon.It was meant , primeraly, to get young singles/family aware of & into a Jeep branded vehicle. The 4x2 was an alternative to the Dodge Caliber & the 4x4 & FD2 was aimed at more adventurous / outdoor people . A 4x2 Caliber will do anything a 4x2 Patriot can do ( With less interior space).
 
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#4 ·
I second what tipronic said. As long as your happy is what counts. I'm happy with what I have and knew what it was before I bought it.....crossover not full SUV.
 
#6 ·
did you have the seat height adjuster on your Patriot? i feel your pain as i have had a base model Patriot before as a rental and it is painfully low. the seat height adjuster pumps the seat up to an SUV seating position and it actually quite nice.
 
#7 ·
I'd have to agree mostly with alajoe. I use the Patriot as an AWD station wagon that gets great mileage and is good on snowy roads. I always prefer to drive my old AMC Jeeps if fuel costs permit. I would not be happy with the Patriot as my only SUV.
 
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#8 ·
I love my patriot I just wish it could tow a lot more.I just went up this super steep dirt hill with the trailer in the back!! I was scared to go back down!!
 
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#9 ·
Sad to see ya go alajoe, but you have to be happy with what you're driving. Good luck with the escape and stop in from time to time anyway. I think your might be under estimating how the extra HP of the 2.4L comes into play. While you may only see a 9% difference in total horsepower, you have to realize that the HP curve could show that the 2.4L produces more then 9% difference during normal driving RPMs. A quick look at the specs shows:

2.0L 158 hp @ 6,400 rpm, 135 ft lbs torque @ 5,200 rpm
2.4L 172 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 164 ft lbs torque @ 4,400 rpm

The HP/Torque curve would show that the 2.4L makes more hp/torque at lower rpms across the whole range.

Anyway...I personally love my FDI Patriot. :smiley_thumbs_up:
 
#11 ·
Hello Everyone:

I may be the odd-one out here, but to me the Patriot feels more SUV-like than the other small SUV type of vehicles I have test driven (Ford Escape, Chevy Tracker, Chevy Blazer). It is not a Cherokee, that is for sure, but it looks a little bit like one. And, it is NOT a Jeep Wrangler, which I very much wanted, but needed a more people friendly rear seat and rear access.

To me, with my bare-bones Patriot, I feel I have an excellent view of the road, the seating position is nicely high, and generally the fit and finish of my vehicle has been very nice. And, because I have always been a cheapskate, my bare bones Patriot feels damn near luxurious to me compared to my other vehicles.

PipeTobacco
 
#12 ·
todde702 said:
Sad to see ya go alajoe, but you have to be happy with what you're driving. Good luck with the escape and stop in from time to time anyway. I think your might be under estimating how the extra HP of the 2.4L comes into play. While you may only see a 9% difference in total horsepower, you have to realize that the HP curve could show that the 2.4L produces more then 9% difference during normal driving RPMs. A quick look at the specs shows:

2.0L 158 hp @ 6,400 rpm, 135 ft lbs torque @ 5,200 rpm
2.4L 172 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 164 ft lbs torque @ 4,400 rpm

The HP/Torque curve would show that the 2.4L makes more hp/torque at lower rpms across the whole range.

Anyway...I personally love my FDI Patriot. :smiley_thumbs_up:
Click to expand...
Remember those hp numbers are not rear wheel hp numbers. With drivetrain loss I think the actual hp and torque numbers are a lot lower than advertised.
 
#13 ·
todde702 said:
Sad to see ya go alajoe, but you have to be happy with what you're driving. Good luck with the escape and stop in from time to time anyway. I think your might be under estimating how the extra HP of the 2.4L comes into play. While you may only see a 9% difference in total horsepower, you have to realize that the HP curve could show that the 2.4L produces more then 9% difference during normal driving RPMs. A quick look at the specs shows:

2.0L 158 hp @ 6,400 rpm, 135 ft lbs torque @ 5,200 rpm
2.4L 172 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 164 ft lbs torque @ 4,400 rpm

The HP/Torque curve would show that the 2.4L makes more hp/torque at lower rpms across the whole range.

Anyway...I personally love my FDI Patriot. :smiley_thumbs_up:
Click to expand...
You are so right on a small HP difference being a huge power difference. A carburetor and manifold modification on my 1960 Willys took the Horse power from 90HP to 105, it was the difference between almost being rear ended at stop lights because of slow acceleration and moving ahead with other traffic at a normal, but conservative rate of speed.
Judging the Patriot with the torqueless modern 4 banger, and the reduced Horse power of the 2.0 really isn't fair. The 2.4 Patriot has adequate power for this vehicle. I would like more torque on the low end offered by a long stroke, lower RPM, engine. (there is no use talking about the diesel we can't get)
 
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#14 ·
metalhead said:
Remember those hp numbers are not rear wheel hp numbers. With drivetrain loss I think the actual hp and torque numbers are a lot lower than advertised.
Click to expand...
You mean front...or all wheel hp figures? ;)

Yes, I do realize that, but the correlation still stands. The sales stuff will always show peak output, but an HP/Torque curve would give you a better picture of operating range HP. I just wish I could have found one somewhere.

jepstr, the diesel! yes...oh...never mind, you're right, no sense talking about it. :eek:
 
#16 ·
Looks like you bought the wrong vehicle when you bought a Patriot.

Like you I got a fantastic deal on mine, and in another post this morning I mentioned I had seen a nearly identical Patriot, offered used, for the same price as I paid for mine new.

Indeed, the Patriot is a Caliber wagon, but frankly I've driven a Caliber and I think my Patriot rides far more comfortably. I can't understand the difference unless maybe the Patriot has different suspension components. The Patriot is a tall car with a tough drive train. Even without 4wd, unless you're going offroad or doing something outrageous, you're not getting stuck in the snow with it. Its as good as any and better than most other 2wds out there. I gave it its best test in snow with the Eagles on it, and it did fine; I've since gotten real snows (General Altimax Arctics) and its totally secure in snow.

As for your complaints about performance and fuel economy, I couldn't disagree more. Mine is FWD and as it has aged gracefully into the high 30,000s my fuel economy has matured to about 30MPG all around -- 32 on the highway. I just changed my plugs and judging by the guage position, my latest economy is going to be fantastic. I'm checking 4 tankfulls/1000 miles, but my first two were 31, and as I said this one looks to be even better but I won't fill it till later on. My guess is that if you were trying to get performance out of the 2.0 you were probably using more fuel than you might have had you driven it easier. I never drove a 2.0 but I can imagine.

Now that I think about it, don't most people use SUVs for station wagons? How often do you see the bigger SUVs or crossovers in swamp? Take your friend with his Lexus off-roading sometime! But you'll find the Patriot has good road manners and is equaly capable of negotiating the aforementioned swamp.
 
#17 ·
alajoe said:
I bought it because the air conditioner had gone out in the Escape and at that time Chrysler was offering major incentives.
Click to expand...
Guess you're the type to buy new shoes if they're on sale every time you step in a small puddle of water too.:icon_rolleyes:

alajoe said:
I was never that fond of the patriot to begin with but I bought it thinking it would grow on me.
Click to expand...
You should have listened to your gut on this one and fixed your old Escape in the first place.

alajoe said:
I am basically back where I was 16 months ago and I got to say I am happier driving an 8 year old Ford Escape than I was driving a one year old Jeep Patriot.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you're motoring in something you're happy with.
 
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#19 ·
Good luck, you need to be happy with what you want.

I passed on the Escape when I was looking, and the Patriot was the only vehicle that fit the bill for me.

I got the room I needed, for me and cargo, and the mileage I needed, and pretty good off road capability too.
 
#20 ·
Underpowered, absolutely. The engine (mine the 2.4L) struggles under the weight of the body. And while they say the CVT provides seamless gearing, it doesn't, worse than any automatic transmission I've owned (and I've owned plenty).
 
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