Sounds like a fair road test, although the review doesn't mention that the Pat is the best bang for the buck in it's segment.

 

I'm still not too sure about that PT Cruiser Dashboard!!

 

I'll stick with my 08 interior. I'm glad I bought early.

 

The photos that it lists don't do too much for the Pat, do they? Almost everybody on this site has done more with a Patriot than just drive it along a snowy road__except, of course, those guys who live in Greece or Key West, but even they've found boulder-fields to scramble over or beach sand to snuffle through.

Rocal

 

Hey Rocal. Beaches stop a few meters from the shore, it's not ike 100% of Greece is a beach. There are also mountains here and plenty of beautiful trails to test patriot's limits. If you ever choose Kefalonia for vacation bring your patriot over. I'll guide you around. Of course you should wait for pound to overcome 1,3 euro again, it's still around 1,1 i think... :smiley_thumbs_up:

 

The review was lacking. They missed what you are getting for your buck and criticizing its mileage. What do you expect for the conditions they were driving it in.

 

It seems our reviewer did not know what they wanted.

If it is an off-road then review the off-road capabilities. If it is a mall crawler review then review the on street capabilities.

Pro classic Jeep design = Con penny pinched interior
If we like the utilitarian nature of the Jeep then we expect the occasional bit of plastic.

Low fuel economy - it was driven for a week in 4X4 mode mostly in snow, some of our New England friends could remind us what the average temp was during January in that part of the country. There are lots of threads on the performance of the Pat in cold weather due to the large front exposure, air intake temp, etc.

Loudly pegged near redline - gee maybe I have to go out and redline my PAT to hear this awful noise. I expect to hear some noise when I am accelerating (say 3000 to 4000 rpm), i call it audio sensory feedback.

There is a thread on why we all bought a Patriot, with tons of "in the eye of the beholder" qualities. I dunno know maybe I am just getting cranky about these reviews now that I have actually owned a Pat for a couple of months.

Happy with my decision and great to continue to read those that post their one two and three year reviews.:smiley_thumbs_up:

 

This is why Chrysler needs to realize that they do not want to expand the market for Jeep. We want Jeep people to buy Jeeps. Otherwise we get all kinds of crazy trivial complaints.

 

Low fuel economy - it was driven for a week in 4X4 mode mostly in snow, some of our New England friends could remind us what the average temp was during January in that part of the country. There are lots of threads on the performance of the Pat in cold weather due to the large front exposure, air intake temp, etc.

Well, I live near the shore in Connecticut, which is normally the warmest area of the region and we had numerous below freezing days (for about two weeks it never made it past 30 degrees F). Judging by the pictures in the review I would say they're in Northern New England (there hasn't been that much standing snow in Southern New England since December) which would be about 5-10 degrees colder then New Haven.

 

I'm just wondering why there are next to none reviews and road tests of the FDI models (manual trans) in North America... I've read plenty of FDII reviews and and how the experts didn't like the CVT blah blah blah...

 

I've often wondered about the honesty of some well-respected reviews. I'm a bit worried that some of the authors might have a vested interest in what they're writing. I remember years ago being in one of the first Citroen AX series cars to hit Europe; my friend had bought it on the strength of a review in a top British newspaper. It was, without argument, one of the worst vehicles I'd ever been in. Noisy, uncomfortable, eccentric as only the French know how, and giving you a really unsafe feeling. But it had had excellent positive reviews. Likewise the Nissan Micra, a totally useless car for anyone who's not an oriental midget whose other family members have all cleared off.
These days, in Europe, NO SUV gets a really sound, fair, positive report. If the car can't re-freeze Antarctica, resurrect every whale that the Japanese have managed to kill, pump ozone out through its exhaust to plaster-in the hole in the atmosphere, insulate your five-bedroomed house, produce a tofu-based lunch for a family of six and be re-cycled into a three hundred foot-high windmill then no reviewer is really interested in its performance as a car.
The world market-leader in the SUV range is almost certainly the Land Rover Discovery3, but everywhere it's dismissed as a "gas-guzzler".
Well, so are half of the "people carriers"*, such as Chrysler Voyager and the like, but because these have such a family-friendly image no one raises a squeak. It's crazy.

Rocal

* I've always thought this was a weird expression, "people carrier". Surely it's just the definition of a "motor car".

 

Also know as MPV!! Multi purpose vehicle--But I cant quite work out what else they do other then carry people!!

 

I’ve had 15K carefree driving experience miles in all types of conditions with my Pat. Not to mention how much fun it is. A week ago took her into the city to see some old buddies. One, 6’4” asked me what my car was. Never heard of a Pat, neither did anybody else????? I rattled off how happy I was, and invited him to take it for a drive.

He did the exact same thing I did when first sitting behind the driver’s seat. He put his hand above his head checking the head space. I believe we both essentially exclaimed the same thing “how did they do that.” Then I added in the warranty and close to 30 MPG and the boys were really impressed.

The consensus opinion of the group was this question. Why didn’t Jeep advertise the Pat more? I still don’t see much advertisement around here.

 

The aussie outback would be a real test

 

I LOVE my Patriot. It's very reliable, has a great heating system, isn't bothered by snow, and is VERY comfortable. I read the Consumers auto issue, and the Patriot outpointed a number of competing small SUV's, yet they couldn't bring themselves to recommend it! What IS it with these guys?

 

that's because consumer guide auto and all of those review companies are extremely biased. they look at import cars with a different attitude than american cars. they will look at an import vehicle's short comings and excuse them by labeling them as "design ingenuity" and "import flair"...where as any american car's shortcomings they will label it as "why american cars lag behind" or "how could they have missed this one" ...etc. for example, the new Mercedes crossover (GLK)...the subaru forester look-a-like...well it got great reviews. to be honest, it's a CRAPPY ride. the seats are EXTREMELY uncomfortable, the buttons are oddly placed and you can barely see the functions written on them, and there is very little cargo space and legroom in the rear seats. did the consumer auto mags discuss that? NOPE...they just start ranting and raving about it. but of course...a Jeep they will rip it to shreds saying that it has a stiff ride and this and that. i am absolutely SICK OF IT.

to be quite honest, i am just plain old sick of it. they rated my 2003 honda civic as a best pick car and all that jazz, yet its quality is the worst in honda's manufacturing history. the quality of a 2nd/3rd gen ford focus is better than the quality of the 7th generation honda civic...that's a fact based on the # of complaints and warranty repairs. honda put crappy struts, crappy auto trans, and real cheap cheap components in to save cost and maximize their profit margins through VA/VE cost reduction events. it absolutely pisses me off the bias that is going around with these auto review mags....

 

When you know you will get a great review no mater what kind of crap you produce, why worry about quality? That coupled with the prevalent incorrect perception that American cars are some how not as good, insures a market based on name brand alone. A mindset may even exist where a consumer buys a Honda and it is crappy and thinks, "I'm glad I didn't buy American. They are even worse!"

Yes. Sick of it!

 

is this mindset that causes japanese and other import cars to have a higher resale value. if you were in the market for a used vehicle...you would be STUPID to buy a honda civic between the years 2001-2005. the auto trans is such a piece of crap that they were even dying at 40K miles.

japanese quality my @$$...although subaru still maintains their level of quality even to this day. they seem to be doing a good job. it's Honda and Toyota who have sold themselves to the devil when it comes to cost cutting. i am never buying a honda civic again. if i ever did consider honda, it would only be an accord b/c i know they don't cheap out on components with them...

 

Honda and Toyota now offer too many cars just like GM. We all know where this is going don't we......? They are going to follow GM right into the grave.

 

well, i wouldn't say that of Honda...but Toyota, yes with certainty. they are already showing the signs of being a company like "GM" . they have overlapping models which have lost the traditional "step up ladder" . you have highlander, 4runner, then the venza...too much of the same crap. their designs are boring the day after their are released to the public. they also have started acting like GM in many of their product development and supply chain aspects of operation. Honda still has retained its japanese roots when it comes to product development, however they have resorted to too much cost cutting recently.

i'm just fed up...and counting down the days until my auto trans dies. it's already jolting while shifting in the lower gears...the auto trans fluid has already been changed and no difference. i was told this was the tell-tale sign that it's gonna die...tech said give it about a year or so. sucks that i only have 59,500 miles...PATHETIC

 

Good review, very fair. I am not sure about the overuse of the word ambigiuos when describing climate controls and interior switches. To me they are clearly labeled and work precisely when i push them. Maybe they are talking about things like lights, wipers, and rear wiper but honestly everycar I have ever driven has stalks that are over loaded. All in all when I push the unlock switch it unlocks and when activate the power window switch it works instantly, so I don't know where the ambiguity is. I want the blower on defrost I put it on defrost, I want all the heat coming out by my feet. I put the dial on the little guy with the heat coming out on his feet. If any knock at all can be made about climate control they should say it is oversimplified and designed by fisher-price because it is easy enough for a toddler to use. I for one like it that way.

Yeah, I agree with others, who drives the patriot in 4x4 lock mode 298 miles or most of that as the article states? Also not fair to include warm up and idle during warm up time as part of the mileage in the dead of winter with lowest temps of the year. While in heavy stop and go traffic or driving 75 for distances my FDII gets in the high teens I will give them that, but I have never had it dip into the 17's as their average was. They drive like idiots, red lining the patriot? 4x4 lock mode most of the time?

Again, agree with above, why would one even being closing in on red lining the pat? I for one don't find the patriot very noisy. The little growl I do get in L I find sort of pleasing.

At least they qualified all their remarks and that is impressive to see in a review. All in all if I was looking to buy a patriot I would find this review very helpful.

However, all patriot reviews should state at the end for real world and owner feedback go to jeeppatriot.com:smiley_thumbs_up:

 

"However, all patriot reviews should state at the end for real world and owner feedback go to jeeppatriot.com"

No doubt!!!

 

ALRIGHT I'VE HAD IT!!! I've owned by Pat for closing in on 3 years...covered over 38K in that time...let's talk MPV...I drive to work daily-40 miles roundtrip...wonderful...good in snow, reasonable on gas (CVII), I can see at night, quick to heat up, good visibility over snow banks, plenty of power, etc...even hauls two kids in the back on the way to the sitter...good leg room...and never once have they gotten car sick...I go camping, hauls my gear w/canoe on top...goes off-road to hunting camp, carries the chesapeake bay retriever in the back and I don't mind when he slobbers on my "cheap" interior...I've put sheets of plywood on top and 8' foot 2X4's inside...listen to my satelite radio the whole time...oh, did I mention that my cell phone stays charged 24/7 thanks to the outlet? Now, I'm not going to say that there aren't better vehicles out there...but at this price range even 5-8K more can make a huge difference in what Jeep could have included for features or interior design...find me a 4X4, with "E" package features, for the same money or less...and I'll show you a vehicle far inferior to the Pat GAR-RUN-TED! I don't know maybe a former driver's ed. teacher just doesn't know his vehicles or maybe these bums get spoiled driving Toyota LandCruisers and Lincoln Navagators...These guys should take our collective 2 cents and buy a clue!

 

Hi everyone. I am the "reviewer" in question here. I wanted to quickly pop in and thank everyone for your great comments. I'll certainly take some of the criticisms into account during future Road Test articles.

As UPKEV had suggested- I'd edited the article to include a link to this forum and thread at the bottom of the review.

Writing these reviews is much harder than than it would seem. I always try to be as fair as possible and take into account the vehicles price and target market when writing my assessment. While we do get to drive extremely nice vehicles from time to time- I assure you we have many more hours behind the wheel of vehicles you'd see on the road every day than super luxurious/expensive cars.

I encourage everyone to post a comment on our road test article at autoinsane.com- kind or not. We love hearing from owners of the vehicles we review!

 

i think your review is one of the better reviews written about the patriot's true abilities. it's consumer guide auto that people on the forums seem to be frustrated with.

thanks again for such a great review! do you have any video of the test drive by any chance? i KNOW that the forum members would really enjoy seeing the real-time test drive footage!

 

without creating another thread here is a review from the Vancouver Sun dated march 5, 2009

http://www.vancouversun.com/cars/Road+Test+2009+Jeep+Patriot/1357370/story.html

 

I`ve read just about every so called "expert" review on the internet regarding the Jeep Patriot and some of them are very conflicting. E.g. one review rates the Patriot 4 1/2 stars out of 5 saying it`s very good in all respects and a great value, another review gives it 6 points out of 20 and almost calls it a piece of junk. Who and why should I trust? What qualification and experience do the people writing these reviews have? Couldn`t there be some corruption involved as it is everywhere around us? As there are no guarantees of open-minded and unprejudiced reviews, the best bet is to try out as many cars out yourself and make your own opinion, as I did. My findings are described in the newbie section "How (and why) I bought a Jeep Patriot"