There's a couple "Easy" rated trails here near Albuquerque that I'd like to try... but I have a 4x4 Sport with Freedom Drive I... but I do have the 17" tires. So I don't know. It could probably handle it, but I'm a little nervous.

 

Can you please post the details into these trails near Alburquerque. I am in Texas and I wouldn't mind going to check them out. PM if you want with the details. Thanks.

 

If you go, have another vehicle in your group as a possible tow vehicle.

 

How did FD 1 do on the easy trail?

I was wondering, Sitaratis, if you went on the Easy trails and, if so, how the FD 1 fared.

 

I have the Freedom Drive I as well. Wondering myself how well it'll handle the offroad condition. Have to find time to try it out.

 

I need only site my pictures as proof that the Patriot FDII is trail capable. Check them out, or visit the off-road pic thread at http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1107

I think you'll be surprised at what the Patriot will do off road. Since this was my first 4x4, I had no expectations other than to be able to get out there and explore. I have not been disappointed in that.

 

I will be getting the same setup as you. Just wondering if you would tell me wht your mpg is getting?

 

DJ XS I can't speak for Dawson but my FDII w/ crawl ratio has begun to average 23mpg city and HWY. I've over 5400 miles on my Pat and just returned to FL from a Vermont road trip. I actually got 26mpg in VT going through all the mountains around Stowe (absolutely beautiful country). I was very impressed. The only off roading I did was on two feet (Hiked Mt. Mansfield, Pinnicle and Hunger Mtns. words and pictures just can't do the views justice).

 

DJ XS I can't speak for Dawson but my FDII w/ crawl ratio has begun to average 23mpg city and HWY. I've over 5400 miles on my Pat and just returned to FL from a Vermont road trip. I actually got 26mpg in VT going through all the mountains around Stowe

At first were you getting way less? I am kind of concerned because although I just filled it up and have gone 109 miles I am reaching half a tank. This is not indicative of what it should get. I know I have to wait to finish the entire tank to get a good reading of total mpg, but I am wondering what you or any other person with 4x4 FDII w/Trail Rated gets per tank.


P.S I only have 400 miles on it so far, but have only put on 100 of them. They had to bring in the patriot from out of town and drove it down.

 

Hi DJ XS,

I don't have my Patriot yet, but from visiting this forum I see there are a few things about the Patriot that you need to be aware of when figuring out your mileage. First of all, the tank is really small at 13.5 gallons. If you are running a trail-rated Pat you should average between 20 and 24 mpg, from the figures I'm seeing, once the engine has been broken in. This gives you a range of 270 to 324 miles. My 11 year old Subaru Outback has a larger tank, but about the same gas mileage as the trail-rated Patriot, so the Patriot will need to visit the gas station more often. This can give you a feeling that the car is eating up more gas. I see from AMCNUT that his trail-rated Patriot actually averaged 26 mpg at one point. I think that's really great mileage for this package. One other item I saw was that folks were saying that you should change over to Mobile 1 synthetic oil after the car has done it's first 3000 mile oil change. That should get an additional 1mpg on average use. I think I will be doing that myself.

Good luck!

 

Hey DJ,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's hard to keep up with this forum with the number of posts made each day...

I now have 5300+ miles on my Patriot since we bought it Memorial Day weekend. I rely on the EVIC system for my mileage and for the first few weeks I cross-referenced it by manually calculating the mileage. The EVIC was spot on in my case. At this time, after the 2-3k mile break-in period when the computer burns more fuel, I am averaging 21.5 MPG in my average daily driving. This consists of half/half street and highway, but some of the highway time is spent creeping at 15MPH. I have had a couple opportunities to take it long-distance; most recently to New Mexico, a six hour drive. On the way out I averaged about 23 MPG for 10City/30Mountain (mostly up)/60 Flat High-Plains. On the way back I had it up to 25.4 with 60 Flat/30 Mountain (mostly down)/10 City (creeping at 10-20 MPH). I was very impressed! In two weeks, we will be taking a 22hr straight road trip back to MI. I expect to get between 25-27 MPG. We'll see and I'll let you know.

Honestly, I'm not sure how much you'll really notice changing oil and getting +1 MPG, but I have talked to a guy that drilled an extra hole in his Liberty's air-box and installed a tube to the grill. He now gets +4 MPG. I may try this, just have to watch water fording.

There are so many variables in MPG. And the Patriot does really well under 70 MPH. Not to sound rich or anything, but I've stopped paying attention to fuel prices and MPG for the most part. It's just an expense that I've come to expect. After all, gotta get to work, and GOTTA go off-roading! Besides, 22 MPG is better than my girl's 18 from her Blazer...

Where you at anyway?

 

Hey DJ,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's hard to keep up with this forum with the number of posts made each day...

No problem, thanks for the reply. Its hard to keep up if we are busy working and stuff.

 

DJ XS
The first several tanks of gas I got only about 19-20 mpg. Speed certainly matters the further north I went the lower the speed limits. In Vermont I seldom exceeded 50mph on the two lane mountain roads. That's where I got the best mpg.

 

I have done a few trails around Albuquerque with my new Patriot FDII. This weekend I did the Cedro Peak trail. It was fun, and challenging in a few places. My Patriot did great. I was very surprised by the clearance. There was one slick rock area that was tough and I had to go up on three tires to get over. Once I found the right approach to keep traction the Patriot plowed up. I am very impressed with the Patriot. I passed a few ATVs on the trail and they seemed amused to see my shiny new Jeep getting all dirty. It was great.

 

The Cedro Peak Trail
The Cedro Peak Trail is only about 10 minutes from our house--how convenient! Located in the heart of the Cibola National Forest, the trailhead is just off of NM Hwy 337 (a.k.a. South 14), a few miles south of I-40 and the Village of Tijeras. At 0.8 miles past the Sandia Ranger Station, turn left on Chamisoso Canyon Rd. The entrance to the trail is at 0.7 miles on the right, between the two "Road Closed Ahead" signs. Ranging in elevation from approximately 6,300 feet to over 7,500 feet, the trail takes you through the southern most part of the Sandia Mountains and circles Cedro Peak (which is around 7,800 feet in elevation). The trail consists mostly of dirt/gravel roads, portions of which contain small rocks (less than 6 inches to 8 inches in diameter). Between Waypoints CP04 and CP05, off to the right, is "The Hill", a steep descent into Chamisoso Canyon and the climb back up. Then at Waypoint CP22, there's a set of 3 "steps" (each approximately 12 inches to 18 inches tall) off to the side of the trail. Neither of these obstacles are on the main trail; they just provide for a little "fun" on the side. The trail is just over 8 miles long and takes approximately 3 hours or so to complete.

 

Here is a link for NM
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/new...otrails/New_Mexico_Off_Road_Driving_Trails_and_Maps_For_4x4_Trucks_4WD_SUVs.htm

 

[EDIT]:: fixed...

 

Haha, I have 5 posts now...lol...

I ran into a "Off-Road Test" page from the Expeditions West website about the Patriot!

Here it is...

Clicky

 

I finally took the Patriot off-roading today for the first time. This vehicle is most certainly worthy to be called a JEEP and to carry the TRAIL RATED badge! I met up with a great group of JEEP owners from the Mid-Florida Jeep Club. We headed off to Hardrock Cycle Park in Ocala, FL. It's an old quarry with many STEEP hills. I had the only Pat in the group and none of them had seen one in action (including myself). They all had TJ's, a few heavily modified, most lifted w/ bigger tires. I had the only stock JEEP there. We all became increasingly impressed with the abilities of the PAT. As the climbs and descents got steeper the PAT rose to every challange I made evey hill on the first try. I simply pointed the pat at the hill and floored it till I crested the top. The PAT never got stuck, or hung up. I used the skid plates to their fullest potential. This was a great experience and I think the Pat made some new fans. This JEEP is awesome! I have some video's and pic's and as soon as i figure out how to post them I will. So my fellow Patriot owners hold your heads high you own a TRUE JEEP capable of some very impressive feats!!!!!

 

Hey AMCNUT



Would I be able to take a 4x4 but NOT trail rated to the Hardrock place? With out the skid plates, is it THAT bad?

Have to go to New Port Richey tomorrow.

May stop there?

 

Be sure to post your pics in the Off-Road Pics thread under the General Discussion topic. Can't wait to see some other Patriot action!

Oh, to answer your question; yeah, I got mountains, come on out!

 

Dawson I'd love to head out west. How's your trail ride going? Have you any Pic's yet? How do you post them?

 

The Labor Day ride was a bust, as I posted on that thread. I also posted on your other thread how to upload photos, hope that helps. Come on out any time! I still need to get to FL sometime. My friend's grandpa owns a resort in Ft Myers Beach.

 

Alex
Sorry I didnt read your post before you headed south. My trail rated pat has 1in. more clearance than the standard 4x4. I scraped the undercoating off of the frame rails, dented the middle frame rail where the drive shaft bushing bracket mounts (didnt see a rock as I crested the hill) and had to replace the emissions evaporator canister located beside the muffler (I think it got hit bouncing over the fallen trees). The frame rail damage was cosmetic, the dealer had us get it checked out at a local body shop. The canister needs a skid plate but I'll be a little more careful the next time as it isnt covered under warranty. If you chose to go be sure to have a tow buddy in case you get high centered especially on the trees. Check out my photos in the gallary. Your Pat could probably make the climbs but the problem is ground clearance. With out skid plates or tow hooks you might want to be very very careful. It just might be your oil pan that you damage instead of the frame rail. Quite frankly I wouldn't go without a Wrangler 4X4 with me and certainly not alone.

 

I got a few pics on my cell phone that I have to put on my computer still, but I took my 4x4 non-trail rated down a small trail and it ran great. We went fishing last weekend here in Texas, and all of my friends have cars, so of course I was the only person who had enough room for our fishing gear, and the only 4x4 vehicle. The trail I went down was about 50 yards long and had huge divets from other 4x4 trucks that had been back there. The Pat rode great down the trail and back up. On the way down though my friend got out to spot me and said my tailpipe came about an inch from hitting the hardened clay ground in one of the divets. I backed the jeep to the waterfront and we used the fold down speakers to listen to some music while we fished. On the way up the trail, I took a side turn up some pretty loose gravel, and the jeep handled great. All my friends are really jealous, and my one friend insists he is gonna buy one in the next few months. I love it, way better than my 01 jetta I traded in.

 

I am still on my first oil change and have the FDII and I get about 22 MPG. And yeah I wish it had a bigger fuel tank the 13.5 makes for lots of fill-ups. My Wrangler has a 20 Gal and half the MPG and seems like I don't fill it up as often. I like to fill up when it's at about 1/2, you know so if you just want to get in and for a trip you are prepared.

 

does any know of any good trails to go on in Wisconsin?

 

If you cross the border to the west there are several places... here's a link

as for WI... I bet someone here would know.

 

Wow, I just got my FDII in Phoenix Arizona, and I have been averaging 25 mpg. Of course it's been 100 degrees outside, but I never would've thought that being cold would've had that big effect

 

offroad patriot

I dont have any freadom drive i just have 4wd and with that i do fine on easier simple trails like bumps rocks and snow its great.

 

Dear all,

I would like to share with all of you what is the situation of the Patriot in Europe. First of all, declare that I was a potential customer of a Pat due to I always dreamed with having a Jeep, and I thought that now was the moment for having one.

In Europe, the Patriot only has one engine, an awesome 2.0 L diesel, CRD, from Volkswagen with declared 140 hp, 155 hp real. This is the same engine for the Compass, Caliber diesel, Avenger diesel and of course, many Audi, VW and others in Europe. The fuel consumpsion of this engine is very good (5.5-6.7-8.8 liters/100 km, extraurban-mixed-urban).

Unfortunately, the Patriot in Europe has been released in just ONE version, having the Freedom Drive I and no off-road package option available. The guys of Jeep has ruined this model here because nobody is interested on it, the housewifes prefer to buy the Compass for carrying their babys to the school, the main utility of a SUV as everybody knows. Thus, here the Patriot is just a very limited SUV, and very expensive, 22500 euros in Spain (31300 $).

Very lucky all of you having a Pat Trail Rated (FD II + off road package) due to really this version can be considered as a real 4x4, not like the girly version delivered in Europe, useless at all under off-road conditions. Hope I could see at any time a Patriot CRD Trail Rated before I died.

Just before leaving, is it true that Fiat is going to provide the engines for many jeeps next year onwards, or is just for ruining the company in Europe???, nooooooooooooooooo.......!!!!

Thanks and enjoy your Pats

 

That is not fault of Jeep. Your government blocked the trail rated because of the lower gas mileage. Blame it on your liberal socialistic govt. Ours is headed the same direction, though.

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