There were a few, not too many yet, but a few who mentioned that they had taken long trips and found the Patriot to be very comfortable on a long run. I forget where they mentioned it, so you'll just have to search around a bit.

 

We were still plenty comfortable after 3hrs (our first weekend we did a road trip to a lake/campsite). Since the Patriot hasn't been out for very long, can't speak to how well the seats hold up, which may be part of the cherokee issue or have they always been uncomfortable after 3hrs?

 

will know next week




only have 350 miles on my Pat,
but next week am taking my first road trip in it,
NYC to Niagara falls and Toronto,
approximately 900 miles roound trip,
Will post the outcome when i get back,

 

I think this is where the Patriot excels, during long highway stretches where the speed doesn't change much. We found it to be very comfortable on a 250 mile trek.

My favorite feature is the cruise control, and the Satellite radio(you don't have to worry about finding new stations).

However, an iPod or Zune would work out just as nice with pre-recorded stuff.

 

I didn't know what the draw of the ipod was until we went from a 6disk to a single disk in the Patriot. Hubby got the ipod for his birthday and that thing is great for long trips or switching between the kids playlist and ours.

 

I haven't taken mine far, I'm on my 4th day of owning it. One thing is for sure the seats are comfortable. I feel as if it cuddles my back.

 

8 hour trip

Hi there - went on an 8-hour trip (including ferry rides) to my favourite island, most of the road is twisting and turning up along the coast, and I was comfortable the whole way - found the seats supportive and well-positioned, and really enjoyed the great handling 5-spd. I would have no hesitation going on more long trips - and plan to .

 

ABSOLUTLY YES!!! My family and I Just returned from a cross country trip in our trail rated pat. We went from Florida to Vermont making stops in Virginia, Rhode Island and Mass. I drove between 10 to 14 hrs at a time except for fuel and bathroom breaks (we packed food for the ride). I felt fine and the Pat performed flawlessly. The sirius radio is awsome we all enjoyed the radio classics station. I drove through rain, severe thunderstorms, and insane New Jersey traffic. The Pat inspired great confidence in all situations. My wife absolutly loves this Jeep. And I certainly am very happy with it as well. My wife is the primary driver of the Pat. Our son also enjoys the roomy back seat (much more than our traded-in 4 door Frontier). I must make a disclaimer though- I'm a delivery driver so I drive alot also if you have a weak lower back you will become sore after a several hour drive in almost any vehicle. In a nut shell we find the Pat Very Comfortable for the long haul and around town. Happy motoring!

 

Our Patriot is MUCH more comfortable on a long trip than our 98 Cherokee was. We went to Camp Jeep and back (9 hours each way) and were quite comfortable. After about 4 hours in the Cherokee you were wishing for the trip to be done.

 

How were the Patriots & Compass' owners treated by other Jeep owners @ Camp Jeep?

 

Hi AMCNUT,

Thanks for that report, it really was very informative. Plus since it came from a pro, it REALLY made a point. Much appreciated.:smiley_thumbs_up:

 

Hell YEAH!

I just returned from my trip with my trail rated Patriot that only had a 1000km on it. From Vancouver b.c. to Babine lake past Smithers 1300 plus km!! I drove 14 hours straight (stopping ONLY for gas and coffee) from city streets to highway to mountain passes to an hour and a half on logging roads at over 80k/m per hour on pure dirt and rock and curves. My seats were perfect, i was never uncomfortable. i stopped three times for gas and had half a tank left over. That is over 400km per tank through mountains! The patriot handles even better on dirt absorbing huge potholes like nothing happened. My old Cherokee would have shuddered and could not have handled the speed and handling.

On the way back i let my buddy drive it about 400 km, he will be purchasing his soon!

perfect.

 

It's great to hear stellar reviews!

My hubz and I take a trip every month and extended vacations at least three times a year so it's reassuring to hear... not only for us but also for our pups!

:banana:

 

500 miles in mine today. Up to Connecticut and back to move my buddy home from College. Zero complaints and the seat warmers were nice for my back after carrying all of his crap down 3 flights of stairs!

 

The Patriot is a surprisingly good highway cruiser. Out here on the open highways of AZ it isn't uncommon for traffic (or what passes for "traffic") to be doing 85-90mph, and the Patriot (4x4, CVT FDI) effortlessly (less than 3000rpms) keeps up. I loved my Scion xB, but at those speeds, it felt like the engine was going to go flying apart.

 

Thanks, that's great to know!:smiley_thumbs_up:

 

i took a small trip 200 miles there and back with five passengers. It was fun, comfortable and I had nice mileage.

 

Wow, five passengers! That is really cool.

 

I took my Pat to NYC 2 months ago. 11-13 hours each way. Loved the ride. I find the seats OK for long distance but not the best.

 

Just completed roadtrip number 3 this past weekend. Wifey and I are most pleased with the ride. Not a month old yet and 2800km on the Pat.

Lovin' it.

 

Has anyone got any feed back on how comfortable the back seats are for long drives?

PS< Quasi

Racking up those lease KM's quick huh?

 

Don't know about the back seat comfort, but I've taken my 2wd auto Pat on a few trips (mainly the same route from Tucson to Flagstaff, AZ... about 3.5-4hrs) and it's performed wonderfully. I find it very comfortable. Our pups like it too, but they're also in their kennel the whole trip.

 

It did very well in my opinion. I was able to drive it from Illinois to Oklahoma with no issues.

 

I have noticed, that in exiting the Patriot, a lot of pressure is slid over the edge of the seat. This has concerned me about creating an accelerated wear on the seat edge. In the past couple of 30 mile plus trips I've had a pain in my left hip, an leg. Sunday I reached down to massage the hip while driving, an noticed a hard area in the seat. This is a piece of the wire frame running front to back. The foam isn't thick enough to cushion between it and me, or it is already wearing out the foam, at less than 3000 miles.

As to someone else thinking Patriot is more comfortable than the Cherokee. I drove a 170,000 mile Cherokee from Ky, to Alaska, and back with no comfort problems. But that's just my observations.

Actually I'm just not thrilled with the CVT , and only 20.5 mpg out of the non-trail rated version. Kind of wish I had gotten a good Cherokee instead. Glad everyone is enjoying their Patriot. Probably just not the best fit for me personally.

 

Your mileage is going to be bad for a while as the engine breaks in (electronically). If after 5-6k you're only getting 20, tell them to re-flash the computers. I get 22 during my normal urban commute week, with FDII.

 

Your mileage is going to be bad for a while as the engine breaks in (electronically). If after 5-6k you're only getting 20, tell them to re-flash the computers. I get 22 during my normal urban commute week, with FDII.

I've read the mileage & power goes up at 500, then 1000 miles due to computer controlling break-in. This according to other post.

Miles gallons MPG
114.2 4.738 24.102997045167 gas
182.2 8.761 20.796712704029 10% ethanol
234.1 11.155 20.986104885701 10% ethanol
222.2 9.838 22.58589144135 gas
187.9 8.058 23.318441300571 gas comp re flash end tank
179.6 8.629 20.813535751536 comp re flashed just before fill-up
206.3 10.923 18.886752723611 Increased tire pressure 32/32 to 44/35 Stuffed tank to overflowing Increased tire pressure 32/32 to 44/35 Stuffed tank to overflowing
262.5 12.08 21.730132450331 Gas Stuffed tank to overflowing
238.7 12.835 18.597584729256 Gas Stuffed tank to overflowing
277 13.393 20.682446053909 Gas Stuffed tank to overflowing
234.7 11.631 20.178832430573 Gas Stuffed tank to overflowing
236.5 11 21.5 Gas Stuffed tank to overflowing

You can see above it doesn't like Ethanol, and I had the trans re flashed, with the updated program, and my mileage went down. Others seemed to see an increase in mpg after this. I hope it improves with more mileage.