I can see where the Patriot would make a great vehicle for a soccer mom

 

John,
I don't really know what to tell you the Patriot is primarily my wifes (i have a kia sorento) but i drive the Pat all the time. I'm 6'1 267lb hardly the size of a woman What I think draws people (men and women) to it is the fact that it is almost the perfect vehicle. 4wd, good on gas, plenty of room, and a good price. would i prefer a 4 door wrangler unlimited, or a 2500 Duramax, yes, but not only can i not afford the payment, but the insurance is higher, not to mention the heart attack i would have evey time i had to fill up!! when we first got our pat, i thought it was smaller then my 1999 grand cherokee, we parked next to one one day and i think the Pat might have been an inch longer the same goes for the reg cherokee. that just leaves lack of power but with the price of gas it seems like a trade off that i'm not going to mind for quite a while! so to answer your original question...I don't know what to tell you

 

80-90% of riot owners in Oregon are males.

 

I see more women in Libertys than I do in Patriots. I rarely ever see a Compass around these parts, so I can't comment on that.

Cavaliers/Cobalts are for women. Caravans are for moms.

 

I see more females driving them here than I do males. However, I am 6' 3" and weigh 300lbs so the 1st guy that tells me I am driving a chick car is getting his butt kicked by a girl then.

I can actually see where pre 2011 Patriots would be considered a girl car. They had a more "female" appeal IMO than the 2011 models which look more masculine. JMHO.

Bottom line for me is I don't care what others think. 22-24 MPG mixed and 29MPG highway, along with real 4WD in a vehicle bigger than my sneaker( 16EEEE btw ), has me sold!

 

I see more females driving them here than I do males. However, I am 6' 3" and weigh 300lbs so the 1st guy that tells me I am driving a chick car is getting his butt kicked by a girl then.

I agree 100%. While our Patriot is mostly my wife's daily (mine is a 98 Cobra), I'm also 6'3" and 300 lbs and this car is one of the few sub 30K cars I actually FIT COMFORTABLY IN. The mileage and cargo capacity is a bonus in my book. I'd be happy to buy a small, economical car as soon as Detroit builds one that a real man can fit in.

 

In the Boston area, I've only seen one woman driving a Patriot. Now as for the Liberty, that's a chick Jeep. Almost every Liberty I've seen has been driven by a chick.

 

And wranglers are for cheerleaders. Especially the yellow ones. I guess I just don't care.

 

Get a 2011 Patriot 4x4. They are taller and very masculine

On a side note... I used to own an Isuzu Trooper and I LOVED that thing. You can buy Isuzu's cheap too... they have low resale. The problem with that is a transmission repair or engine repair may total your vehicle. On top of that, Isuzu has withdrawn from the US after GM ran them into the ground. The Isuzu Axiom, Trooper, and VehiCross are all fantastic. The Ascender is nothing more than a rebadged Chevy Trailblazer. Their latest pickup is a rebadged Chevy Colorado. Unfortunately in the final years Isuzu was only selling Chevy's (so why wouldn't people just go buy a chevy?).

Isuzu's are great, repairs are expensive and there is little support. You would need to have a good Japanese Auto shop you trust for repairs. Isuzu has become the modern International

 

On a side note, Isuzu's Torque On Demand (TOD) four wheel drive system was similar to the Patriots, but rear wheel drive. As there was slippage, it would increase power to the front wheels until it was 50/50. There is also a 4x4 lock option (4Hi) and a low range (4Lo), and I believe all of the 4x4's had a limited slip in the rear (the Troopers was very tightly wound... it might as well have been a locker). There is no ESC though, as they were made before 2006.

 

Back in high school my buddy had a trooper (I forget the year) when I had a 1952 willys. The willys was better offroad and felt more stable. The trooper always felt like it was going to tip. So in conclusion a real man would drive a Willys

 

The owners manual for the newer style Trooper said it could side slope up to 45°... but I would never trust that. I lifted it 2.5 inches using firmer springs, and it actually felt a little more stable after that

 

The official line is that the Compass was a Patriot facelift to appeal to women, but according the the sales rep who told me this, all it did was split the market. Neither had particular appeal to either gender.

If ever there was a girl car it would be a Honda (pick a model), and I bet statistically it may lean that way, but there are plenty of men driving them too. Like NHPatriot above, I don't want a knuckle sandwich . . .

People drive the car they need. I drive the MIL's Saturn since her driving days are over. I love getting super-high fuel economy (even higher than my Patriot) and I'm trying to keep the miles off my Patriot, but if ever there was an old-lady car, there it is. Now don't pick on me about this!

 

I can't think of a less masculine approach to life then worrying about what some mantool thinks of your ride.

Then again, when you have nothing to compensate for, the world is your oyster.

 

when you have nothing to compensate for, the world is your oyster.

Is your lady's name Pearl? I've spent my entire life within 50 miles of the ocean and never heard that expression. I've heard "Leaning toward Sawyer's," "Three sheets to the wind," "Happy as a clam," and I even understand the narrow use of the term "Seacoast Area," but I never heard that one. Please explain.

 

The Cherokee, Bronco II & Chevy S-10 Blazer were the original mid sized SUVs. They were designed for the guy who needed something smaller than a full sized Bronco, K-5 Blazer or Suburban. They were originally designed for the guy who needed a 4WD vehicle for the field or to pull a small camper or boat and still be economical.
So what happened? Soccer moms took them over and everyone started making SUVs bigger & bigger (except for the Jeep Cherokee). The SUV went from being a true utility vehicle to a plush family car.

People saw them as being safer than the smaller passenger cars of the day (K Cars, GM X cars etc) so they sold as quickly as they were made.

My original 1986 S-10 Blazer was about the same size as my Patriot and actually got better miileage with a 2.5 4cyl, automatic & 4WD. But it rode like a log wagon and had no air conditioning. I drove it until it had about 180,000 miles on it and it was still running strong, but the body was starting to rust away. It pulled our tent camper or my Bomber boat (at that time) all over the midwest.

Now with higher gas prices, government regulation and changing consumer buying habits manufacturers have to adjust to today's market. That's how our Patriots and similar vehicles came about.

Is the Patriot masculine or feminine? I really don't care. I never really thought about it when I bought my Patriot. But I certainly like the Patriot design better than similar vehicles (Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav 4) I have been fighting crime for 30 years and really have nothing to prove based upon the size of my, um, SUV.

 

There are 2 kinds of women who buy Jeeps. The women who are happy with a Jeep car...the Compass. Then there are ones who want a big macho JEEP. Wrangler, GC or Liberty. The Patriots are generally purchased by men who need an economical SUV and prefer a Jeep to other brands.

 

BINGO!!!

 

In my area, I see most women in a wrangler or liberty. I have a friend, that wants to buy a wrangler very badly and she's a woman. I tried talking her into a Patriot for the better mileage as she has a 60 mil round trip commute and she said "It's no good for off-roading". I laughed and asked her where she was going to go "off-roading" and she didn't know what I meant. I said, well there are a few places, parks and areas where you can legally go, which one were you thinking of going to and she couldn't answer the question. Then she said, I just like the look of the wrangler better.

I've driven all sorts of vehicles since 1986, one of my first cars was free. Given to me because it didn't run. It was a baby blue 1970 VW Type III Fastback that had pink polk-a-dots all over it. The previous owner was bet $50 he wouldn't do it, so he did. I drove that car for a year painted like that and did not care in the least. Took girls out on dates in it too. I got teased by a few guys and girls at first, but when they realized I didn't care that all stopped.

Drive what you want and like. I always did and never worried about it's proposed demographics.

 

In my area, I see most women in a wrangler or liberty. I have a friend, that wants to buy a wrangler very badly and she's a woman. I tried talking her into a Patriot for the better mileage as she has a 60 mil round trip commute and she said "It's no good for off-roading". I laughed and asked her where she was going to go "off-roading" and she didn't know what I meant. I said, well there are a few places, parks and areas where you can legally go, which one were you thinking of going to and she couldn't answer the question. Then she said, I just like the look of the wrangler better.

That's the kind of person that would end up in a 4cyl. Wrangler 2x4(had they still been making them), and then got stuck on wet dirt road or the beach because it "looked" better off-road... thus hurting Jeeps image and making them realize they should only build a Wrangler in a 4x4.

 

I didn't buy my Patriot to go mudding with the boys so to speak. Being a female I wanted a vehicle that I knew was reliable and could get me anywhere I needed too.. One of my co-workers has a older model Cherokee Laredo... When I started looking at the Jeeps all I heard was that Jeeps suck..

Things are a bit different now that I have my Riot... Granted I don't go off roading etc but at least I know that my low mileage travels (except for the long road trips) my vehicle will hold up nicely (keeping fingers crossed)..

The haha now is that we have another female employee who just started who has a Liberty so when we are all working it looks like it could be a ad for the various Jeep products.... Just my 2 pennies worth..

 

After I bought my 09 FDI, my roomate (inside plumbing) started looking for a new car. I took her to the sales rep where I bought my Patriot. He showed her Patriot's and Compasses. She said she preferred the Compass because the Patriot "Looked like a guys car." She bought the Compass. Go figure. I have 6 kids, a motorcycle, firearms, a mustache and I like Hank Williams Jr. I don't feel my masculinity is in question while driving my Patriot. Besides, if I wanted to blend in I'd take the bus.

 

We have tons of jeeps around here (the black hills area) due to the large amount of easily accessible 4x4 trails, that range anywhere from gravel roads you can take a chevy prism on to knarly, rocky trails that only the purpose-built buggies can get through. So jeeps are driven by all shapes, sizes, and genders of people. But, in general:

Wranglers are mainly driven by men (CJs, TJs, and lifted JKs), although stock JKs, specifically unlimiteds are driven by far more women.

Libertys, as stated before, are mostly women.

Grand Cherokees are driven by a pretty even mix. Generally newer stockers will be driven by women and if it's lifted, has decent tires on it, etc, it's going to be a guy behind the wheel.

Cherokees... I'd say around here more cherokees are driven by guys, mostly younger guys since they are cheaper now, and a LOT of them are lifted here.

Compasses, which are many here, are driven by women, almost exclusively, although one guy I know drives one.

I really don't see many Patriots here, but the ones I do see are driven mostly by women. As was said by someone else, I'm an offroading, hunting, fishing, gun-toting kinda guy, so I don't mind watching "men" drive by in their trucks getting 12mpg. My favorite one was a guy at my school who used to have a massive lifted chevy 1/2 ton which was always perfectly clean; I'm pretty sure that thing had never seen a trail before, especially since he had stock 1/2 ton axles with those massive tires...

 

Gee, are bench seats that rare today? The first pick-up I ever bought new, I ordered with a 3 in the tree, so I could fit 3 guys in the truck to go fishing and hunting, and of course like Jeepstr said it also came in handy on date nights, going to the submarine races, watching the grass grow, etc. I added the stereo and big shelf type speakers behind the seats, with wires long enough I could run them through the sliding rear window and use for tailgating, or at the drive in when I'd throw an air mattress in the bed and we'd back in for the movie.

 

This is kind of funny, because in my situation, I'm a guy who picked out a Jeep Patriot BECAUSE we've got 3 kids and I needed something practical enough for taking the family out places, and with decent enough gas mileage for daily commutes to/from work, but with a decent capacity for hauling bulky/oversize items too. (I got rid of a Ford F-150 pickup, so I wanted to at least retain SOME of my former ability to bring home something like a disassembled piece of furniture or a bunch of supplies from the local Home Depot, or ??) Of all my practical (and affordable!) options, I liked the Patriot because it still looked enough like a "guy's vehicle" so I felt fine driving it around. I mean, it still retains the classic Jeep front grille with the vertical slots and the big round headlights, and the interior is pretty sparse too. It felt functional .... without trying to do anything plush or foo-foo for the ladies.

My wife doesn't care much for driving it, and decided on a Kia Soul for herself. (Of course, she still winds up asking to borrow the keys to the Jeep every so often, because she wants to pick up some used thing she found on Craigslist that invariably doesn't fit in the Kia. Heh.)

 

That's interesting. I mentioned this in the 2012 thread that I am seriously deciding on a Patriot or a Journey. Hope to do something by Spring, sooner possibly if I go with the Patriot (year end discounts).

My main concern is space. We have a little one and when I put the stroller in the back of one, there wasn't much room for much else. Not that there is a lot of room in many vehicles with a stroller, but still, it was tight and limited room for anything. The good thing is that we need it less now, but might be a sibling in the future.

In any case, there's a lot to like with the Patriot (and the Journey) and it's a tough choice for me so glad to see that it works for you with 3 kids.

 

I looked at the Journey myself. My impressions were...

1 - They both have the same approx amount of interior room although the Journey may have a slight edge. Not enough difference for it to play into the decision for me however.

2 - The Journey has a V6 offered which is nice and would make towing my boat easier. The Journey wins the towing comparison with a more powerful engine and a 2500lbs capacity vs the Patriot's 2000.

3 - When comparing MPG the Patriot came out on top and that is a big factor for me these days. City MPG is lower in the Journey vs the Patriot even though highway MPG is similar even with the V6. Overall on average the Patriot will return a good 3+ MPG better average even if both had the 2.4L.

4 - Both vehicles have their share of vision issues but the Journey has a ton of blind spots. The windows are just too narrow for me. Even worse side vision than the Patriot which is marginal.

5 - Sticker comparison. The Patriot is literally thousands and thousands less. You can get a loaded Patriot with everything offered for a whole butt load less money. Actually to get an AWD Journey with the same basic set of options my Patriot has would cost me $32K vs the $24K the Patriot cost.

IMO the Patriot offers a lot more value for the dollar compared to the Journey. The Journey is very nice but too $$$ IMO. For that kind of money I can get a 4WD full sized pickup.

 

I looked at the Journey myself. My impressions were...

1 - They both have the same approx amount of interior room although the Journey may have a slight edge. Not enough difference for it to play into the decision for me however.

Patriot cargo space:
All seats in place: 23.0 cu ft
Max: 62.7 cu ft

Journey cargo space:
second row seats seats in place: 39.6 cu ft
Max: 67.6 cu ft

 

Doing some quick math--based on 18-K miles/yr and conservative mpg figures, I will save over $600/yr on gas just by swapping my V6 Chevy Venture for a Riot.
And I can still haul my bikes, camping equipment, dog etc....albeit a little tighter fit.
The boxier, squared off --classic if you will--styling of the Riot doesn't impress me as being more feminine compared to, say, a Compass. The first gen Libby could be argued to look like a chick Jeep, but still has more balls than the Riot.

 

I'd take a Patriot over a 1st gen Liberty... mainly for the rear leg room, MPG's, and looks. And I think the 1st gen liberty does look too much like a chick car... but that's my opinion

 

looked at the Journey myself. My impressions were...

1 - They both have the same approx amount of interior room although the Journey may have a slight edge. Not enough difference for it to play into the decision for me however.

2 - The Journey has a V6 offered which is nice and would make towing my boat easier. The Journey wins the towing comparison with a more powerful engine and a 2500lbs capacity vs the Patriot's 2000.

3 - When comparing MPG the Patriot came out on top and that is a big factor for me these days. City MPG is lower in the Journey vs the Patriot even though highway MPG is similar even with the V6. Overall on average the Patriot will return a good 3+ MPG better average even if both had the 2.4L.

4 - Both vehicles have their share of vision issues but the Journey has a ton of blind spots. The windows are just too narrow for me. Even worse side vision than the Patriot which is marginal.

5 - Sticker comparison. The Patriot is literally thousands and thousands less. You can get a loaded Patriot with everything offered for a whole butt load less money. Actually to get an AWD Journey with the same basic set of options my Patriot has would cost me $32K vs the $24K the Patriot cost.

IMO the Patriot offers a lot more value for the dollar compared to the Journey. The Journey is very nice but too $$$ IMO. For that kind of money I can get a 4WD full sized pickup.

I agree that I can live with the interior space though the cargo difference is significant and would be the main edge for the Journey for me. We'll seeing I'll be taking my time on the decision but go back and forth often.

It will be likely be hard to pass up on a Patriot once '11s are marked down more as 2012s start to roll in though....