[calicojack]

Reliability isn't really the issue, the Patriot is consistently ranked one of Chrysler's most reliable vehicles, but the reviewers always complain that they are "outdated" (I personally think this is a plus, I hate most of the electronic crap they are putting in many newer vehicles), the "utilitarian" interior (still much improved from earlier models, and again I think is a plus, may not be as "fancy" as competitors, but holds up well), the handling (they're comparing it to crossovers with 2-3" less ground clearance and nothing resembling off-road ability), and it's general "cheapness" (it is a cheap vehicle after all, you shouldn't expect a "luxury car" level of refinement in this price range).

Yeah iv noticed from reviews I've seen seem very biased as if from luxury critics. Like you mentioned it seems to be a lot of complan ingredient that it's has updated much from the early years and mostly about features and stuff. I could live with out al super fancy stuff, and be happy with a 4x4 with good mpg that's really affordable compared to other 4x4s.
Thanks

 

[calicojack]

I had a '98 Grand Cherokee with 225,000 miles on it, and it died on me. I had been researching compact SUV's for a while, and yes there are a lot of options that may give you more bang for the buck, but I decided after all to just stick with Jeep. March 31st 2015 I walked into Garden City Chrysler and bought my 2015 Patriot Altitude.

Yes, all of the websites say to get a Ford Escape, or a Honda CRV, but I'm also big on aesthetic, and personally, I cannot drive something that looks like a big egg shaped shuttle craft out of a sci-fi movie. The Patriot still looks like a Jeep. Like a truck. It looks rugged, and I love looking at it every single day when I'm first unlocking those doors.

It's basic, no bluetooth, no Nav system, no excessive amount of 12v charger ports, no satellite radio, but dammit, it's still perfect for me! NYC had some brutal snow this winter, and I drove home from the city at 4am in the middle of a blizzard with my 4 wheel drive, and made it back to Queens nice and smooth...

I've got a nice Garmin, and an iPhone, so who needs a Nav? You can buy a bluetooth earpiece, so who needs a bluetooth? Heated seats? Nah, I've got cloth seats and the heat works great... Heated steering wheel? nah, i've got nice winter gloves. And again the heat works great... So a year later, no troubles, no issues...I'm up to 12,000 miles and it's still looks as new as the day i brought it home...

The Patriot may not be the trendiest, or the best value ever, but it's perfect for me...and I love mine.

Hope this helps!

Thabks, I understand, I don't mind not having the little features like that. Plus I live in southern california and where I am I don't have to worry about snow and cold like that haha

 

[Treegrower]

I knew the drones would follow and come up with all the reasons why the article is wrong. You didn't let me down guys. So expected...

Can't argue with you on this one. I lurked here a full year before joining and noticed the Subaru-like cult following. It made it difficult to assess the threads regarding reliability and caused me to dig very deep into many sources. It's very tough to ignore nearly all of the negative magazine reviews and still part with one's money for a Jeep. At my purchase time, the Forester oil consumption issue was flaming, the new Ford Escape was literally flaming (engine and many other recalls), and Honda would not budge on CRV pricing. Back then, I couldn't understand why the rags put the Forester on top without a mention of the serious oil consumption issue. Only time will tell if my Patriot ownership pleasure ends on a good note. The toughest part, for me, is dealing with the stigma surrounding the Patriot. But, not too tough. I try to "invest" as little as possible in depreciating assets, while at the same time enjoy a well maintained reliable ride. A-O-K, so far.

 

[Ignatz]

So telling the truth and presenting arguments against the Patriot are considered trolling?

There are numerous people who join this forum to see if they should buy one. I think they should see both sides of the argument.

No trolling my friend.

I think FCA did the rest of us a favor and put all their defective parts into one vehicle (yours) instead of spreading them out.

Friend of mine just traded in his Lexus with about half the miles of my Patriot, because he was looking at so many repairs he figured he was better off new. A Lexus! Bet that car gets good reviews, though. He liked his enough to buy another and I liked my Patriot enough to buy another. I betcha my two Patriots together cost less than one Lexus.

Reviews are totally subjective. Even the so-called 'scientific' studies are biased. The best way to find out the quality of a vehicle is to ask someone who's driving one. :smiley_thumbs_up:

BTW, the review said the Patriot was a Dodge Caliber with a 7-slot grill. So what's wrong with a Dodge Caliber? I'd rather have a Caliber than a Dart. So they beefed up the Dodge with more cargo capacity, lifted it a little, and gave it 4wd. Pretty clever use of resources -- why design a totally new vehicle? It might come out like the the (gulp) Renegade.

 

[celt]

BTW, the review said the Patriot was a Dodge Caliber with a 7-slot grill. So what's wrong with a Dodge Caliber? I'd rather have a Caliber than a Dart. So they beefed up the Dodge with more cargo capacity, lifted it a little, and gave it 4wd. Pretty clever use of resources -- why design a totally new vehicle? It might come out like the the (gulp) Renegade.

Funny thing about cars and names - I doubt many actual renegades would be caught behind the wheel of a Jeep Renegade..

:wink2:

 

[RossoRacer]

2010, 4x4, CVT, 90,000 miles, couldn't be happier. Couple slight issues, but nothing that can't be fixed with friends and food.

 

[Treegrower]

Funny thing about cars and names - I doubt many actual renegades would be caught behind the wheel of a Jeep Renegade..:wink2:

Maybe not true.

Renegade:

- a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.

- a person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner.

 

[Ignatz]

Maybe not true.

Renegade:

- a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.

- a person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner.

Just about the opposite of a Patriot.

 

[Igster]

I had a '98 Grand Cherokee with 225,000 miles on it, and it died on me. I had been researching compact SUV's for a while, and yes there are a lot of options that may give you more bang for the buck, but I decided after all to just stick with Jeep. March 31st 2015 I walked into Garden City Chrysler and bought my 2015 Patriot Altitude.

Yes, all of the websites say to get a Ford Escape, or a Honda CRV, but I'm also big on aesthetic, and personally, I cannot drive something that looks like a big egg shaped shuttle craft out of a sci-fi movie. The Patriot still looks like a Jeep. Like a truck. It looks rugged, and I love looking at it every single day when I'm first unlocking those doors.

It's basic, no bluetooth, no Nav system, no excessive amount of 12v charger ports, no satellite radio, but dammit, it's still perfect for me! NYC had some brutal snow this winter, and I drove home from the city at 4am in the middle of a blizzard with my 4 wheel drive, and made it back to Queens nice and smooth...

I've got a nice Garmin, and an iPhone, so who needs a Nav? You can buy a bluetooth earpiece, so who needs a bluetooth? Heated seats? Nah, I've got cloth seats and the heat works great... Heated steering wheel? nah, i've got nice winter gloves. And again the heat works great... So a year later, no troubles, no issues...I'm up to 12,000 miles and it's still looks as new as the day i brought it home...

The Patriot may not be the trendiest, or the best value ever, but it's perfect for me...and I love mine.

Hope this helps!

This post is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't have this, but this will compensate. It's not as good doing this but I'm OK with that. This post is full of people who buy a Jeep Patriot and "settle".

I'll never convince those who write posts like this, but I hope I stop some poor soul coming by this forum wondering if they should buy it and decide to look around a bit more.

I HATE my Patriot and can't wait until the day it's gone. Worst purchase I ever made. Dodge garbage.

 

[tcperconti]

Articles like this have been around since the very beginning. I bought my first Patriot back in Feb '07 and there were plenty of articles ragging on it then... and has been pretty steady since. I suspect that there will continue to be negative articles even after FCA ceases production of them. I would not be surprised to see a video documentary on how the Patriot was the all-time worst vehicle to wear the "Jeep" name.

I never got why there was so much hate heaped on the Patriot, but I find it odd that the same people who trashed the Patriot in articles fell over themselves in praising the Renegade... which suffers from the same "issues" (and more) that the Patriot did that caused them to diss the Patriot in the first place.

I've had a great run with my '07 Patriot (which is now my daughter-in-law's daily driver) and my '15 Patriot is carrying on in that tradition. But that's my first-hand experience. I don't want to invalidate the experiences of those who differ from mine.

 

[John Smeton]

Reliability isn't really the issue, the Patriot is consistently ranked one of Chrysler's most reliable vehicles, but the reviewers always complain that they are "outdated" (I personally think this is a plus, I hate most of the electronic crap they are putting in many newer vehicles), the "utilitarian" interior (still much improved from earlier models, and again I think is a plus, may not be as "fancy" as competitors, but holds up well), the handling (they're comparing it to crossovers with 2-3" less ground clearance and nothing resembling off-road ability), and it's general "cheapness" (it is a cheap vehicle after all, you shouldn't expect a "luxury car" level of refinement in this price range).

I like he classic patriot look, and its about what I like when I choose a car. I agree , I like the simplenes of the patriot and not al the heated mirrors, etc...it has some nice stuff, like the aux to plug my mp3 in, and other fantastic stuff that works for me. I prefer the more basic stuff in a car

 

[Treegrower]

This post is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't have this, but this will compensate. It's not as good doing this but I'm OK with that. This post is full of people who buy a Jeep Patriot and "settle".

I'll never convince those who write posts like this, but I hope I stop some poor soul coming by this forum wondering if they should buy it and decide to look around a bit more.

I HATE my Patriot and can't wait until the day it's gone. Worst purchase I ever made. Dodge garbage.

I spent 2 years shopping before settling on a Patriot. I chose it because I hated it least of everything available. 2 years at the Detroit Auto show, I told myself "nothing here calls out to me". It was the best choice of vehicles available with my preference for steel wheels, roll up windows, and no infotainment system.

You come across as someone trying blame others on a bad decision you made for yourself.

Why DID you settle on a Patriot when so many others are available? If its mechanical problems, wake up, every vehicle brand forum has a "worst purchase ever made guy".

If you could, what would you buy? Forester, CRV, RAV4? Your answer would better explain your Patriot hate.

 

[John Smeton]

Igster talking about "settling" for jeep patriot . Im happy to settle for a vehicle that is about half the cost of what another manufacturer would charge. I got myself a great deal

 

[Terasec]

This post is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't have this, but this will compensate. It's not as good doing this but I'm OK with that. This post is full of people who buy a Jeep Patriot and "settle".


I HATE my Patriot and can't wait until the day it's gone. Worst purchase I ever made. Dodge garbage.

Not sure what you mean by settled
I had a low $20k budget when i bought the pat
Guess i settled when i bought mine at $21.5k
Nearest comparable 4x4 was $27k
I settled and saved +$5k

Guess i also settled on my recent purchase
Settled on a 2 yr old buick with 8k miles on it over new


As for your gripes
I hated my 1990 volvo which blew the engine at 5 yrs with 55k miles on it
They didnt have extended powertrain warranties like they do today
It cost me $150 to have it towed to the junk yard
But didnt go around bashing volvo owners over it

 

[12PatriotCVT]

I had a Patriot with CVT and steelies. Hated the CVT and steelies. I settled for a Compass with the 6at. I like the ride of the MKS and I feel no remorse. I knew what I was buying.

 

[aroundincircles]

I knew what I was buying.

by far the most important thing said in this whole thread. I think that some of the negative sentiments I've read here come from somebody who didn't know what they were buying and had the wrong expectations.

Have you ever told somebody you were going to give them milk, but without them seeing what you are giving them, gave them O.J. in stead? It will make people puke.

O.J. is amazing and in some ways far better than milk, However, if you are expecting one thing, and get something else, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth, despite the qualities of the product.

Is there a lemon here and there? sure, but that's with ALL vehicles from ALL makes. Period. That's why they sell them with warranties and there are lemon laws (at least in the US). so you can fix the issues.

anyways, anybody who is realistic about it, the patriot is a great value for the money for a 4x4/awd vehicle. I don't think there is another one that can come close to it on price. There was a suzuki that could, but it is no longer sold in the US. It can fit 4 adults, or 2 and 3 kids easily (I've done that plenty) and it can carry a bunch of cargo, it was by far the easiest car to get our kids strollers in and out of. and it gets OK gas mileage (to get better you have to spend a lot more $$ and you can buy a lot of gas for that extra $$)

anyways. I think most of the reviews are unfair to the patriot, as they put it up against cars costs thousands more, and are much newer platforms. however it is dated, and there are better cars on the market (but not for the money). Set the correct expectations, and you'll be set.

just for example, the hyundai tucson (which I think somebody mentioned replacing their patriot with) for a base 2.0l (same world engine platform as the patriot) with the same 6 speed auto and 4x4, STARTS at 4k more than the patriot, before taking any incentives into account. once you do that its as high as a 9K difference in price. you can almost buy a whole other brand new car for the price difference between the two entry level awd cars with basically the same drive train. and if you were to go with the 1.6l turbo (similar horse power to the patriot) then you could buy a chevy spark or nissan virsa for the price difference between the two. So yeah, I sure as heck hope that the tucson is a nicer car than the patriot (which it is not) for that kind of money.

 

[Igster]

Patriot is going back to the bank on Monday. I couldn't be happier. So long you piece of crap. I would rather drive a 12 year old pickup truck than this piece of crap. Good riddance. You can all enjoy your dodge garbage, with no resale value and not even close to anything that can 4x4 with anything out there. Bucket of bolts. Ranks right up there with their fricken' K-Cars. Good riddance Patriot. Worst mistake of my life. God knows I'm going to pay for it, but I know it was the worst choice I made. If you are thinking about buying a Patriot. Run you crazy bastard. Run and never look back.

 

[12PatriotCVT]

The MKs hold one of the highest resale values. All Jeeps do. Why do you badge this vehicle as a Dodge. The platform the MKs are on is shared with many different vehicles not just FCA vehicles. Trucks are great but after a few years they rattle . I am older and need a quiet solid vehicle. I am surrounded by cheap plastic and I'm fine with that.

 

[Terasec]

Patriot is going back to the bank on Monday. I couldn't be happier. So long you piece of crap. I would rather drive a 12 year old pickup truck than this piece of crap. Good riddance. You can all enjoy your dodge garbage, with no resale value and not even close to anything that can 4x4 with anything out there. Bucket of bolts. Ranks right up there with their fricken' K-Cars. Good riddance Patriot. Worst mistake of my life. God knows I'm going to pay for it, but I know it was the worst choice I made. If you are thinking about buying a Patriot. Run you crazy bastard. Run and never look back.

Good luck on your next ride
Hope it works out for you
Just curious
Will you be buying a $50k 4x4?
Or will you settle for a $30k truck?

 

[12PatriotCVT]

30k for a stripped down truck maybe. Trucks are expensive. Igster shuda waited for Wrangler days. There's a Chrysler dealership near Akron that advertizes new low end Wrangler's for 21k. They are on I76 west of Akron. Big Dealer too they have a huge digital billboard in front of property. That's what he shuda bought. Patriots are good snow runners not rock hoppers. He bought the wrong vehicle.