[CRC]

I think PatriotMB is right. Especially if the Cherokee sells well and since it's built on the Dart platform. That new Cherokee is an abomination and offends my '99 XJ in so many ways.

 

[Coppertrailer]

Fiat needs an entry level Jeep. Can't be a 30-35g Cherokee way out of half the Americans budget. Compass will go and Patriot will hang out a lil longer. Compass looks and costs similar to Cherokee my opinion.

 

[jeepmuck]

Got to sit in one at my dealer today, while I was getting my Patriot serviced. Looks better in person, like the interior, but it definitely is smaller on the inside and all around feels more like a Escape or CR-V. Soccer Moms will love this thing, but color me unimpressed. I'll drive my Patriot till its wheels fall off!

 

[2LZ]

Fair enough review BUT....you move the driver seat all the way back in any car other than a '68 Buick Electra, you're going to be a bit cramped in the back seat. That little blurb in the review was borderline ridiculous.

Storage? The Mrs. brought home a 6' and 5' folding tableS and 8 folding metal chairs in the Pat last night for T-giving with ROOM TO SPARE! HOOO-AHHH!
Fit a fill sized front tine tiller in it last week. Piece of cake. pretty amazing hauler if you use your noodle a little.

 

[NHPATRIOT]

Got to sit in one at my dealer today, while I was getting my Patriot serviced. Looks better in person, like the interior, but it definitely is smaller on the inside and all around feels more like a Escape or CR-V. Soccer Moms will love this thing, but color me unimpressed. I'll drive my Patriot till its wheels fall off!

I will have to disagree that the new Cherokee is smaller on the inside than a Patriot( respectfully ). I am 6' 3" and 300lbs and room matters to me in a small vehicle like these 2 in question. I was much more comfy in the Cherokee than I am my Patriot. Not saying the Patriot is bad but the Cherokee was definitely roomier by a bit "overall". Some areas it has more and in others the Patriot does. They actually are very close however.

Room Comparison(IMO after sitting in one)...
Front/Driver Side To Side "Tuckuss" Room - Cherokee( and it seems like more than the spec's give it - maybe because the center console sits further back )
Head Room - Patriot( even with my sunroof - still plenty of HR in the Cherokee even at 6' 3" )
Front Leg Room - Cherokee
Rear Seat Room( Butt, Leg, & Head ) - Even according to my Dad( I did not sit there - to me it looked like a bit more in the Patriot )
Cargo Area - It seemed pretty darn even to me based on the rear seats being up( I didn't get to put the seats down and see it wide open ).

The front/driver's area is definitely more roomy and comfortable overall than the Patriot. It is when you start talking about the back seat and cargo area where things tighten up( no pun intended )and favor the Patriot a bit here and the Cherokee a bit there. It is actually very close.

If you compare the official spec's it is really close overall with the Cherokee having a slight edge in overall interior space. I wonder if the rounded roof line of the Cherokee, which causes the illusion of less room inside as there is less room up high, is fooling people into thinking it is smaller overall? Similar to a Compass vs a Patriot. Same vehicle and interior but the different roofline makes the Compass feel a lot smaller.

2014 Patriot:
Cargo Capacity - Rear Seats Folded 53.5 ft( no spec given for seat up like Cherokee )
Head Room - Front 41"
Head Room - Rear 39.9"
Hip Room - Front 52.3"
Hip Room - Rear 51"
Leg Room - Front 40.6"
Leg Room - Rear 39.4"
Passenger Interior Volume 104.4 ft
Shoulder Room - Front 54.5"
Shoulder Room - Rear 54"

2014 Cherokee:
Cargo Capacity - Rear Seats Folded 54.9 ft( 29.7 ft Rear Seats Up )
Head Room - Front 39.4"
Head Room - Rear 38.5"
Hip Room - Front 53.8"
Hip Room - Rear 49.9"
Leg Room - Front 41.1"
Leg Room - Rear 40.3"
Passenger Interior Volume 105.4 ft
Shoulder Room - Front 57.6"
Shoulder Room - Rear 55.1"

 

[crazyjackcsa]

Fair enough review BUT....you move the driver seat all the way back in any car other than a '68 Buick Electra, you're going to be a bit cramped in the back seat. That little blurb in the review was borderline ridiculous.

Storage? The Mrs. brought home a 6' and 5' folding tableS and 8 folding metal chairs in the Pat last night for T-giving with ROOM TO SPARE! HOOO-AHHH!
Fit a fill sized front tine tiller in it last week. Piece of cake. pretty amazing hauler if you use your noodle a little.

True that! If I move the seat back in my '71 Buick Riviera there is hardly any room at all.

 

[Adventure]

Plenty of leg room in my 96 LeSabre

Thinking about ditching it for a Patriot. Have a 2000 Cherokee with 3.5 lift, 31 muds, full safari rack, leather, and a little bit of stereo. Its really fun to drive, goes doorless in the summer and can get to any hunting spot or ski slope just not good at the daily work commute with 15ish mpg.

 

[Coppertrailer]

Plenty of leg room in my 96 LeSabre

Thinking about ditching it for a Patriot. Have a 2000 Cherokee with 3.5 lift, 31 muds, full safari rack, leather, and a little bit of stereo. Its really fun to drive, goes doorless in the summer and can get to any hunting spot or ski slope just not good at the daily work commute with 15ish mpg.

You must get Babes watching you though. Heck with mpg you'll miss the looks. How 'bout driving into Manhattan with a mudded Wrangler. Now that would be chicque.

 

[ChiefWilnel]

here is a cherokee photoshop i did to improve the looks

I think I might get rid of the brightwork under the grill

 

[the_jeep_now]

Mini Grand?

 

[Ignatz]

here is a cherokee photoshop i did to improve the looks

I think I might get rid of the brightwork under the grill

Well done! :smiley_thumbs_up: Looks better than what the Chrysler designers came up with.

 

[NHPATRIOT]

here is a cherokee photoshop i did to improve the looks

I think I might get rid of the brightwork under the grill

I like the actual way it is better.

 

[Ignatz]

Yeah, I agree about taking out the the brightwork under the grill -- chrome at all for that matter -- hardly fits the Jeep image.

 

[miketmx]

Yesterday I finally got to see a new Cherokee; It was a 4X2 Sport and $25k Canadian without tax etc. They said the Trailhawk would be $40k plus taxes. My opinion with the rear seats moved back there is definitely less trunk space than our Patriot; there is definitely less ground clearance and at 4000 lbs a 4 cylinder engine would be under/powered. I would not drive anywhere with a repair kit instead of a spare tire. I sincerely hope they make a 2015 Patriot.

 

[Ignatz]

Well, now I've seen a new Cherokee, and I'm reasonably impressed. I'd say there is definitely more cargo space than the Patriot. I can't imagine where that statistic came from. Also, it doesn't carry a spare tire so there's all that space under the floor -- I'd estimate 5 cubic feet. The back seet does seem a tad smaller than the Patriot, and ironically the adjustable seats only more forward to give you less passenger space, not more. Hard to figure that one. :doh:

 

[NHPATRIOT]

Well, now I've seen a new Cherokee, and I'm reasonably impressed. I'd say there is definitely more cargo space than the Patriot. I can't imagine where that statistic came from. Also, it doesn't carry a spare tire so there's all that space under the floor -- I'd estimate 5 cubic feet. The back seet does seem a tad smaller than the Patriot, and ironically the adjustable seats only more forward to give you less passenger space, not more. Hard to figure that one. :doh:

The FWD models are the ones that don't come with a spare but a compact spare can be had for $195. All 4WD models come with a spare( TH has a FS spare - other a CS ). If you add the Tow package it adds a FS spare.

On the rear seats I believe they set them as far back as they could for the starting point and that is why they only adjust forward. Adjusting forward allows for more cargo area room AND still keeping the seats up for passengers. So you can take your kids for example to the store and slide the seats forward to get more room for your purchase in the cargo area. If the seats didn't slide forward they would have to be laid down and thus the kids( or short adults )couldn't be in the back. JMHO.

 

[Ignatz]

NHPatriot, what you say makes sense. I guess the seats moving for cargo space is obvious, but the passenger space is modest at best. It could only be kids, or an ultra-slender adult if those seats were moved forward. Then again, I've moved my driver's seat foward to an uncomfortable position to get additional cargo in back, so I guess I could squeeze my passengers rather than leave them behind. We also have to realize this isn't a GC. Anybody measure the cargo floor from the tailgate to the back of the front seat? I'd have to measure that before I ever bought one because I carry items that just fit in my Patriot. I couldn't lose more than an inch or so.

 

[Coppertrailer]

The Cherokee is fine. I still feel Jeep held back the Cherokee to pass Jeep capabilities. I think the higher ups still have hundreds of years combined experience with the rough and tumble part of a Jeep. IMHO

 

[Ignatz]

The Cherokee is fine. I still feel Jeep held back the Cherokee to pass Jeep capabilities. I think the higher ups still have hundreds of years combined experience with the rough and tumble part of a Jeep. IMHO

Yeah, but they're using it on the Wrangler. The new Cherokee doesn't look like anything I'd take any further off road than a well-maintained dirt road. It really doesn't look like a swamp crawler.

It could work for my purposes, i.e., snowy roads in winter. Again, as I've said so often, FWD is enough. 4wd on a really nice machine is rather wasted. Are you really gonna throw a dead deer in the back of a new Cherokee? Maybe after 150,000 miles. At 135,000 miles, Ignatz is getting to the point that I'm letting him be a little more rough-n-tumble. Wifey's old Wrangler was getting there too -- scratches & dents, AM radio playing on the front seat -- then it was time for a new one.

 

[Coppertrailer]

One thing never mentioned here is how the awd systems in the new Jeeps are so advanced. Fwd might be advanced as well but our awd transmissions are so much more superior. Ask a dealer someday what is the real differences in awd and fwd trannies and he/she would probably add the fact that the traction to wheel control is way different and advanced in awds. IMO.