Weird. It seems like the Cherokee would be so much larger. I have been hoping that if the Patriot is discontinued that Jeep would reinvent the Cherokee. A boxier version of the Grand Cherokee. But I suppose the economy doesn't have room for more R and D in that dept. Still I believe Jeep would be smart to bring back a concept version at least for the auto show of the SUV that sort of started it all.

 

The older FD1 Patriots have less ground clearance to the rockers. But there are pros and cons both ways. The Patriot is flat on the bottom so the ground clearance is the same under the whole vehicle. The Cherokee has things that hang down here and there which have very little ground clearance. The greatest difference though is visibility. The Patriot SUCKS for visibility with the smaller windows, rear seat head rests and stupid fat roof pillars. That is my single greatest complaint when comparing the 2. Reduced visibility on the Patriot. Before somebody starts in on "these are required safety features", not being able to see, trumps ALL else when it comes to safety while driving.

 

Visibility is really an issue with the Patriot. You can see a big difference in the rear window of the Cherokee. For some reason I have yet to figure out, the 2011 seems to be a little worse than my 2009 in the visibility department. Its about 2 in higher, and the headrests are different. Otherwise they are the same. Maybe its the seats. They seem lower.

 

I have the same rear visibility problem when backing my boat. The headrests on the back seats are in the way. I have to fold them down.

 

When its possible, I open the liftgate if I'm backing up something I can't see very well.

 

I hate backing trailers with the convex mirror on the passengers side.

 

Ditto. Makes me wonder if I can get a temporary flat mirror to stick on there when backing a trailer. It's not a problem going forward.

My perception is that my 1987 four door Cherokee had better visibility from the driver's seat. But, if didn't have rear seat headrests. I try to drive with my rear seats folded down as much as possible.

 

too bad the aftermarket on the partiot isn't as robust as the Cherokee...

 

A guy that used to work here had a Cherokee 4x4, and I parked next to him a couple times. It looked just like your picture except his was blue and mine is gray. The roof is slightly higher on the Patriot, but the underside of the Cherokee is MUCH more visible. Cherokees are not as tall and sacrifice legroom for ground clearance. Still, they do look very similar in overall size. I looked up a comparison a couple months ago, and the Cherokee's top out at 19 mpg

 

According to ALLPAR.com, the Cherokee maxed out at 10.2 in of "running" ground clearance (@ 1 in more than a 2011 Patriot), but only 8.3 in of axle clearance (@ 1 in less than a 2011 Patriot). The differential hangs even lower.

 

Same problem here about the rear visibility, though I still love my Pat.

 

I must say the rear visibility, while not as good as the 92' Isuzu Trooper I had, is much improved over my old xB and the Compass I had for a rental

 

I know its a bit unrelated, but here is a picture I snapped of the Patriot when I first bought it, between a Range Rover and a Grand Cherokee. Personally, I like the Cherokee comparison picture more

 

I'm surprised at MrJeep's photo. I really would have thought that a Patriot would have been dwarfed by those other two, I really would. I mean, you get so used to hearing all the cráp about Patriots being small, limited ground clearance, not a real Jeep, blah, blah, blah. But when you see those photos from MrJeep and from AfmCronnie you start to think, "Wait a second... this is rubbish..."
I do agree with Jepstr and others about the visibility. I live on a bend in the road and backing out is a bit of a gamble. Actually, you didn't hear me say that, because backing out onto a major road is an offence here in the UK....
But it is the way that all manufacturers are going, isn't it? In order to get these safety boxes ticked, such as roof strength and so on you need beefier pillars. Once again, though, you have to think, wouldn't it perhaps be better to improve the features that help you to avoid the bl**dy accident in the first place, eh?

Rocal

 

I'm surprised at MrJeep's photo. I really would have thought that a Patriot would have been dwarfed by those other two, I really would. I mean, you get so used to hearing all the cráp about Patriots being small, limited ground clearance, not a real Jeep, blah, blah, blah. But when you see those photos from MrJeep and from AfmCronnie you start to think, "Wait a second... this is rubbish..."

...Once again, though, you have to think, wouldn't it perhaps be better to improve the features that help you to avoid the bl**dy accident in the first place, eh?

Rocal

I think the Range Rover still dwarfs it a bit, but looking at it from straight on at the rear, the Patriot and older GC seemed like they were nearly the same height and ground clearance.

And yeah I am agreeing with you guys... it makes more sense to see and avoid the accident, than to make it difficult to see out of and cause an accident. It's still easier to back than my xB with no C pillar windows:

 

Technically the Commander was built to compete with the Range Rover. Unfortunately the heavy use of plastic did not justify the high price tag. The history was that the "Grand" Cherokee was supposed to replace the XJ Cherokee but consumers saw it differently so Jeep kept both Causing a redundancy in the line. That is why they are about the same size. This also outlines what I've seen as a problem in the Jeep line since 1992. No Diversity. No Pickup, No Wagoneer. No specialized fleet vehicles. Jeep does not need 4 hard body SUV models, basically the same size with varying styles of luxury and capability. They should take the Wrangler platform and make a luxury body with a solid top, (Wagoneer) and a pickup. Jeep only needs one platform. If you want something fast, nimble, or easy on gas, The Jeep brand should really be the last place you look. That is not to say that cars like Patriot, and the Grand Cherokee SRT8 are bad cars, just not what Jeep should be focusing on. It is a bad business plan to try to get Jeep to appeal to a wider market where competitors already exist. Jeeps forte was answering the vehicle needs where there was a void, not going head to head with major competitors. When Jeep turns its back on being the toughest vehicle on 4 wheels, they lose their focus completely.

 

Well said.