Its really depends on what you like. If you read expedition west's review and his posts here, the Liberty has only a slight edge in off roading and in fact the Patriot is more menuverable off road. The patriot is going to be more efficient, so it'll cost you less in gas. The Liberty is a little faster and can tow alot more. Patriot drives better on road. The CVT isn't for everyone. Patriot drives more like a car, Liberty more like a truck. I didnt think the Patriot engine was underpowered but its noticably less powerful than the Liberty.

I considered the Liberty breifly. I need something that can do some off roading because two of my best friends own ranches that I spend alot of time at and I need to get around there. But I have to drive this vehicle to work everyday and I need to be able to afford to drive it to the ranches. So in the end, after seeing the videos and after reading the reviews, particularly the expeditions west review, I believe that the Patriot is capable enough for all but the most hardcore off roaders, I can afford to drive it to work everyday and on roadtrips, and I feel I can get more for my money with the Patriot. I want a Limited Patriot w/ the BA system, UConnect, tow package, sun roof, and a comprable Liberty would cost me more even with the $3000 rebate and it would cost me more to own. I wasnt crazy about the CVT but it was very nice in stop and go traffic so I dont mind it.

So based on your comments above it sounds like the choice comes down to whether you care more about the gas mileage or the power. If you really enjoy a powerful engine the Patriot might not do it for you. If you want lower fuel bills and a more car like drive the Patriot might be the better choice.

Personally, Im not concerned with the fact that the Patriot is new. I expect the world engine to be reliable scince it was developed with Mitsubishi and Hyundai who both plan to use it. And I expect the CVT to be more reliable and less expensive to repair than a traditional transmission. There's obviously no data to back that up but its based on what I know about mechanics and my conversations about it with my buddy who is a mechanic. And the Liberty dosnt have a stellar reliability record.

Its ok, im neurotic about my car purchases as well, thats why Ive been looking and researching SUV's since November for a purchase this spring or summer.

 

$18,000! wow, thats like $6000 under invoice. let us know if you land that deal, so itll give us some firepower to haggle with.

 

Invoice on Liberty: $22,279
Invoice on Patriot: $19,108

To SuperDave: The mileage is almost the same if both are trail-rated. Liberty 18/22 city, hwy
Patriot 21/23 city,hwy

Would the Patriot go uphill ok with smaller engine?
I have a weak little truck right now, and it has a lot of trouble getting up a hill on the highway. It will only get to like 65 and that's it, so I am unable to pass anyone. Even if I floor it to pass it just won't do anything.

 

my mistake, i didnt read 'no options' and i was going off my fully loaded dream machine. hehehe... although, id like to know about hills. we have lots here in Vancouver. i know my GTi roars up them like a little devil.

 

If you are the type that must have the latest and greatest buy the Patriot. If you are someone who wants a fantastic deal go with the Liberty. There is in truth between a 4 and 5 mpg difference between the two as equipped. How many miles you drive per year will determine whether this difference is real or not.

I rented a Liberty Limited last year for several weeks and was very impressed. No off-roading but a comfortable everyday car. The rear tailgate and luggage area, and general interior layout is not as well designed as the Compass or Patriot.

 

To continue what superdave was talking about... The mileage in the KJ is not the best. Also consider the gas tank size:

roughly
Liberty - 18 gallons
Patroit - 13 gallons

I've been driving the Liberty for 4 years and get around 225 miles per tank of gas before I need to fill up (90% city driving) where as my Sisters Compass (4x2 CVT) can go 250 - 275 miles on the same commute and her car isn't even broken in yet! Then factor in the cost to fill up the gas tank weekly and the Patriot / Compass clearly has the advantage.

Sure the Liberty is going to feel a bit more solid, it weighs in over 4,000 lbs so looking at just a few numbers doesn't really give you the whole picture. I love my liberty though, it'll tow anything and take me anywhere I ask it but I believe the the Patriot would also be able to tow my sailboat and take me camping when I feel the urge.

 

The Liberty you are talking about must be an older model, like a 2003 or 2004.

Eventhough the Liberty has a V6 and is more powerful than the Patriot, it's still kinda marketed towards female drivers. I notice that mostly women drive the Liberty and Compass, while the men drive the Grand Cherokees, Commanders, and Wranglers.

I'd go with the Patriot. When comparing a new Patriot with a new Liberty, the Patriot is less expensive. Plus the Patriot is easier on gas.

 

The Liberty you are talking about must be an older model, like a 2003 or 2004.

Why does it have to be an older model? From 2002 thru today - they all get the same MPG

Eventhough the Liberty has a V6 and is more powerful than the Patriot, it's still kinda marketed towards female drivers.

I hope you don't mean the the Liberty is a girly Jeep just because of it's shape? Come on, the Liberty can tow 5,000 pounds, has a 1,000 pound payload capacity and go almost anywhere - those are all things a girl would look for in a Jeep right? On top of this it is more comfortable than the Cherokee it replaced.

I notice that mostly women drive the Liberty and Compass, while the men drive the Grand Cherokees, Commanders, and Wranglers.

People buy a vehicle that suits their needs:

The Liberty is the best selling Small SUV on the market. Even outselling Toyota and Honda. All of those buyers can't be female.... I know I'm not.

P.S. the Commander is being cancelled after 2008

I'd go with the Patriot. When comparing a new Patriot with a new Liberty, the Patriot is less expensive. Plus the Patriot is easier on gas.

This we agree on

 

I was confused about the pricing, thats all. From looking at the Jeep website I noticed that Liberty's start at $22,615, while the Patriot starts at $14,985. So, in general, when comparing a new Liberty with a new Patriot, obviously the Liberty will cost more.

In no was is the Liberty a girly Jeep. I was just saying, compared to other Mid-Size SUVs like the Grand Cherokee or Ford Escape (which mostly men drive), there are a lot of females who drive Liberty's.

In my opinion, The Compass is a girly car, the Dodge Caliber is a girly car, and so is the CR-V and Rav 4. Compared to those I just mentioned the Liberty is obviously the best.

The people at Jeep/DC have realized that the Liberty is somewhat feminine when compared to the Wrangler or Commander, which is why the 2008 Liberty has been re-designed and will look like a Dodge Nitro.

Also, I had no idea that the Commanders will be discontinued. That sucks cause I loved the look of the Commander, but I guess it didn't sell as well as they hoped.

I just hope Jeep come to their senses and discontinue the Compass next year.

 

hmmm ... rumors are that dcx will get its hands on the latest tahoe platform, which would pave the way for a supersized commander replacement (a 3rd row that people could fit in) ... i like that the new liberty borrows from the commander's styling ... if only they would slap a miniature grand-cherokee front end on the compass, it would be a real "cute" ute ... as is, though, it's miserable looking. sorry, random thoughts i know.

anyway, as for patriot vs liberty, i could never buy a current gen libby knowing that they're finally getting rid of them for a jeep looking design. i know it was the best selling compact suv for 2005, but still, can't we all just act like the whole current liberty thing never happened ...

it's funny to me that almost every current jeep model is in some way trying to replace the cherokee ... the grand cherokee, of course, was to be its original replacement, but folks wanted them to keep the cherokee around too ... then they finally axed it & gave us the liberty, also a cherokee replacement ... years later we get the commander and patriot, different sized carbon copies of eachother based on the cherokee design, trying to win back former cherokee owners ... plus the new liberty goes back to a more cherokee-like design ... so basically jeep offers the legendary wrangler, the compass (which shouldn't exist), and several attempts at replacing the cherokee (grand, commander, patriot, liberty).

 

...anyway, as for patriot vs liberty, i could never buy a current gen libby knowing that they're finally getting rid of them for a jeep looking design. i know it was the best selling compact suv for 2005, but still, can't we all just act like the whole current liberty thing never happened ...

it's funny to me that almost every current jeep model is in some way trying to replace the cherokee ... the grand cherokee, of course, was to be its original replacement, but folks wanted them to keep the cherokee around too ... then they finally axed it & gave us the liberty, also a cherokee replacement ... years later we get the commander and patriot, different sized carbon copies of eachother based on the cherokee design, trying to win back former cherokee owners ... plus the new liberty goes back to a more cherokee-like design ... so basically jeep offers the legendary wrangler, the compass (which shouldn't exist), and several attempts at replacing the cherokee (grand, commander, patriot, liberty).

Never thought about it that way.... You have a very good point!

 

Im not interested in a Compass but I think it has a place as an alternative to the Rav4, CR-V, and Ecape which are all on road suv's. And if jeep can make more money by getting a share of that market they will be able to offer us better products. And I apploud Jeep for realizing there is a market for an SUV that is both off road capable and reasonably fuel efficient. I too like the Liberty, I would just like a little better gas mileage.

 

I would just like a little better gas mileage.

You can say that again!

 

If you really want the Liberty over the Patriot...I would suggest looking at a used vehicle before buing new. There are Liberties for sale at virtually every dealer you visit...mostly from expired leases. I've seen them priced around $13k with 20,000 miles, and it never hurts to make a low offer to see where the dealer is willing to land.

 

> I wouldn't believe any rumors about GM buying Chrysler...
me neither.

> you know what they say about opinions
i actually don't believe in "opinion" ... but that's for another forum.

> The liberty . . . is a better Jeep for the general public than the Cherokee ever was.
clearly, since it became the best selling compact suv. moreover, the wrangler is the worst jeep for the general public. certainly no one would suggest that it be discontinued.

emotional appeals aside, i think my earlier comment makes a clear case that most of jeep's lineup descends from the cherokee, including the liberty and patriot this thread discusses. i doubt if we'll ever see a jeep dealership full of attempts at replacing the current gen liberty. in this regard, the cherokee could be considered a much larger success.

 

I get a kick out of people who like the patriot and rip on the compass. Yeah ok they look different - not all people like the same styles. But Selling more Jeeps helps the Jeep brand. If the compass was badged a dodge or chrsyler then there would be less jeeps...less jeeps...less sales...less sales you get morons reporting into CFOs and CEOs saying hey Jeep isnt profitable maybe its time to get out of the niche market...boom poof...no jeeps. Let it be a jeep. If it means the continuation of the brand frig make an 4x4 car like subaru...wait is that a compass?

Rant aside...

Buy the liberty for the proven technology and better interior and towing ability.
Buy the Patriot for looks / warranty and mileage.

Or more basic:
on road = patriot
off road = liberty.

The best thing about the liberty that the patriot cant match as a new vechicle is the liberty is depreciated and should save some $ for a downpayment on a next generation liberty which may get a diesel. If you need to buy now this makes a lot of sence to do.

 

Personally, I think the liberty has a great looking front-end. The back-end however, is ugly. It sits up too high and it's stubby. I always thought they looked like crap because of that.

I'm passing on the liberty just because of that fact. The awful gas mileage for a vehicle of that size really goes against the liberty as well.

Or more basic:
on road = patriot
off road = liberty.

The patriot can keep up just fine with the Liberty with the freedom drive 2 package. The patriot is seriously tricked out; I think it'll pretty much replace the liberty altogether in terms of sales.

Not to mention I think Jeep finally "got it right" with the looks of the Patriot. I'm really keen on the styling of it.

As far as the comments regarding the cheap interior on the Patriot... get the limited edition then. It has leather bucket seats and all sorts of gadgetry like heated seating.

 

Originally Posted by expeditionswest

The Liberty has a slight trail advantage, but much less economy and road performance.

The thing they forgot to point out though is that the economy of the Patriot when trail-rated goes way down. Only a couple reviews mentioned this: 21/23 city,hwy
So if trail-rated the Patriot has only slightly better gas mileage than the Liberty.

 

yea, but as discussed earlier in this post, I think fuel economy will be a bigger differance than the numbers suggest. And Expeditions West was testing a trail rated Patriot and they have alot of exerience testing and reviewing vehicles and are certainly familiar with the Liberty so I doubt that they overlooked that.

EDIT: Expeditions West- If you read this, could you let us know what kind of actual fuel economy you experienced?

 

fuel economy shouldn't even be considered until after 7-10k miles. I am getting ~24mpg for both city and highway. However, I refuse to even look at it now, instead I have the info area set for the outside temperature.

Mike

 

that true, my wifes car improved quite a bit after 10k. Is that with FDI?

 

No its 2x4 FWD.

 

MacAttack -

In the final analysis, it's YOUR money. The only person you have to please is yourself. Why should any of our opinions be of any real concern? Everyone has their likes and dislikes. Both sound like good deals. Make your decision and go with it!

 

I stand by it - Off Road = Liberty - A used Liberty will out perform a patriot per $ spent any day of the week and twice on sunday. Rubicon Trail anyone?

I'm not saying the patriot isn't off road worthy - it sure is and BY FAR the best in its class in my opinion. But the price mac is quoting its a better off roader for the $.

 

At 10000 miles per year you will use another 150 or so gallons of gas per year or $300 to $400 per 10k. That is comparing a Liberty getting 18 mpg and a Patriot getting around 24 mpg. Those should be good real world numbers. If you do over 24000 miles per year and it is mostly highway you'll be running close to a $2000 difference per year.

None of us here can tell you what is best for you. We can only provide our "free" advice.

 

There's some incorrect information floating around here.

Under normal driving conditions, the jeep patriot only uses two wheels, regardless of it being a 4x4 or not. When an increase in speed, quick turns, wheel slippage, etc. are picked up by the sensors, the vehicle shifts into 4 wheel mode for better handling.

This translates into very similar gas mileage to the 4x2. Jeep rates the 4x4 as 1mpg less than the 4x2.

To say everyone will be getting 17-20 miles per gallon with the 4x4 jeep patriot, instead of close to 25-30 mpg is false.

I'd say just go with the freedom drive 1 package if you want off road.

 

First, while it is true that the 4x4 does use only the front wheels when traction isnt an issue, there are other factors that reduce gas mileage from the 4x2, such as the added wieght of the 4x4 system. The EPA rating of the trail rated patriot is 21-23. Thats why people are talking about the lower fuel mileage. I dont know why the mileage drops so much for the trail rated. Its got extra weight from the tow hooks and skid plates and I guess the exta inch of clearance might effect the drag coefficient. So to say that trail rated jeep will get 25-30 would be false. It might get better than 21-23 but 30 is a big stretch.

Second, why would you say to go w/ FDI for off road when all of the off road systems are only on the FDII along w/ skid plates, tow hooks, an extra inch of clearance, water sealing, and off road cooling. To say that the FDI is an off road vehicle is to say the Compass is off road capable, since the FDI Patriot and FDI Compass are the same mechanically.

 

OK guys / gals I feel a little bad about being so agumentative yesterday... I just get all 'peeved' when people start bashing the Liberty, when it has been nothing but a great Jeep for me.

About the Patroit vs. Jeep off-road - I think they'll be very close because the Patriot weighs a little bit less and might acutally have some more clearance between the belly and ground.

About the Lib being surpassed by the Patriot... The next gen Liberty is actually going to get a little bigger (i.e. Jeep can charge more!) so the Patriot might, in hindsight, actually be filling the Cherokee / Liberty spot

I've got to wait another week before my dealer gets a Blue patriot in and then I'll probably go down and sign some papers.

 

How does the crawl ratio of the Patriot compare to the Low 4WD of the Liberty? 16:1 is the crawl ratio of the Patriot. What the heck does that mean? I think the Liberty is something like 30:1. The Wrangler is a lot more than that. I see the numbers, but they mean nothing to me. Can anyone explain? Is the Patriot wimpy as far as the crawl ratio is concerned?

 

The FDI Patriot has a low gear ratio of 14:1 and the FDII has 19:1. Im not sure what the Liberty is but one of the Patriot reviews said that the Wrangler has a 30:1 crawl ratio.

It changes your gear ratio giving you more torque. Its like in a manual transmission first gear is a higher torque gear to get you moving than second, third and so on. If you try to take off from second gear its a little harder because its giving you less torque. The purpose of 4 lo is a low gear to help you overcome off road obsiticles like steep hills, mud, or climbing over things. But you wont be able to drive as fast, like in the first gear of a manual.

 

If you want a 4x4, I should say, then go with the Freedom Drive 1. That came out wrong - I didn't mean to say off-road.
You can have great gas mileage and 4x4 handling with Freedom Drive 1.

For every day driving, which I'm sure 95% of buyers out there will be doing, the FD1 setup should be just fine for everyone's 4x4 needs, in tough weather conditions.

Though, I'll be getting the Freedom Drive 2 myself.