Jeep Patriot: the boxy compact crossover

The Jeep Patriot is a front-engined five-door compact crossover that debuted with the Compass in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show for the 2007 model year. Both cars, and the Dodge Caliber, used the GS platform, and the Patriot was the one with the squarer, more traditional Jeep shape. It was built at Belvidere, Illinois, alongside the Compass and stayed in production, almost unchanged, until the 2017 model year.

Jeep Patriot at a glance

History of the Jeep Patriot

A Jeep-shaped crossover

The Patriot was shown with the Compass at the 2006 New York show and went on sale for 2007. The two cars shared the GS platform with the Dodge Caliber, but were separated by styling and marketing: the Compass had a soft hatchback shape, the Patriot a square, upright body closer to the traditional Jeep look. The Patriot was made at Chrysler’s Belvidere plant beside the Compass and remained essentially unchanged into its eleventh model year, still selling well when production ended after 2017. In Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States it was sold as the Jeep Liberty, because the Patriot name belonged to UAZ there.

Freedom Drive I and II

Both front- and four-wheel drive were available. The standard system, Freedom Drive I, is a full-time automatic four-wheel drive that drives the front wheels unless the powertrain computer or the driver calls for the rear; an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the rear drive unit can pass up to all of the engine torque to the rear axle, and a switch between the seats locks it to imitate a fixed centre coupling, reverting to automatic above 35 mph. The optional Freedom Drive II is built on the same system but, with a special CVT, provides a 19:1 reduction that simulates the low range of a transfer case and lets the driver hold that crawl ratio at very low speed. Patriots with the package carry the Trail Rated badge. All Patriots also have Jeep’s BLD traction system, which brakes a spinning wheel on either driven axle instead of using a locking differential.

Engines and markets

In the United States the Patriot used the 2.0 or 2.4 litre World four-cylinder; for Europe and Australia a 2.0 litre Volkswagen diesel of 140 hp was fitted with a six-speed manual, and all European cars had four-wheel drive with a differently tuned Freedom Drive system, brake traction control and three switchable stability-control settings for road and off-road use. The range ran from the basic Sport with manual windows through the Latitude and Limited to the High Altitude, which added leather, heated seats, a 6.5-inch touchscreen and a subwoofer. The Patriot won the 2007 Green 4×4 Award and the 2008 4×4 of the Year award in Britain.

Design and features

• Freedom Drive II: a CVT-based 19:1 crawl ratio standing in for a low range.
• Trail Rated: the badge came with the off-road package.
• BLD traction: brake-based traction control on both driven axles.
• Square shape: the traditional Jeep look on a car platform.
• Diesel for Europe: a Volkswagen 2.0 TDI with a six-speed manual.

Jeep Patriot versions

• Patriot (2007–2017): the standard five-door crossover.
• Sport: the base trim with manual windows and locks.
• Latitude and Limited: the mid-range and luxury trims.
• High Altitude: leather, heated seats and a touchscreen.
• Jeep Liberty (Russia and CIS): the same car under a different name.

The Patriot shares its platform with the Compass and sits below the Cherokee and Liberty. More models are in the Jeep collection.

Video: Jeep Patriot OFF-Road on the virgin snow

Video by Zpinua on YouTube.

Sources

• Jeep Patriot, English Wikipedia: design, four-wheel drive systems, engines, trims, awards