As it turns out, the death of the Patriot has been greatly exaggerated. In defiance of popular industry belief, production of the compact crossover continues for 2015. Enough buyers, it seems, are still attracted to the Patriot's low price and Jeep family resemblance.
Except for slight equipment revisions, the Patriot is unchanged.
The Patriot starts out with a 2-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower, matched to five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The available 2.4-liter provides 172 horsepower, which is more typical for this class. The bigger engine is required with the Patriot's Freedom Drive I, a conventional all-wheel drive system, and Freedom Drive II, which is designed for light off-road duty. Mandatory with Freedom Drive II is a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which is also available on certain other configurations.
The Patriot's trim levels cover a broad swath of territory, from bare-bones basic to suitably plush:
Comes modestly equipped with a four-speaker sound system with CD, foglights and cruise control. The optional Power Value Group adds power heated mirrors, keyless entry and power windows and locks, and must be ordered with air conditioning, which is a separate option. The 2.4 liter engine is available on the Sport, with or without all-wheel drive.
A subtrim of the Sport with 17-inch black alloy wheels, a body-color rear bumper, gloss black exterior trim and the CVT. For some reason, neither all-wheel drive nor the 2.4-liter are available on the Altitude—but all other options continue.
Get the contents of the Power Value Group as standard, plus 17-inch silver alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, a folding passenger seat, reclining rear seats and steering wheel audio controls. Options at this level include a premium Boston Acoustics sound system, navigation and remote start.
Enhances the Latitude with a sunroof, a power driver seat, leather upholstery and the CVT. Like the Altitude, the High Altitude comes only with front-drive and the base 2-liter engine.
Comes with the 2.4-liter engine and four-wheel disc brakes, plus leather seating, upgraded exterior trim, automatic climate control and a six-CD changer. All other options continue, include the Freedom Drive I and II packages.
Before you get too excited about the Patriot's surprisingly low base price, remember that you have to pay extra for things like air conditioning and power windows. Unless your only concern is price, springing for the Limited makes the most sense in our view. It delivers some important mechanical and comfort upgrades without asking for much in return.
