Review: 2009 Jeep Patriot Limited 4×4
Chrysler’s coveted Jeep brand has had its share of imitators, weak offerings and quality glitches, but it remains a label respected worldwide thanks, in part, to an illustrious history and a rugged image. With more Jeep-badged vehicles on the market now than there have ever been, we decided to take a look at the revised 2009 Patriot, which was substantially upgraded just a over year after its introduction.
For 2009, Jeep snuck a brand-new interior in its boxy small SUV with the hopes that it would turn a low-rent festival of plastics into a class standout. Did it work? Read on.
What is it?
At first glance, it’s clearly the spiritual successor to the boxy Jeep Cherokee, the 1984 design credited with beginning the SUV craze. The Jeep Cherokee was a strong seller up until its 2001 demise when, as the story goes, the Daimler executives who had recently acquired (ok, “merged with”) Chrysler decided that enough was enough and axed the Cherokee. The fact that, nearly eight years on, later Cherokees still command about a third of their original retail price is evidence enough that American consumers like boxy Jeeps.
Unlike the Cherokee, however, the Patriot wasn’t conceived as an off-road star. This might seem contradictory to everything you’ve ever known about the Jeep brand, but given the low percentage of buyers who actually venture off road – let alone know what to do with a transfer case – it makes sense for Jeep to expand the brand in order to keep afloat.
Therefore, the Patriot is based on the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass platform, though it has been lifted up and given a more rugged suspension than its siblings.
What’s it up against?
Patriot occupies the entry-level end of the cute ‘ute spectrum, which puts it up against the Honda CR-V, four-cylinder Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson and Subaru Forester.
Conversely, you could buy enough Jeep Cherokees on the used market to drive a different one each day of the week.
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