Jeep Patriot
Encyclopedia
The Jeep Patriot is a compact
crossover SUV
introduced in early 2007 for the 2007 model year by the Jeep
marque of Chrysler
. It debuted publicly in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show and slots between the Compass
and Liberty
in the Jeep lineup. Market-wise, it is the least-expensive SUV in North America
and one of the lowest priced SUV-standard crossovers up to date.
/Mitsubishi
GS platform
. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditional four-door Jeep wagon
, similar to the Cherokee
, which was discontinued in the U.S.
in 2001, while the Jeep Compass
is intended as a sporty crossover, but with more capacity to handle rough roads and poor weather than competitors like the Pontiac Vibe
. The Dodge Caliber
, also based on the GS platform, is a more direct competitor to the Pontiac Vibe
and Toyota Matrix
, and is more like a small hatchback
than either of the Jeeps. The Patriot is manufactured at DaimlerChrysler
's Belvidere, Illinois
assembly plant alongside the Dodge Caliber
and Compass.
The Patriot uses a four-cylinder 2.0 L or 2.4 L GEMA
gasoline I4
engine In the U.S. the base car features front-wheel drive
, but a choice of two electronically controlled four-wheel drive
systems is optional. One, the Freedom Drive I, is a full-time system for on-road use. Freedom Drive II is made for off-road use with variable torque between speeds of 25 mi/h and 65 mi/h for optimal handling. The 2.0 L GEMA
I4
is an option for the 4X2 model Patriot.
For Europe and Australia a 2.0 L (1968 cc; 120 cid; 140ps) Volkswagen
-manufactured diesel engine
is fitted along with a 6-speed manual gearbox. All EU cars are fitted as standard with four wheel drive and a version of the Freedom Drive System which tuned differently from the U.S. versions, but with similar capability to FDII with brake traction control and three switchable electronic stability control and traction control settings for on or off-road use.
The Patriot won 2007 Green 4x4 Award and the 2008 4x4 of the Year in the UK.
with a low range instead of a traditional two-speed transfer case, but has Jeep's "Trail Rated" badging, signifying that it "has been designed to perform in five categories of off-road conditions: traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording." The Freedom Drive II Patriot is among the most offroad-capable vehicles in its class, in part to the presence of the off-road Brake Lock Differential (BLD). This allows the vehicle to maintain forward motion if one or two wheels lose traction by selectively and aggressively applying brakes to the spinning wheels. This is an improvement over a conventional AWD system; a vehicle intended for onroad use with open differentials only would be stranded if there is a loss of traction in one front and one rear wheel at the same time. The BLD is also standard in The Freedom Drive I, although it is less agressive than the BLD found in Freedom Drive II Patriots. options.
in Detroit, the Jeep Patriot was added to Chrysler's ENVI
lineup. As with the previously announced Jeep Wrangler EV, the Jeep Patriot EV is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV, also called a plug-in hybrid vehicle), capable of traveling 40 miles (64.4 km) solely on battery power and up to 400 miles (643.7 km) on a single tank of gas.
However, Chrysler's new partner Fiat SpA disbanded the ENVI division in November 2009, and removed the three ENVI models from its 5-year plan for Chrysler. There have been no announced plans to continue with the electric version.
In the EU, four trims are offered: Sport, Sport Plus, Limited, and an Overland version. In the EU market, the 2.0 L Volkswagen PD Diesel Engine has been replaced by a 2.2 L Mecredes-Benz Twin-Cam Common Rail Diesel engine delivering 163 hp.
ownership, announced that both the Patriot and Compass would get modifications for 2010, but will be discontinued by 2012, to be replaced by a single Fiat-based model.
Compact SUV
Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles.- Background :...
crossover SUV
Crossover SUV
A crossover SUV is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover...
introduced in early 2007 for the 2007 model year by the Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
marque of Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. It debuted publicly in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show and slots between the Compass
Jeep Compass
The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV introduced for the 2007 model year. The Jeep Compass, along with the Patriot both slot below the Jeep Wrangler as Jeep's entry-level sport utility vehicles, and is one of Jeep's first crossover SUVs....
and Liberty
Jeep Liberty
Inspired by styling from the Dakar and Jeepster concept cars, the Liberty was intended as a replacement for the discontinued Jeep Cherokee . Three trim levels were initially offered; the top end Limited, a more rugged looking Renegade and the base Sport. All were made available with either 2WD or 4WD...
in the Jeep lineup. Market-wise, it is the least-expensive SUV in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and one of the lowest priced SUV-standard crossovers up to date.
Design
The Compass and Patriot are both based on the DaimlerChryslerDaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
/Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
GS platform
Mitsubishi GS platform
The GS platform is a compact car platform co-developed by Mitsubishi Motors and DaimlerChrysler, which underpins the companies' compact cars. After DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi went their separate ways in 2004, DaimlerChrysler made substantial changes to the platform...
. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditional four-door Jeep wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
, similar to the Cherokee
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
, which was discontinued in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2001, while the Jeep Compass
Jeep Compass
The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV introduced for the 2007 model year. The Jeep Compass, along with the Patriot both slot below the Jeep Wrangler as Jeep's entry-level sport utility vehicles, and is one of Jeep's first crossover SUVs....
is intended as a sporty crossover, but with more capacity to handle rough roads and poor weather than competitors like the Pontiac Vibe
Pontiac Vibe
The Pontiac Vibe is a compact hatchback car that was produced in Fremont, California, in the United States by NUMMI , a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota, and marketed under General Motors' Pontiac brand...
. The Dodge Caliber
Dodge Caliber
The Dodge Caliber was a compact car produced by the Dodge division of Chrysler. It replaced the Neon, and it went on sale in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle...
, also based on the GS platform, is a more direct competitor to the Pontiac Vibe
Pontiac Vibe
The Pontiac Vibe is a compact hatchback car that was produced in Fremont, California, in the United States by NUMMI , a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota, and marketed under General Motors' Pontiac brand...
and Toyota Matrix
Toyota Matrix
The Toyota Matrix, sometimes officially referred to as the Toyota Corolla Matrix, is a compact hatchback manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation in Canada, to be sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico...
, and is more like a small hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
than either of the Jeeps. The Patriot is manufactured at DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
's Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere is a city in Boone County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,585 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Boone County. Belvidere is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
assembly plant alongside the Dodge Caliber
Dodge Caliber
The Dodge Caliber was a compact car produced by the Dodge division of Chrysler. It replaced the Neon, and it went on sale in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle...
and Compass.
The Patriot uses a four-cylinder 2.0 L or 2.4 L GEMA
Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance
The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance LLC, or GEMA, is a manufacturing arm of Global Engine Alliance LLC, which was a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for developing a line of shared engines...
gasoline I4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
engine In the U.S. the base car features front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
, but a choice of two electronically controlled four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
systems is optional. One, the Freedom Drive I, is a full-time system for on-road use. Freedom Drive II is made for off-road use with variable torque between speeds of 25 mi/h and 65 mi/h for optimal handling. The 2.0 L GEMA
Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance
The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance LLC, or GEMA, is a manufacturing arm of Global Engine Alliance LLC, which was a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for developing a line of shared engines...
I4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
is an option for the 4X2 model Patriot.
For Europe and Australia a 2.0 L (1968 cc; 120 cid; 140ps) Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
-manufactured diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
is fitted along with a 6-speed manual gearbox. All EU cars are fitted as standard with four wheel drive and a version of the Freedom Drive System which tuned differently from the U.S. versions, but with similar capability to FDII with brake traction control and three switchable electronic stability control and traction control settings for on or off-road use.
The Patriot won 2007 Green 4x4 Award and the 2008 4x4 of the Year in the UK.
Off-Roading capabilities
The Freedom Drive II-equipped Patriot uses a continuously variable transmissionContinuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
with a low range instead of a traditional two-speed transfer case, but has Jeep's "Trail Rated" badging, signifying that it "has been designed to perform in five categories of off-road conditions: traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording." The Freedom Drive II Patriot is among the most offroad-capable vehicles in its class, in part to the presence of the off-road Brake Lock Differential (BLD). This allows the vehicle to maintain forward motion if one or two wheels lose traction by selectively and aggressively applying brakes to the spinning wheels. This is an improvement over a conventional AWD system; a vehicle intended for onroad use with open differentials only would be stranded if there is a loss of traction in one front and one rear wheel at the same time. The BLD is also standard in The Freedom Drive I, although it is less agressive than the BLD found in Freedom Drive II Patriots. options.
| Model | Engine | Power | Torque | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | 2.4 L GEMA Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance LLC, or GEMA, is a manufacturing arm of Global Engine Alliance LLC, which was a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for developing a line of shared engines... I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
172 hp | 165 lbft | 5-speed manual Manual transmission A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications... |
| Limited | CVT Continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios... |
Electric version
At the 2009 North American International Auto ShowNorth American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
in Detroit, the Jeep Patriot was added to Chrysler's ENVI
Envi (automobile)
ENVI was a division of Chrysler Group LLC formed in 2007 to create electric-drive vehicles and related advanced-propulsion technologies.- Birth and dissolution :...
lineup. As with the previously announced Jeep Wrangler EV, the Jeep Patriot EV is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV, also called a plug-in hybrid vehicle), capable of traveling 40 miles (64.4 km) solely on battery power and up to 400 miles (643.7 km) on a single tank of gas.
However, Chrysler's new partner Fiat SpA disbanded the ENVI division in November 2009, and removed the three ENVI models from its 5-year plan for Chrysler. There have been no announced plans to continue with the electric version.
2011
The Patriot receives minor upgrades for 2011. Outside, the Patriot sports minor styling tweaks while the interior receives upgrades as well. Three trims will be offered in the US: Sport, Latitude, and Latitude X.In the EU, four trims are offered: Sport, Sport Plus, Limited, and an Overland version. In the EU market, the 2.0 L Volkswagen PD Diesel Engine has been replaced by a 2.2 L Mecredes-Benz Twin-Cam Common Rail Diesel engine delivering 163 hp.
Sales
| Calendar Year | United States | Canada | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 40,434 | ||
| 2008 | 55,654 | ||
| 2009 | 31,432 | ||
| 2010 | 38,620 | 10,753 | 49,373 |
Future production
In a press conference on November 4, 2009, Chrysler LLC, now under FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
ownership, announced that both the Patriot and Compass would get modifications for 2010, but will be discontinued by 2012, to be replaced by a single Fiat-based model.