While my mother's car is in the shop being fixed, we got a Jeep Patriot as a loaner car to drive for the week. When I saw that the Jeep Patriot was our rental, I was disappointed. I had read that the Patriot is an utterly mediocre vehicle, and I had rock-bottom expectations going in.
It turns out the Patriot is a mediocre car, but mediocrity isn't unexpected for such a cheap SUV. Starting at only $15995 (not including destination), the Patriot is the cheapest crossover/SUV on sale in America today.
The riding experience of the Patriot is underwhelming, mostly because of its stiff and bouncy ride. You get to know the road's imperfections well in the Patriot, which is not a good thing. The bouncy suspension doesn't pay off in the corners, either, where the Patriot leans.
The cabin was surprisingly quiet, though. Granted, many cars are quieter than the Patriot, but tire whine on grooved pavement was kept at a minimum at high speeds. Some low-frequency rumble filters through. Wind noise is noticeable, as the Patriot is essentially shaped like a brick.
Acceleration is not brisk. The four-cylinder engine does the job, but it isn't pleasant at it. At idle, you can feel the engine's vibrations in your feet. At least noise is decently muffled. Braking is weak and unresponsive, and you can feel that even as a passenger.
The interior was cheap, but it's actually better than some cars'. All the plastics were hard to the touch except the upper front doors, which is expected. The front armrests were padded, and the center armrest slides forwards and backwards. There was a liberal use of chrome accents, which added an upscale air. A woven fabric headliner was used instead of cheap mouse fur. The glovebox was even somewhat damped. However, the open shelf above the glovebox was finished with rough plastic edges, and the door panels flex and move around if you push them. Extendable sunvisors are here, but they don't extend nearly enough to cover the side windows. The power window switches had horrendous feel, but they were illuminated at night.
The backseat is finished as cheaply as possible. There is not a single padded surface other than the seat. The cupholders are molded plastic on the floor where the center passenger's feet would go. You can't manually turn the center dome light on or off. The rear windows do open all the way down, which is not a feature in many other cars. There is also a built-in flashlight on the roof in the cargo area, which can be handy if you're lost in the wild.
Being such a small SUV, there is not a lot of space inside. The front seats are decent, but the footwell is a tad narrow. The rear seat has good headroom and is high off the ground, but don't expect taller people to fit without being uncomfortable. Cargo space is more hatchback-sized than crossover-sized, and the cargo floor is very high off the ground.
Specific to my test car, there was a low-speed clanking noise at idle and low speeds, and the map pocket fell out on the driver's side at one point.
You know what? As basic as this car is, I'm going to go ahead and say that it's good. It's basic, utilitarian, and it gets you where you need to go. If you really want a small, goodish-looking SUV for not a lot of money, spring for the Patriot. It's not that bad, and most new cars aren't all that different from each other. Just watch out for the bouncy ride.
It turns out the Patriot is a mediocre car, but mediocrity isn't unexpected for such a cheap SUV. Starting at only $15995 (not including destination), the Patriot is the cheapest crossover/SUV on sale in America today.
The riding experience of the Patriot is underwhelming, mostly because of its stiff and bouncy ride. You get to know the road's imperfections well in the Patriot, which is not a good thing. The bouncy suspension doesn't pay off in the corners, either, where the Patriot leans.
The cabin was surprisingly quiet, though. Granted, many cars are quieter than the Patriot, but tire whine on grooved pavement was kept at a minimum at high speeds. Some low-frequency rumble filters through. Wind noise is noticeable, as the Patriot is essentially shaped like a brick.
Acceleration is not brisk. The four-cylinder engine does the job, but it isn't pleasant at it. At idle, you can feel the engine's vibrations in your feet. At least noise is decently muffled. Braking is weak and unresponsive, and you can feel that even as a passenger.
The interior was cheap, but it's actually better than some cars'. All the plastics were hard to the touch except the upper front doors, which is expected. The front armrests were padded, and the center armrest slides forwards and backwards. There was a liberal use of chrome accents, which added an upscale air. A woven fabric headliner was used instead of cheap mouse fur. The glovebox was even somewhat damped. However, the open shelf above the glovebox was finished with rough plastic edges, and the door panels flex and move around if you push them. Extendable sunvisors are here, but they don't extend nearly enough to cover the side windows. The power window switches had horrendous feel, but they were illuminated at night.
The backseat is finished as cheaply as possible. There is not a single padded surface other than the seat. The cupholders are molded plastic on the floor where the center passenger's feet would go. You can't manually turn the center dome light on or off. The rear windows do open all the way down, which is not a feature in many other cars. There is also a built-in flashlight on the roof in the cargo area, which can be handy if you're lost in the wild.
Being such a small SUV, there is not a lot of space inside. The front seats are decent, but the footwell is a tad narrow. The rear seat has good headroom and is high off the ground, but don't expect taller people to fit without being uncomfortable. Cargo space is more hatchback-sized than crossover-sized, and the cargo floor is very high off the ground.
Specific to my test car, there was a low-speed clanking noise at idle and low speeds, and the map pocket fell out on the driver's side at one point.
You know what? As basic as this car is, I'm going to go ahead and say that it's good. It's basic, utilitarian, and it gets you where you need to go. If you really want a small, goodish-looking SUV for not a lot of money, spring for the Patriot. It's not that bad, and most new cars aren't all that different from each other. Just watch out for the bouncy ride.
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