by : nodents.com

Looking for a great value SUV, something that you can navigate through traffic without a fuss, something that will smile at your pocketbook at the pump, yet will not sacrifice any respect at the office? Try the Jeep Patriot on for size.
The Jeep Patriot is a midsize SUV built and designed by the Jeep division of DaimlerChrysler. It debuted in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show. It is one of Jeep's first midsize SUVs, which was released after the highly-touted Jeep Compass. It has fit in nicely between the Liberty and Compass in the Jeep lineup with pricing starting from US$16,585.

The Patriot and Compass are both based on the Mitsubishi GS subframe. These vehicles will be differentiated by their styling and design... The Patriot is a traditional 4-door Jeep SUV, similar to the Cherokee, while the Compass is intended as a sporty mid SUV, but with more capacity to handle tough roads and bad weather than competitors offerings. The Dodge Caliber, also based on the GS platform, is a more direct competitor to the Toyota Matrix, and is similar to a small hatchback wagon than either of the Jeeps. The Patriot is manufactured at DaimlerChrysler's Illinois assembly plant alongside the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass.

The Jeep Patriot uses a peppy four-cylinder 2.4 L gasoline engine and will also get a 2.0 L diesel engine for the European as well as Australian markets (Sorry USA!). The base car features front-wheel drive, but a choice of two electronically-controlled all-wheel drive systems are also optional. The Freedom Drive I, is a fulltime system for on road useage. The Freedom Drive II is made for off-road use with variable torque working between speeds of 20 and 60 mph for the best handling. The Freedom Drive II-equipped Patriot uses a continuously variable transmission with a low range option instead of a 2-speed transfer case. The Freedom Drive is probably the most offroad agile vehicle in its class, but may likely still be outclassed by more aggressive offroaders like the Wrangler and Liberty....but only time will tell! Cant beat the value, though.