2007 Jeep Patriot Sport 4X4

Cherokee Revival

By Tony Swan
Photos by Morgan Segal

May 2007

2007 Jeep Patriot Sport 4X4

The Highs:

Cherokee revival styling, respectable all-around performance, strong value story.The Lows: Excessive road and wind noise, plastic interior too convincingly plastic.

We know you’re busy, so here’s the Web version: Jeep has reinvented the Cherokee. Yes, the Cherokee (1984–2001) was a rear-wheel-drive design, whereas the Patriot’s bones are front drive. Still, the parallels are compelling. The Patriot is dimensionally similar to the Cherokee, it has off-road capability, and it revives those squarish lines that changed so many suburban driveways across America.

You might argue that Jeep already staged a rectilinear revival with the 2005 launch of the Commander, which is true — with one key asterisk: Patriots require less moola. Commanders start at $28,955. A base front-drive Patriot Sport lists for $14,985, and this Sport example — with four-wheel drive, a 2.4-liter engine, and a few other options — lists for $21,310. Another contrast: That’s $950 less than a base two-wheel-drive Jeep Liberty.

Basics:

The Patriot employs the architecture that made its debut on the Dodge Caliber and also supports the Jeep Compass. At 173.6 inches, it’s 6.1 inches longer than the Cherokee, and its 103.7-inch wheelbase is a 2.3-inch stretch over that of its ancestor. The Cherokee was a smidge wider — 69.4 inches versus 69.1 — but at 65.6 inches, the Patriot is almost two inches taller. That means a roomier interior, particularly in the second row, where the Cherokee was pretty snug (the Patriot has 49 cubic feet of rear room versus 40 in the Cherokee).

There are two so-called world engines. The two-wheel-drive Patriot Sport is available with the 2.0-liter four. Output is adequate at 158 horsepower, but the option comes with a JATCO CVT. We much prefer the crisp shifting of the five-speed manual that’s standard with the 172-hp, 2.4-liter four — the sonorous crescendos of the CVT sound like a vacuum cleaner having a nightmare — and we much prefer the performance that goes with this combo: 8.7 seconds to 60 mph and 16.6 at 83 mph in the quarter, comparable to a six-cylinder Cherokee and quicker than a V-6 Liberty.

Our Patriot’s optional Freedom Drive II system, which includes hill-descent control, is simple, with an electronically controlled clutch, linked to the standard-equipment ABS wheel-speed sensors, sending as much as 60 percent of the power aft when traction is marginal up front. There’s also a four-wheel-drive lock function for off-road use, and even though both diffs are open, the system can apportion power from side to side. Add to that 9.0 inches of ground clearance, plus favorable approach and departure angles, and the Patriot makes a surprisingly capable off-road warrior and earns Jeep’s Trail Rated badge, as distinct from the soft-road Compass.

On-road, the Patriot is gratifyingly nimble, agility that’s amplified by light but accurate steering. The downside is noise — wind and road, as well as a tympanic floorpan resonance on washboard dirt surfaces like a trio of snare drummers beating three different cadences. There’s a distinctly plastic look to some of the plastic interior trim, and the center armrest seems to have a grudge against elbows.

But like the Cherokee, the Patriot’s dynamic virtues, all-around usefulness, and solid value make it hard to ignore.

Download the test sheet.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED: US$21,310 (base price: US$16,735)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection Displacement: 144 cu in, 2360cc Power (SAE net): 172 bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque (SAE net): 165 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 103.7 in Length: 173.6 in Width: 69.1 inHeight: 65.6 in Curb weight: 3340 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS: Zero to 60 mph: 8.7 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 9.6 secStanding ¼-mile: 16.6 sec @ 83 mph Top speed (governor limited): 112 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 187ft Roadholding, 200-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city driving: 25 mpg C/D-observed: 19 mpg