JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The Patriot offers traditional Jeep values in a smaller package. Jonathan Crouch takes a look

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The Jeep Patriot basically an update on the classic Jeep formula designed for the compact 4x4 generation. Offering a modicum of off-road ability, squared off styling and good old-fashioned American value it has its own distinct appeal.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

Guilt-free SUVs are flavour of the moment. Since these are broadly based on cars, they compromise little on performance and are no more harmful to the planet than your average five-door family estate. But some, inevitably, are more 4x4-like than others and you'd expect a car bearing the Jeep badge to be one of these.

Not that this is necessarily true in this supposedly enlightened age. Jeep has, after all, already brought us the Compass, a model that though boasting all-wheel drive, isn't really aimed at an offroad-style market. Though the Patriot we're looking at here shares many of that car's underpinnings, it is, thankfully, more of a proper Jeep, good enough to keep you moving through all but the most extreme conditions. Launched at the affordable end of the compact 4x4 sector, it's now been upgraded with a much higher quality interior.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The lack of lumbering performance and crippling fuel costs might lead you to wonder whether the Patriot really is a 'proper' 4x4, hence Jeep dealer's eagerness to publicise the car's Freedom Drive I system. This is a full-time electronically-controlled all-wheel drive setup that has a locking mode (operated by a small, chromed T-bar below the handbrake) to set the front/rear torque split for especially slippery conditions. For a Patriot owner to exhaust his car's abilities, he'd have to be driving somewhere he didn't mean to be in the first place.

Weighing no more than 1645kgs, this car is relatively light compared to its rivals - and that means the Patriot is no slouch on the tarmac. The 2.4-litre petrol version manages 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds, while the 2.0-litre diesel does the same in 11 seconds, with a top speed is 117mph, 5mph more than the petrol. Though the diesel does give you more pulling power, it also needs a bit more encouragement to get up to speed. Bodyroll is reasonably well controlled and the car features stability control and anti lock brakes should you get a bit enthusiastic.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The improved interior certainly is a welcome step forward, lifting the cabin quality up towards the standards set by expensive German rivals. All models get a smoother-look instrument panel, a redesigned centre console and remodelled door trim. There's now a carpeted loadfloor, floor mats and lovely touches of additional chrome that are even more evident on Limited variants also now boasting body-coloured door handles and deep tint sunscreen glass.

The retro lines of the Patriot's exterior will be a major reason why lots of customers will like it. The high beltline, narrow side windows, flat body panels and upright windscreen angle are all design cues reminiscent of the early Cherokee, while the boxily flared wheel arches look straight from a Wrangler.

The very Jeep-like square shape allows for a usefully-sized cabin too, with decent levels of headroom front and rear, though the chunky transmission tunnel means that seating three adults across the rear would be difficult for longer trips. You shouldn't want for luggage space: there's 436 litres available with all the seats in place and when they're down, this increases to a generous 1277 litres. At the wheel, all the controls are self explanatory and the driving position's good.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The Patriot comes well-equipped. Standard features include electric windows, air conditioning and 17"aluminium wheels. Petrol buyers get a Sport + variant that offers even more additional features as standard; front fog lamps, cruise control, deep-tint sunscreen glass, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and uconnect phone with Bluetooth connectivity and voice command.

Whichever Patriot you choose, there's a decent range of safety equipment. Front, side and curtain airbags are standard. So is ABS, ESP stability control with Electronic Roll Mitigation, rear-seat Isofix mounting points and a rollover prevention system. You also get remote central locking, and an alarm and immobiliser.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The diesel engine will return a combined fuel consumption figure of over 42mpg and even around town will manage over 25. That's an improvement on many 1.6-litre superminis and is significantly better even than diesel versions of pretend 4x4s like Nissan's Qashqai. Carbon dioxide emissions of just 180g/km aren't going to have Al Gore hyperventilating either. Inevitably, the petrol version paints a less rosy costs picture, with the more powerful 2.4-litre averaging 32.5mpg and polluting to the tune of 206g/km.

The diesel also does well when it comes to the question of resale values. That Jeep badge won't do you any harm here, the 2.0 CRD model returning 45 per cent of its original worth three years or 60,000 miles down the line. Insurance is set at group 10 for the petrol and 11 for the diesel.

JEEP PATRIOT SW 2.4 SPORT 5DR

The Americans didn't have to do much to make the Patriot very competitive indeed. It boiled down to the need for a high quality interior without high quality pricing. With this in place, this model looks well set to appeal to more buyers new to the brand than any Jeep before it.

In a market where so many small 4x4s are all about image and fall short on substance, the Patriot can offer both. Try one before you try something more expensive. You might be surprised.

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