Topic: 2010 Jeep Patriot

[mrthompson]

Any news?

[safristi]

..Is there not a"manuel" shifter fer  U on the "border" line PATRIOT wannabees............

[saint_satan]

No news yet - I've set a self-imposed deadline of June 1st and I'm following a couple of leads which may pan out (on the slightly used front).

I discovered a fatal flaw with the Patriot.  I had the opportunity to have one as a weekly renter.  Despite it's short-comings, I actually think it's an okay vehicle (but coming from a 10 year old Cherokee with 250K, everything feels like a Lexus).  The problem is that the Patriot only has a 51 l gas tank which means the low fuel light was coming on around 400km.  This drove me nuts having to plan fuel stops before entering the more remote parts of my driving routine.  Now if I could get a 1 year old one for 1/2 the price, I might overlook this transgression.

On a whim, I test drove the RAV4 which is more or less the same price now that Toyota has been humbled and is offering decent financing rates @ 0.9%.  I have to admit, the built quality of the RAV4 is light years ahead of the Patriot.

[jamie1]

No news yet - I've set a self-imposed deadline of June 1st and I'm following a couple of leads which may pan out (on the slightly used front).

I discovered a fatal flaw with the Patriot.  I had the opportunity to have one as a weekly renter.  Despite it's short-comings, I actually think it's an okay vehicle (but coming from a 10 year old Cherokee with 250K, everything feels like a Lexus).  The problem is that the Patriot only has a 51 l gas tank which means the low fuel light was coming on around 400km.  This drove me nuts having to plan fuel stops before entering the more remote parts of my driving routine.  Now if I could get a 1 year old one for 1/2 the price, I might overlook this transgression.

On a whim, I test drove the RAV4 which is more or less the same price now that Toyota has been humbled and is offering decent financing rates @ 0.9%.  I have to admit, the built quality of the RAV4 is light years ahead of the Patriot.

Not really sure if you used the Cherokee like it "could" be used, but if you hope the Patriot will take the abuse the Cherokee could,you will be disappointed. FWIW, I really like the Patriot,more so with AWD and 5speed. But I know it will never take the abuse a Cherokee can.

[saint_satan]

Jamie:

If I used the XJ the way it "could" be used, I probably would have destroyed it years ago.    95% of the time, it gets no worse treatment than a family sedan.  About 8-10 times a year, the XJ was called into pretty severe service - washed out logging roads and boat launches, pulling stumps, deep snow, boat pulling, flooded roads in eastern Ontario, etc.  Kind of like an army reservist – ready when called upon.

I like the idea of a more capable CUV was appealing.  I can live with underwhelming performance - filling up every 4 hours would be frustrating, however.

It would seem that time has passed the small, capable SUV by…

Bring back the Jeep Cherokee/Ford Bronco II/Chevy Tracker!!!

[kardood69]

Trainman:

Just because we've had luck in terms of reliability, doesn't mean I wouldn't agree with you on some of your points.  The fuel economy is not great - but then again the Liberty is more comparable to the X-Terra then a RAV4.  Rear seats are narrow and somewhat uncomfortable you have to get used to sitting "that close" to the driver's door.  Ride is stiff but not nearly as bad as the Cherokee (I think our staff is a bit nostalgic for the XJs we used to have but I deal with one every day and can attest there has been an improvement).  You can really feel the weight on the Liberty and it's a mystery why they had to make it so heavy. 

I find the turning radius fantastic and it seems to pull our ATVs and boats quite well.

We also have a second generation Liberty and I'm not that thrilled with it.  It's heavier, lower, slower (and uglier) than the 1st generation - although it does have more room and seems to drive better on the highway.  I'm stunned these things keep getter heavier.  The curb weight of the Cherokee was about 3,000 lbs.  The old Libertys are 4,000lbs and the new Liberty is 4,400 Lbs.  That's about 50% heavier over the last 10 years.

I can see the fleet moving to 4 door 1/4 tonnes in the near future now that they are more prevalent.

They heaviness is probably safety - i.e more steel.    Eventhough we all like the XJ better, I bet the Liberty uniframe will last longer since it's of a newer and safer design.


What about getting a Grand Cherokee?   Maybe a used 04, still got the solid axle in the front, likely depreciated a lot by now and prob get leather seats...  or even 05/06 ...

[saint_satan]

With my father in the business, I could pick up a 2 or 3 year old GC for 1/3 of the original price.  Tons available too - as plain or as loaded as one wants...

Wife hates it - end of story

[mrthompson]

Your wife hates the GC but likes the Lib?  WTH? 

My best friend's parents have a newer V6 RAV4.  I doubt it sees any off road duty (plowed fields, maybe?) but it sees regular use on unplowed/poorly maintained roads in winter.  They like it much better than the '02 CR-V it replaced.

[saint_satan]

Mr. T:

I don’t get it either.  The GC is a popular fleet vehicle and there are tons of nice 3.7 V6 Laredos around (I don’t need the V8) – I’m partial to silver on these cars.  I think she is put off by size – the Libby is more approachable in terms of its cuteness and size.

GCs come standard with Selec-Trac which is a hard thing to find on the Libby, even though it is an option.  I currently have it in the XJ and I find the available Full or Part time 4WD to be extremely versatile and something worth having – if you can find it. I haven’t seen a Libby good condition at the sale in the last couple of months with selec-trac - I think the Chryco dealers must be snapping them up.

The RAV4 is certainly one of the coolest soft-roaders, IMHO.  The V6 is a scream and it can pull 3,500lbs.  I like the locking feature for the AWD system.  Sometimes (like at the bottom of a snowy hill or slimy, washed out boat launch), I don’t want to wait for my wheels to slip before I get traction.  The Escape used to have the locking feature but did away with it in favour of “Intelligent 4WD”.   “Intelligent” means fully automated – I’m not sure it’s a good thing in every circumstance.  The big draw back with the RAV4 is that they hold their values well – which means it makes the most sense to buy them new – which is more expensive.

I’m so used to having my pick of 3-5 year old cars at a huge discount I’ve become spoiled in what I’m prepared to pay.

[tortoise]

I rented a new GC this weekend and was astonished by the lack of space.  The load floor is incredibly high meaning there isn't a whole lot of height.  The footwells were very narrow and the headroom was lacking (though there was a sunroof).

I think my Protege5 offers more passenger space (certainly more foot and headroom) and has a cargo area that is only fractionally smaller.  I really don't get where the "Utility" is in an SUV.

That said, I was impressed with how it drove.  They're quiet inside, the handling is good (for an SUV) and the steering was surprisingly direct.  However it did drink 12.3 L/100km on the highway (at an average speed of 130 km/h).

[saint_satan]

12.3L/100km @ 130km/h for a full sized SUV is fairly reasonable.  At 110km/h you'd be closer to 11l/100km. High load floor also reflects the higher ground clearence.

Years ago a GF's '01 CR-V with a piddly 2.0l 4 banger would range in at 9 - 10l/100km with typical speeds of 80-100km/h.  My XJ is a consistent 10.8 -11.2/ 100km between 80 -100KM/H.

[Leviathan]

My 4 banger Tribute will do ~7.5 @90km/h.

[mrthompson]

Have you considered a used Toyota Highlander?


It's fun helping others spend their hard earned money. 

[saint_satan]

 That's fairly impressive...

[saint_satan]

Toyota Highlander - naw.  I don't like them (my mother has had a couple).  The new ones are HUGE.  They suffer from the same problem all Toyota SUVs have - high resale.  I just as soon have a new RAV4 than a used Highlander.

[safristi]

..i tho't BOB had a GC....................my abbreviations on yer loss......................G**NT C***

[saint_satan]

exactly(?)

[mrthompson]

Just smile and nod. 

[kardood69]

silly bunt