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2008 Jeep Patriot Quality Review

July 6, 2008

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 6 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Ample headroom
ConsumerGuide

The front seats are well cushioned
Edmunds

Bright spots include comfortable seats
Kelley Blue Book

The Jeep Patriot provides comfortable seating, but falls short in cargo capacity, as well as fit and finish.

There's an abundance of hard plastic, but it fits the Jeep Patriot's very purposeful design and it looks like it would clean up well. Seating is well designed; front seats aren't that supportive, but due to the boxy design, there's plenty of headroom in front, plus even more head- and legroom in back for adults. Just two adults will fit comfortably in the 2008 Jeep Patriot, due to the narrower body and lack of shoulder room. According to Cars.com, "Two rows of seats [that] provide room for five occupants" are offered. ConsumerGuide observes the "Highmounted seats contribute to generous legroom," while Edmunds remarks, "those of taller stature will appreciate this SUV's voluminous headroom."

Although it has the style and proportions of larger Jeeps, the 2008 Jeep Patriot can't compare to bigger sport utilities in cargo capacity. Edmunds refers to its cargo capacity as "subpar." With its folding rear seat and folding passenger seat, the Jeep Patriot does provide cargo space at the temporary expense of passenger room. As Cars.com points out, "With the front passenger seat and rear seats folded...the Patriot can hold an 8-foot ladder."

Two areas where the 2008 Jeep Patriot falls short are the quality of materials and the assembly of the interior. Although ConsumerGuide lauds the vehicle for its easily cleaned surfaces "appropriate to Patriot's rugged pretense," they complain that "Hard, unyielding plastic dominates the décor." This sentiment is mirrored by many reviewers, TheCarConnection.com included. Edmunds takes it even further and says that the 2008 Jeep Patriot "suffers from low-grade materials" and even with optional upgrades to the interior is "ultimately defined by a sea of hard, low-quality plastic and inconsistent fit and finish." As Kelley Blue Book states, "it's among the least interesting interiors in the category."

There are some noise complaints for the Jeep Patriot that mostly center on the CVT. Edmunds remarks, "When equipped with the CVT...the lack of fixed ratios keeps the revs on a noisy boil," and Motor Trend says that with the CVT, the powerplant "sounds like a blender under heavy acceleration, especially when bouncing around an off-road course." ConsumerGuide doesn't limit the noise comment to the Jeep Patriot's CVT, noting that in their tests, "engine noise is always present and is especially intrusive during acceleration."

Conclusion

The 2008 Jeep Patriot has comfortable seating and space for passengers, but its cheap interior could use more cargo room.

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 6 out of 10Expert Quotes:Ample headroomConsumerGuideThe front seats are well cushionedEdmundsBright spots include comfortable seatsKelley Blue Book The Jeep Patriot provides comfortable seating, but falls short in cargo capacity, as well as fit and finish. There's an abundance of hard plastic, but it fits the Jeep Patriot's very purposeful design and it looks like it would clean up well. Seating is well designed; front seats aren't that supportive, but due to the boxy design, there's plenty of headroom in front, plus even more head- and legroom in back for adults. Just two adults will fit comfortably in the 2008 Jeep Patriot, due to the narrower body and lack of shoulder room. According to Cars.com, "Two rows of seats [that] provide room for five occupants" are offered. ConsumerGuide observes the "Highmounted seats contribute to generous legroom," while Edmunds remarks, "those of taller stature will appreciate this SUV's voluminous headroom." Although it has the style and proportions of larger Jeeps, the 2008 Jeep Patriot can't compare to bigger sport utilities in cargo capacity. Edmunds refers to its cargo capacity as "subpar." With its folding rear seat and folding passenger seat, the Jeep Patriot does provide cargo space at the temporary expense of passenger room. As Cars.com points out, "With the front passenger seat and rear seats folded...the Patriot can hold an 8-foot ladder." Two areas where the 2008 Jeep Patriot falls short are the quality of materials and the assembly of the interior. Although ConsumerGuide lauds the vehicle for its easily cleaned surfaces "appropriate to Patriot's rugged pretense," they complain that "Hard, unyielding plastic dominates the décor." This sentiment is mirrored by many reviewers, TheCarConnection.com included. Edmunds takes it even further and says that the 2008 Jeep Patriot "suffers from low-grade materials" and even with optional upgrades to the interior is "ultimately defined by a sea of hard, low-quality plastic and inconsistent fit and finish." As Kelley Blue Book states, "it's among the least interesting interiors in the category." There are some noise complaints for the Jeep Patriot that mostly center on the CVT. Edmunds remarks, "When equipped with the CVT...the lack of fixed ratios keeps the revs on a noisy boil," and Motor Trend says that with the CVT, the powerplant "sounds like a blender under heavy acceleration, especially when bouncing around an off-road course." ConsumerGuide doesn't limit the noise comment to the Jeep Patriot's CVT, noting that in their tests, "engine noise is always present and is especially intrusive during acceleration." ConclusionThe 2008 Jeep Patriot has comfortable seating and space for passengers, but its cheap interior could use more cargo room.  2008 JEEP PATRIOT STYLING | [8 out of 10] Automobile: "A faithful evolution of Jeep's Cherokee" Popular Mechanics: "The Patriot looks like a Jeep " Cars.com: "To observe the Patriot is essentially to see the silhouette of the previous-generation Liberty" The 2008 Jeep Patriot is ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

Shoppers are likely to be attracted to the Patriot's distinctive, boxy styling, so there may be some overlap with the Scion xB, another city-friendly small car. The xB has similar fuel economy and a similar size, though its passenger space isn't quite as usable as that in the 2008 Jeep Patriot. However the xB's interior feels more upscale and sportier, but it's a bit more expensive. Shoppers also might consider the Subaru Forester, a small crossover-SUV mainstay that's known for its solid reliability and good resale value, along with its good performance in crash tests. The Forester handles slightly better than the Patriot, but it also suffers from road noise inside, and it's considerably more expensive. The Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi Outlander are two other small crossovers that aren't quite as distinctively styled, but they come well equipped. Then there's the Ford Escape, which despite its carlike underpinnings has a style and driving position that's quite trucklike. With improved safety and standard features for 2008, the Escape is a much better vehicle. But, all said, with a price that starts well under $16,000, the Patriot is an awesome value.

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See the Jeep Patriot in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

Comments (4 total)

  1. By Ronald Beasley #1, Posted: 7/13/2008

    Great small SUV

    I test drove a HYUNDAI SANTA FE, CHEVY EQUINOX, FORD ESCAPE, TOYOTA 4RUNNER AND FJ, MERCURY MARINER, MAZDA TRIBUTE and Chevy HHR. Jeep Patriot was easy to drive and the seats are comfortable. It is also fun to drive, Of all I test drove the Jeep Patriot was the best of the bunch and at good price. Don’t forget the great gas mileage, I average combo driving of 28 MPG. It is no Jeep Commander or Ford Explorer but for a small SUV it is great and better than most other small SUVs.

  2. By Shannon #2, Posted: 7/8/2009

    This is one of the best vehicle I have ever owned. I am so pleased with gas mileage and manuverability.

  3. By Bill McClintick #3, Posted: 8/11/2009

    2008 trail rated Patriot. Did some pretty good trailing in CO. Bounced it around alot and no squeeks or rattles, great handling and pretty impressive 4 wheeling right out of the box. 12,000 miles on it over a year and its been a great little Jeep. I definiately wouldn't get anything other then the trail rated, which comes w/ full skids, recovery hooks, heavy duty (genarator, trans cooler) low crawl trans, one inch lift, just a better package and looks better too.

  4. By patrica martin #4, Posted: 10/19/2009

    I have had nothing but problems with water a water leak that chrisler can't seam to find

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