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2015 Jeep® Patriot

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2015 Jeep® Patriot

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2015 Jeep® Patriot

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2015 Jeep® Patriot

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It had been about a year and a half since we attended an event put on by Jeep at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, a few nights before the final summer concert of the year, as Jeep is the main sponsor of these shows at the Red Rocks.

This was where we first met the new 2014 model year of the Patriot and had a chance for a short 10-minute drive around Morrison Colorado and the Red Rocks. It turned out to be a perfect late September day in Colorado with the temperature hovering just below 80 degrees, combined that with the setting of all the red cliffs, and it was a perfect place to see the new line of Jeeps that also included, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Compass and the new Grand Cherokee Diesel.

The Patriot Latitude was much different than we had anticipated, after having the opportunity to drive one about 5 years before this, and quite honestly, it had not been one of our favorites at that time, seemingly underpowered and having a lot of plastic throughout. We had also heard complaints from the 2013-year’s version that included a Continuously Variable Transmission that just didn’t seem to mate well with the 4 cylinder motor that comes standard in the Patriot.

With the 2015 model Jeep has done away with the CVT, replacing it with a six speed 6F24 transmission that is made by Hyundai and is the same transmission that is used in the new Dodge Dart, a car that we were completely enamored with from the first time we drove it. This new transmission mated well with the 2.4-liter engine that is standard on the Latitude edition of the Patriot. This motor puts out 172 horsepower and 141 pd-ft of torque, impressive numbers for small 4-cylinder motor.

There is also a base model Patriot Sport that starts at $16,795, making it one of the cheapest 4×4 SUV’s on the Market. At that price point there are many options that are not available, like keyless entry, power windows, power locks, and heated mirrors that come standard in the Latitude edition. Through having an entry level at this point does allow Jeep to draw in a larger customer base and makes getting into a true 4 wheel drive SUV available to almost any buyer.

After taking the time to drive the Patriot around the Red Rocks just got us even more excited to get the vehicle out to Utah, so we could really spend so quality time both around town and on the freeway. It always seems like a short ride, just enough to wet our appetite to spend more time with any vehicle especially when there are folks there from the manufacture to show off all the great features of their cars.

After a week with the new version of the Patriot we both were much more impressed with the upgrades that Jeep has made to the vehicle over the years, yet have still maintained an entry level price point making the Jeeping experience available to all.

Inside there was much more of a soft touch feel to most all surfaces, and if plastic was part of the design it had been incorporated very well. Most places that involved resting your arms or would come in contact with hands did have softer materials covering them. The seats in the Latitude were upgraded to leather trimmed with the customer-preferred package, which was very comfortable and Jeep had added heaters to them, always one of Deanne’s favorite parts of any vehicle we receive.

Also included, as an upgrade was the Chrysler Uconnect system that came with a 6.5-inch touchscreen with a 40 GB hardrive, so that you could load all of your favorite tunes and have them available all the time. If that were not enough they also included the Voice Command with Bluetooth option and allowed wireless connection of smart phones, and music devices equipped with Bluetooth. We always love this option to allow hands free operation of the phone, we still found it to be harder to connect the devices for the first time, as we have before in Chrysler vehicles that have not received the larger 8- inch screen that was first introduced in the Dart, and by hard, it took an extra 5 minutes compared to what it usually takes us each week with a new vehicle.

After getting the connections made everything worked very well and even displayed the name of the person calling if it were in contact list on the phone, and also the title and artist playing if streaming music, which was impressive as there are times that other vehicles seem to struggle getting information from the Bluetooth source to the screen.

Other options that came standard in the Patriot were things like rear window washer wipers with defrosters, cruise control, height adjustable front seat belts, and also a 115 volt power outlet which can come in handy on family outings for charging and running small electronics and also other gear that would used during those family camp out experiences.

On the outside the Patriot was Jeep all the way with a front end that looks almost identical to a Wrangler, and a rear that mimicked the now retired Liberty. The designers have kept the round headlights and the seven panel front look that tells everyone you are in a Jeep and ready to climb anything.

The test vehicle that we had came equipped with the what Jeep calls the Freedom Drive I 4X4 setup that got us anywhere we wanted to go up Hobble Creek Canyon, and should get the normal family most anywhere they are headed along with all their stuff. There is another package that can be had in the Patriot that comes with crawl features and other serious 4×4 equipment for more serious climbers. Combine that with the 8.1 inches of clearance on the Patriot and you get a great combination for climbing pretty much any hill or rock.

Our driving impressions of the Patriot were good; at freeway speeds we did find our foot all the way to the floor when needing extra speed. It was an SUV through and through made for the rough and tough places we would want to go. This is not a vehicle that was designed to high speed of taking quick turns; it had a very rigid body making it less maneuverable at higher speeds, but perfect for what it was designed for.

The Patriot is a great looking vehicle, from the outside ours came with 17- inch gray aluminum wheels that really summed up the Jeep look and completed the package for us. We experienced just over 23 mpg for the week long test drive making this a great choice in the SUV market that doesn’t get you to the gas station as often as others.

If you are looking for a great entry level SUV that has space for 4 adults and room for gear in the back that can get almost anywhere then we recommend putting the Patriot on that list, see them today at Doug Smith Jeep 523 West Main Street in American Fork, 801-492-1110, Doug Smith Jeep at 1339 North Main in Spanish Fork, 877-629-6450 or Larry H. Miller Jeep 1825 N University Pkwy, Provo, (888) 245-3833.

Base Price: $24,395

Price as Driven: $29,060