Quick Drive: 2014 Jeep Patriot Latitude 4X4

[William Maley]

You know how your mother would tell you if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. Well this being a vehicle review, that is an impossible task since I have to explain why or why not you should consider ‘x’ vehicle. The reason I bring this up is because I spent a week in the 2014 Jeep Patriot Latitude 4X4 and I found myself being very disappointed in the model.

Now before I go into the list of reasons of why I particularly didn’t like the Patriot, I should begin with the things I did like. First off, the Patriot looks like a Jeep. What I mean is that when you’re walking up to the vehicle for the first time, you can recognize it as a Jeep. This is due to the boxy shape which calls back to the XJ Cherokee. Not a bad choice at all. The other item I appreciated in the Patriot was the choice of two different all-wheel drive systems. My tester came equipped with the Freedom-Drive I system which essentially boils down to an all-wheel drive system with a locking differential. Optional is the Freedom-Drive II system which adds crawl range and extra skid plates. This means this Patriot can go a bit further in the rough than many other compact crossovers. Jeep also addressed one of the biggest problems in the Patriot by giving the interior better materials throughout such as soft-touch plastics on the dashboard.

Now on to the complaints. First off, the Patriot feels very small. I get the model is a compact, but with a low room and minimal glass area, I felt very boxed in. Those with the fear of enclosed spaces should pass on this. Also for a vehicle with a price tag of almost $27,000, the lack of Bluetooth was infuriating. Considering most, if not all of the Patriot’s competitors, either come with it standard or as an option; the lack of it is unacceptable.

Power comes from a 2.4L four-cylinder which makes 172 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque. Before I go any further, I need to stress this is the older 2.4 and not the one you find in such models such as the Dart I drove recently. This engine does a great job at producing NVH and not so much in power. I felt like I had to floor the pedal just to get the engine out of its leisurely mode. A six-speed automatic takes the place of the CVT that has been with the model since its introduction and does an ok job with the 2.4 with giving smooth shifts. Fuel economy isn’t the best either with EPA ratings of 21 City/27 Highway/23 Combined. I only saw 19 MPG during my week.

The ride is sits somewhere in the middle of comfort and firm. The Patriot’s suspension doing its best to isolate road imperfections and potholes. Steering is nicely weighted, which is a good thing if you decide to head off onto a trail or something. Wind and road noise are very noticeable when you’re driving/riding. I had the radio cranked just to try and drown out some of the road noise coming into the cabin.

Looking at Patriot as a whole, it just is completely outclassed by every other crossover in the marketplace. Sure, you can get a smoking deal on one, but is it really worth it? After spending a week in one, I can say the answer is no.

Disclaimer: Jeep Provided the Patriot Latitude, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas

Year: 2014

Make: Jeep

Model: Patriot

Trim: Latitude 4X4

Engine: 2.4L DOHC 16-Valve Inline-Four W/Dual-VVT

Driveline: Six-Speed Automatic, Four-Wheel Drive

Horsepower @ RPM: 172 @ 6,000

Torque @ RPM: 165 @ 4,400

Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 21/27/23

Curb Weight: 3,359 lbs

Location of Manufacture: Belvidere, Illinois

Base Price: $23,795

As Tested Price: $26,875 (Includes $995.00 Destination Charge)

Options:

All Weather Capability Group - $795

UConnect 430 CD/DVD/MP3/HDD - $695

Security and Convenience Group - $595

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[riviera74]

Any reason why there is a Patriot AND a Compass?  Maybe ditching one for the other might address the confusion issues.  Also, $27K for that?!  Pass.

[G. David Felt]

My son has a Patriot Latitude and I love it. Great Jeep, the Freedom Drive II or marketing known as the Trail Rated edition is worth getting. We use his jeep to go up skiing and I can say that we have never gotten stuck, the crawl mode worked great in some crazy snow and ice weather. Others including Subaru where all over and I know this is drivers experience but the Jeep was solid. Also at 6'6" tall, I still have tons of head room and people can sit behind me. So this compact jeep has plenty of inside space. Also after a year and half of ownership the Jeep is averaging 27mpg on the highway. He drives 30 miles round trip to work and back and still gets mid to high 20's. In city driving he has seen constant 21-22mpg. This is with the CVT transmission.

 

This JEEP DOES have BLUETOOTH! The base radio which for some reason is still available in the mid range model for Latitude does not have bluetooth but all other radios come with it. When Alex was shopping every latitude he looked at either had the nav system with bluetooth or at least the XM Bluetooth stereo and it works flawlessly at connecting to his iPhone. It is a shame that they gave you a great CUV that was missing basic selling points. On a base model, yes I can see not having bluetooth, but once you go to mid grade that should just be standard.

 

Jeep still has great deals on these as my son's Latitude is fully loaded. Just one tick below the Limited model and he paid with tax and license out the door $24,379 and change. I see the local Jeep dealerships always advertising the latitude loaded for around 24-25 right now and fully loaded Limited around 26-27K. So the price has gone up big time on MSRP, but actual selling price is still much lower.

 

Awesome Jeep, I highly recommend the Latitude model, just make sure to get the XM stereo so you have your bluetooth and built in harddrive for loading tunes.