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Jeep Patriot: It could just be your Perfect Used Car

By Ben Foulds
Freelance Contributing Writer
14 July 2010

Chunky Bob-the-Builder Design
When shopping for a used car, there are always the obvious choices, no? Focus, Golf, Yaris, Vectra: we've seen them all before.

It's easy to plump for one of these models on the basis that because every Tom, Dick and Harry has one, it must be a sound purchase. With a bit of thought, however, it's often possible to find something less ubiquitous - less 'rainy Tuesday afternoon in Slough', if you will - that suits your needs better what you'd have ended up with had you followed the herd. You see, car buying - new or used - is all about priorities, and some of us have different requirements than others.

The Jeep Patriot is a fine example of this.

Before I go any further, two things need to be cleared up: Firstly, and despite what it may seem from looking at the pictures, the Patriot is not a Range-Rover competitor. Nope, it's actually only slightly bigger than a Nissan Qashqard, and so occupies that exploding sector of crossover-ness between a regular family hatch and a full-blown 4x4. Secondly, I'm most definitely not endorsing the Jeep Compass here. You know the one - that abomination to the eyeballs that Jeep created to sit alongside the Patriot, but that appears to have been inflicted from above by a grand piano at some point during the design process.

No, the Patriot is the one to be seen in - its chunky, Bob-the-Builder design bringing back memories of old Jeep Cherokees before they began using bubble-bath as styling inspiration.

But why, I hear you ask, would you choose a Patriot over a Volkswagen Tiguan or the aforementioned Qash'n'qarry, or even a Focus? Surely it's an inferior car to these more common rivals?

Well, you'd be right. Objectively speaking, certainly.

Interior quality, for example, really is a good step or two behind its rivals. Climb into the Patriot, and what you're presented with is a poor combination of differently-coloured, hard, scratchy plastics that make the Tiguan feel like Windsor Castle in comparison.

The on-road behaviour is, by all accounts, not bad compared to other Jeeps (the Patriot comes with a tricksy system that switches from two- to four-wheel-drive depending on the conditions), but that's a bit like saying that carpet burn is 'not bad' compared to breaking your arm. It's still likely to be a pretty wooly experience.

But why, I hear you ask, would you choose a Patriot over a Volkswagen Tiguan or the aforementioned Qash'n'qarry, or even a Focus? Well, it's brilliant value, allies classic Jeep styling to low running costs, and has more personality than Bruce Forsyth on Strictly night.


Engines? You have two options. The 2.0-litre diesel - by far and away the most popular variant - is not going to beat a 911 Turbo around the Nurburgring, but it has enough pace to get you to Asda and back without causing too many cardiac problems. To be honest, you'll be lucky to come across a petrol-powered Patriot, but it's best to steer clear of that one anyway as it's slow, noisy, and about as financially sensible as paying £2,000 for a Twix.

Practicality isn't really a deal-clincher, either. Yes, the boxy shape will allow for the easy transportation of many Rubix Cubes at once, but you can bet your bottom dollar that you can fit more stuff into a RAV4.

The Patriot, then, has a veritable smorgasbord of flaws. But don't write it off just yet, because I want to bring your attention back to the ‘P’ word. Priorities.

If you want a car that's going to have you grinning from ear-to-ear at every corner, by all means get a Focus. If you want squishy interior plastics, Volkswagen will satisfy your needs, and then some. If you make regular trips to Ikea, then look no further than the Skoda Octavia Estate (which also has enough cubbies to stow all those free pencils you've stolen from Sweden's most famous furniture store).

But perhaps none of these things matters to you. Perhaps you're just after a smallish, cheap-to-run car with a healthy dose of character. Something that will stand out in a crowd of Focuses, Golfs, Yarises and Vectras, but not in an unwelcome, "hey, look at me, I just paid real money for a Chrysler Sebring" kind of way. If this is the case, look no further than the Patriot. Its brilliant value, allies classic Jeep styling to low running costs, and has more personality than Bruce Forsyth on Strictly night.

It could just be your perfect car.


Something that will stand out in a crowd of Focuses, Golfs, Yarises and Vectras


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