Jeep cuts Patriot down to size

LITTLE more than two years after its arrival in Australia, the Jeep Patriot range has been cut from six models to three, with the remaining models getting improved interior presentation and revised suspension, exhaust and sound deadening.

Despite the improvements, prices stay the same, ranging from the manual-transmission Patriot Sport at $29,990 to the flagship Patriot Limited automatic at $35,990.

The Sport and Limited turbo-diesels and the Limited 2.4 petrol manual have been pulled from the rationalised range, leaving just the Sport 2.4 petrol in either manual or CVT and the Limited with CVT.

The new interior upgrades include a monotone slate-grey colour scheme in place of the two-tone pastel slate grey or pastel beige, a new dashboard, centre stack and instrument panel, door trim panels and centre console with split lid for added storage space.

The new dash now has a matte finish, and the new centre stack has been embellished with chrome accents to the new round air vents, shift surround, door spears and cluster rings.

The centre console and door trims have extra padding and a new design.

The somewhat confusingly named YES Essentials anti-stain fabric in the Sport has been re-named Stain Repel technology.

The engine compartment and interior floor insulation has been improved to reduce noise. The exhaust has also been retuned for improved refinement and suspension tuning has been changed to give a smoother ride.

The new Uconnect Navigation system is part of the $3500 Technology group option on the Limited model that includes a nine-speaker 476-watt Boston Acoustics MusicGate sound system. Uconnect is an AM/FM/MP3/WMA/DVD/NAV radio with a 6.5-inch touch screen and a 3D satellite navigation system.

Hard-drive storage has increased from 20GB to 30GB, which Jeep claims allows you to store photos, playlists and songs as well as rip, stash, organise and shuffle up to 4200 digital music files from CDs and the standard USB port.

Uconnect has a Bluetooth phone facility, and voice activation is available in six languages.

New iPod connectivity permits full integration of iPod controls via an adaptor in the glove box.

The Patriot now has just one engine option, the 2.4-litre petrol with dual variable valve timing (VVT). Producing 125kW of power and 220Nm of torque, the engine comes with a five-speed manual gearbox or optional CVT transmission.

Standard equipment on both Sport and Limited includes side-curtain airbags, ABS brakes, ESC, ‘Freedom Drive’ full-time four-wheel drive with lock mode, cruise control, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, front and rear fog lights, roof rails, tilt-adjust leather steering wheel and a self-recharging removable cargo lamp.

The Limited adds standard CVT auto, six-disc in dash CD player, bright finish roof rails, body-colour door handles, silver colour body side moulding and leather seats.

Colours available include Jeep Green, Deep Water Blue (replaces Steel Blue), Bright Silver, Inferno Red, Stone White and Brilliant Black.

Jeep Patriot range pricing
Patriot Sport	$29,990
Patriot Sport (a)	$32,990
Patriot Limited (a)	$35,990