2011 Jeep Patriot Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Jeep Patriot review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Patriot, and includes Jeep Patriot safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Jeep gives the 2011 Patriot a substantial makeover, including new styling, added interior refinement and improved driving dynamics. Styling updates are intended to make the Patriot more refined yet rugged, with new inset fog lights, a revised alloy wheel designs, and a higher ride height for Patriots with all-wheel drive. Inside, the materials are more refined and the upper front door panels are padded with soft-touch material. Other interior upgrades include additional steering wheel controls, new backlighting for the switchgear, upgraded premium fabric for the seats, standard cruise control, and expanded availability of automatic climate control. You can also turn the Patriot into a mobile wi-fi hotspot with a dealer-installed Uconnect Web option.

For 2011, Jeep drops the Limited trim level and moves to a three-model strategy with Sport, Latitude, and Latitude X models. The steering and suspension systems have been massaged to give the Patriot a more sophisticated and sure-footed feel from behind its new thick-rimmed steering wheel. If Jeep has taken a step backward with the new Patriot, it’s that the wheezy 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is standard on all but the most expensive Latitude X model.

For 2011, Jeep changes the Patriot lineup. The Limited model is gone, replaced by the Latitude X model. A new mid-grade trim level also debuts, called the Latitude. Each is available with front- or four-wheel drive.

Patriot Sport models have few standard features. This model comes with a manual transmission, 16-inch steel wheels, fog lights, roof rails, dark tinted glass, cloth seats, and a split-folding rear seat. A tilt steering wheel, cruise control, and a stereo with a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack are standard, along with floor mats and an outside temperature gauge.

Patriot Latitude models add air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power heated side mirrors, heated front seats, a fold-flat front passenger’s seat, a 115-volt power outlet, and 17-inch alloy wheels. The Patriot Latitude X models come standard with all of this equipment plus a more powerful 2.4-liter engine, rear disc brakes, automatic climate control, leather upholstery, a six-way power driver’s seat, and an upgraded audio system with a CD changer.

Options are mainly grouped into packages. One feature Patriot Sport buyers will probably want is air conditioning. Side-impact airbags for the front seats are also optional on this model, as well as a six-disc CD changer, Uconnect Phone Bluetooth hands-free calling, and Uconnect Web wi-fi Internet connection. The Patriot Sport can be outfitted with 17-inch alloy wheels, a Power Value Group (power windows, locks, and mirrors, plus remote keyless entry and heated mirrors), and an All-Weather Capability Group for models with 4WD (tow hooks, floor mats, an engine block heater, and the 17-inch alloy wheels).

Options for the Patriot Latitude include Uconnect Phone, Uconnect Web, and the All-Weather Capability Group. Additionally, this model can be equipped with a hard-drive entertainment system able to store 6,700 song files and a touchscreen display on which DVD movies can be played when the SUV is parked. A Premium Sound Group includes a Boston Acoustics audio system with flip-down tailgate speakers for providing a soundtrack to any outdoor activity, and a Sun and Sound Group that adds a power sunroof to the premium audio system. The Latitude’s optional Security and Cargo Convenience Group adds numerous features: a cargo cover, a security alarm, roof rack cross rails, remote engine starting, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a HomeLink universal remote, side-impact front seat airbags, a vehicle information center, and a tire pressure monitor display.

The Latitude X is available with the same Premium Sound Group, Sun and Sound Group, and Security and Cargo Convenience Group as the Latitude. The same hard-drive entertainment system that’s offered on the Latitude model can be installed in the Latitude X, but in this top-of-the-line model it is equipped with Garmin navigation and Sirius Travel Link service.

Jeep has switched gears with regard to the Patriot’s powertrain lineup. This year, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that used to be an option only on the Sport model is now serving as the standard powerplant on the Sport and Latitude with front-wheel drive. It makes 158 horsepower and 141 pound-feet of torque, and is paired with a standard five-speed manual gearbox or an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel economy measures 23 mpg in the city regardless of transmission. With the manual, this engine returns 29 mpg on the highway, while the CVT gets 27 mpg.

If you get a Sport or Latitude model with a four-wheel-drive system, or the Latitude X, you’ll get the engine that used to be standard all Patriots. With 172 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque, this 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is more satisfactory, if not quite satisfying. As with the base engine, the 2.4-liter comes with a standard five-speed manual gearbox or an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). This engine is an option on Sport and Latitude models with front-wheel drive, and we strongly encourage you to upgrade. Gas mileage ranges between 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway depending on transmission type and drivetrain choice, with the most capable 4WD model getting 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

If you decide you need or want 4WD, Jeep offers a choice between Freedom Drive I and Freedom Drive II systems. Freedom Drive I is a full-time, active 4WD system with a locking center coupling designed to handle deeper snow and sand. To obtain “Trail Rated” capability, you want the Freedom Drive II 4WD system. It is packaged with an off-road mode, a CVT with a low-range creeper gear, skid plates, tow hooks, and 17-inch all-terrain tires. Off-road brake traction control, off-road ABS, and hill descent control are also included. When equipped with this package, the Patriot has nine inches of ground clearance, a 19-inch water fording capability, and greater approach, breakover, and departure angles to go places that Jeep says no other small crossover SUV can.

Every 2011 Jeep Patriot is equipped with a comprehensive list of safety equipment. Side-impact airbags for front seat passengers remain an option, but pretty much everything else is standard, from dual front airbags and dual side curtain airbags to traction control, stability control, and ABS with brake assist. Order the Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package, and the Patriot comes with hill descent control.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2011 Jeep Patriot is a Top Safety Pick when equipped with side-impact airbags for the front seat occupants. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not rated the 2011 Patriot as this report is written. The NHTSA has revised its testing methodology this year, and has not put the Jeep through the new procedures.

Consumer Reports predicts that the 2011 Jeep Patriot will provide average levels of long-term reliability, while J.D. Power and Associates believes long-term dependability will be slightly below average.

With the exception of the standard powertrain setup and that unfavorable dependability prediction from J.D. Power and Associates, the 2011 Jeep Patriot looks like a compelling choice in the small SUV category, especially with the Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package. After all, it doesn’t hurt to have all that capability even if you don’t use it on a regular basis. And with all the updates and upgrades for the 2011 model year, the Patriot is better looking, more comfortable, and exhibits quality on par with the top sellers in the class.

So why aren’t we more enthusiastic about it?

We test-drove a Patriot Latitude with the Freedom Drive I 4WD system, a CVT, and a 2.4-liter engine. The sticker price was just over $25,000, which seemed very reasonable for an SUV outfitted with all the equipment that comes standard on the Latitude. From the moment you slide behind the wheel, the upgrades for 2011 are evident.

But after you fire the engine, shift into gear, and begin to accelerate, the monotonous revving of the engine, the incessant droning of the CVT, and the occasional cacophony delivered by the tires grow very tiresome, very quickly. Over coarse blacktop at 40 mph, the Patriot’s interior is as loud as a window seat in the back row of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9. The engine racket doesn’t help, and the engine itself is lackluster in terms of acceleration and hill climbing. Using the CVT’s AutoStick manual shifting function helped. A little. We wince when remembering that the 2.4-liter engine is the more powerful, upgrade powerplant. We also didn’t like the brakes very much, finding them difficult to modulate and requiring far more pedal pressure than expected to activate strong brake response.

There is good news. The suspension and steering changes make the Patriot feel more nimble, and stable. And the Patriot can really tear it up in the dirt, the suspension taking sizable bumps at speed. Plus, we like the new, raised ride height because it makes the Patriot look more like a Jeep and less like a station wagon.

Like other Jeep models, the 2011 Patriot makes perfect sense when purchased to serve a specific task or two. In this case, the tasks are battling lousy weather on a regular basis, or traveling far enough off the pavement to require the hardware that comes with the Freedom Drive II 4WD system but not so far that you really should be getting a Jeep Liberty or Jeep Wrangler instead. If you’re considering a Patriot for commuting, errand running, student shuttling, or road tripping, there are better choices. But if you must have a Jeep, and the Patriot is really appealing to you, we won’t discourage a purchase except to remind you that reliability is expected to be average at best.

By Christian Wardlaw