LOST JEEPS :: View topic - Patriot vs Liberty

When the Liberty first came out "real" Jeep owners scoffed at it, heck some of them still do. The same things are being said about the Patriot. Sure there aren't many aftermarket parts for it but give it some time.

The company I work for supplies me with a company vehicle, unfortunately they don't offer the Liberty but they do offer me a 4WD Patriot. I wonder how much trouble I can get into :twisted:

Well I've taken delivery of my new company vehicle, a 2010 Patriot 4WD North Edition and I've been driving it for a few days now.

My first impression is that the engine is way too weak and that this isn't a real Jeep it's a Dodge Caliber with a Jeep front clip.
Sure there's a switch to "lock" the 4WD mode but I think this is really a AWD not 4WD. I've already taken it off road and even though I didn't get stuck I didn't feel confident.

There is a small following of die hard fans of the Patriots but they will never be able to follow a Libby through some of the stuff we drive through.

Still I hope that this Patriot will handle better for me in the winter weather than a minivan. If it doesn't then I'll simply park it and hop into the Liberty.

Are you going to put the RRO 2.5 under it or are you going to keep it stock?

Lift it paint it whatever: You cannot expect much out of a Dodge Caliber, which arguably fails even in its original duties as a econobox Neon station wagon.

Some people cannot see past the fact that it was intentionally designed to look like an XJ. This causes me to chuckle on 2 fronts: One is the "real jeepers" who just see the box and love the new "jeep" ( :roll:

) and Two is the people who think a bizarre CVT & rudimentary AWD system makes it a "jeep" because some marketing guru slapped that nametag on it. The Caliber is a monumental failure typical of DiamlerChrysler's reign and as for anything made from the Caliber...well, you know what they say about polishing certain things...

A look around the net, including here and JKJC, shows how underwhelming the "riot" thing turned out to be. CAFE booster, yes. Jeep.... :roll:

truth is the only thing that can compare to a Jeep Wrangler are the older Broncos and the Defender

Author:	gmctd [ Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Patriot vs Liberty
Ran across this Patriot stuff (never saw one, B4 now!) while researching 545 transmission TSB's for the gasoline engine'ed editions - ya know, this thing would be much more aggressive in appearance than the KJ Liberty.................if it had the Liberty 4wd ride heighth and the Liberty-style fender flares, or, better yet, the Renegade versions that have the large attaching point depressions around the flare perimiters - plus the Rubicon wheels, for the additional offset - and, to top it off: the CRD Diesel engine - if only, like at McDoodles, I could have it my way................

Author:	Jeep Jim [ Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:33 am ]
Post subject:
I agree it very well could be more aggressive looking than the Liberty... But as much as I would hate to admit it looksing more aggressive is about all it would be. As far as performance off road its very limited. The Patriot has been tested by some well known Overland Adventurers and they have come to the conclusion that it is only suited for trails of difficultiy levels 2 to 2.5. The Patriots main points that limit are it does not have a gear reducing transfer case and it has Independent Front and Rear Suspensions which makes it more difficult to lift past 2.25". The lift limitations also limit the available tire size it can handle too. In fact if using the stock 17" wheels included in the off-road package the largest tires it can handle are 245/65R17's and from the angles of the photos they look stuffed. I have seen someone say they have successfully mounted 245/75R16's on MOAB wheels but its not truly been confirmed from what I understand. Regardless anything larger than approximately 29.5 very well could rub the Spring catch on the front suspension. The other major limiting factor is currently the after market companies hardly support this Jeep at all. In fact there is only one lift kit available and its made by Rocky Road Outfitters, none of the bumper manufacturers plan on supporting it so that limits bumpers to custom fabrication for the time being. In fact the CAI I have already installed isn't even released for the Patriot yet, it's of its sister MK the Compass. Other than the suspension kit, roof racks are the most prominent after market add on for us at the moment. Basically the Jeep Patriot is a Soft-Roader not a true Off-Roader, but for what I use it for its great. Normally I get 24-27 MPG (before the lift) however right now using the winter blend fuel blend and driving on the currently snow covered roads I am only getting 21 mpg, but considering the fact its a 4x4 not many other trucks can even say they get that. I also like that nostalgic look of the old Cherokee and by the end of the day it will sit like one too. I have appointment to rent a shop bay with lift to install my lift kit. Personally I love my Patriot and am very happy with it, but I also already know this is my Gateway Jeep (similar to a Gateway Drug) and already know my next truck will either be an off-road worthy Liberty or Jeep Wrangler.

Author:	gmctd [ Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:33 pm ]
Post subject:
Nothing an arc wrench and a fire wrench and a donor wrecked Liberty CRD 4wd wouldn't cure................ And, then, there's the late '90's Mitsu Montero, with similar appearance, but larger and roomier.

Author:	Jeep Jim [ Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:55 am ]
Post subject:
I posted updates to my 'Riot and its lift surgery I performed yesterday in the General Forum. With the RRO Lift installed and stock tires it ended up with 10" of ground clearance. Coincidently thats the same a Wrangler Rubicon has.

Author:	gmctd [ Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:
Why didn't you put your Patriot lift-install in this Patriot forum? It's certainly not off-topic for any Patriot-interested audience

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Patriot vs Liberty http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=30943	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Jeep Jim [ Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:06 pm ]
Post subject:
very true... but I had already posted another topic (which was locked) there and didn't want people to think I was scared off... On to new things. I did go to the store totday and parked next too a Liberty KK. Damed if my 'Riot wasn't just as tall (with in 3/4" at the roof and the bottoms of the windows).

Author:	Jeep Jim [ Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:34 am ]
Post subject:
my thread got moved... but it can be seen here: http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=30964

Author:	LibertyFever [ Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:29 am ]
Post subject:
When the Liberty first came out "real" Jeep owners scoffed at it, heck some of them still do. The same things are being said about the Patriot. Sure there aren't many aftermarket parts for it but give it some time. The company I work for supplies me with a company vehicle, unfortunately they don't offer the Liberty but they do offer me a 4WD Patriot. I wonder how much trouble I can get into

Author:	InCommando [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
Although not off-road specific, I'll bet you could find some perfomance tips & parts by checking in on the Dodge Caliber forums.

Author:	liquidxit2 [ Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:39 am ]
Post subject:	Re:
LibertyFever wrote: When the Liberty first came out "real" Jeep owners scoffed at it, heck some of them still do. The same things are being said about the Patriot. Sure there aren't many aftermarket parts for it but give it some time. The company I work for supplies me with a company vehicle, unfortunately they don't offer the Liberty but they do offer me a 4WD Patriot. I wonder how much trouble I can get into They still do. I get looks all the time and even smirks while riding my rig around. They see the rack and BFG's and think Im pretending or something. But I have always lived by this Jeep rule: Real Jeep'ers love all jeeps. I came to that conclusion when I realized that there isn't one jeep that has ever been made that I wouldn't drive or love. I was actually looking to buy a JK or patRIOT back in 2008 and not a liberty. I didn't get to drive a JK since they were impossible to find and were wait listed in my area, but I did drive the patRIOT. While it is basically a car, it still drove well and would have been a great rig for me! The only beef I had with it was the fuel range (not economy) and it being sub 300miles per tank EPA estimated. Other then that I had a FDII lined up at the local dealer that I was seriously interested in and was almost set on purchasing after a trip. Well went on the trip and what did I see as every other vehicle on the road in vermont? Jeep libertys. SO I started looking into those and right about the time the talon finally chewed the factory turbo up (surprised the bugger made it to 112k) the wife and I went to our first dealership and I fell in love with the first renny I saw. Im not usually that impulsive but as soon as I saw my jeep in the dealer lot I knew it was the one and drove off with it the next day. As for the styling of the Patriot, I think its perfect the way it is. Styled like a cherokee but with round headlights and a more traditional 7 slot grill. The interior is deceiving, for such a small jeep it has loads of room. Everything else about it gave me the warm and fuzzies as well, but Im happy with what I have.

Author:	LibertyFever [ Sat May 15, 2010 9:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
Well I've taken delivery of my new company vehicle, a 2010 Patriot 4WD North Edition and I've been driving it for a few days now. My first impression is that the engine is way too weak and that this isn't a real Jeep it's a Dodge Caliber with a Jeep front clip. Sure there's a switch to "lock" the 4WD mode but I think this is really a AWD not 4WD. I've already taken it off road and even though I didn't get stuck I didn't feel confident. There is a small following of die hard fans of the Patriots but they will never be able to follow a Libby through some of the stuff we drive through. Still I hope that this Patriot will handle better for me in the winter weather than a minivan. If it doesn't then I'll simply park it and hop into the Liberty.

Author:	Diggerfreek [ Sat May 15, 2010 11:39 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
LibertyFever wrote: Well I've taken delivery of my new company vehicle, a 2010 Patriot 4WD North Edition and I've been driving it for a few days now. My first impression is that the engine is way too weak and that this isn't a real Jeep it's a Dodge Caliber with a Jeep front clip. Sure there's a switch to "lock" the 4WD mode but I think this is really a AWD not 4WD. I've already taken it off road and even though I didn't get stuck I didn't feel confident. There is a small following of die hard fans of the Patriots but they will never be able to follow a Libby through some of the stuff we drive through. Still I hope that this Patriot will handle better for me in the winter weather than a minivan. If it doesn't then I'll simply park it and hop into the Liberty. Are you going to put the RRO 2.5 under it or are you going to keep it stock?

Author:	LibertyFever [ Fri May 28, 2010 7:52 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
Diggerfreek wrote: Are you going to put the RRO 2.5 under it or are you going to keep it stock? Oh no, this Jeep will stay totally stock except that I'll be buying some A/T's or M&S tires for the winter weather. It is after all my company vehicle and if I ever took it offroad and damaged it on a weekend trail run I won't have a job come Monday morning

Author:	TAHOE [ Fri May 28, 2010 8:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
My Boss' son bought one new, had to have complete rebuild of the top of motor by 8K along with other small, but constant issues. Maybe he got a lemon, but he hasn't been happy with it at all.

Author:	curt7088 [ Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
youtube search for jeep patriot in moab, it is a red jeep patriot with the rro lift and approx. a 31in. tire, it goes places, albeit the stock patriot doesn't have much ground clearance look at the bottom of it, it is fairly well protected with skids (Freedom Drive II) and it has a ridiculous gear reduction in crawl mode, plus it has abls which makes it a d@mn capable vehicle, it may not have the ground clearance,but it is kind of like a turtle, it rubs it's belly over everything, but as long as it has decent traction on at least one tire it will make it over the obstacle! no doubt a lifted liberty with a locker will probably outdo a patriot, but the patriot will hold its own, i mean you will probably lose a bumper or two in it, but you can at least keep up... the only reason i personally do not own a patriot is the cvt tranny is noisy b/c when you depress the accelerator the rpms go up and stay so it gets kinda noisy since the rpms pretty much stay there... and i can't own the manual b/c the manual does not have a 4-lo and i will not own a AWD vehicle... rant over

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Author:	InCommando [ Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:46 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
Lift it paint it whatever: You cannot expect much out of a Dodge Caliber, which arguably fails even in its original duties as a econobox Neon station wagon. Some people cannot see past the fact that it was intentionally designed to look like an XJ. This causes me to chuckle on 2 fronts: One is the "real jeepers" who just see the box and love the new "jeep" ( ) and Two is the people who think a bizarre CVT & rudimentary AWD system makes it a "jeep" because some marketing guru slapped that nametag on it. The Caliber is a monumental failure typical of DiamlerChrysler's reign and as for anything made from the Caliber...well, you know what they say about polishing certain things... A look around the net, including here and JKJC, shows how underwhelming the "riot" thing turned out to be. CAFE booster, yes. Jeep....

Author:	Patriotwhite [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
There is one company that make steel bumpers for the Patriot it is called Tactical Armor Group though the bumper are built on request they do produce bumpers for the Partiot. check out the site: http://www.tacticalarmorgroup.com/TAGSt ... Store.aspx

Author:	bhc04 [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
Patriot's are good looking little Jeeps and for light off road use and light snow, they are a good little vehicle. Can't compare them to the KJ CRD or Wrangler. Totally different vehicles.

Author:	Patriotwhite [ Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:56 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
truth is the only thing that can compare to a Jeep Wrangler are the older Broncos and the Defender

Author:	liquidxit2 [ Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Patriot vs Liberty
InCommando wrote: Lift it paint it whatever: You cannot expect much out of a Dodge Caliber, which arguably fails even in its original duties as a econobox Neon station wagon. Some people cannot see past the fact that it was intentionally designed to look like an XJ. This causes me to chuckle on 2 fronts: One is the "real jeepers" who just see the box and love the new "jeep" ( ) and Two is the people who think a bizarre CVT & rudimentary AWD system makes it a "jeep" because some marketing guru slapped that nametag on it. The Caliber is a monumental failure typical of DiamlerChrysler's reign and as for anything made from the Caliber...well, you know what they say about polishing certain things... A look around the net, including here and JKJC, shows how underwhelming the "riot" thing turned out to be. CAFE booster, yes. Jeep.... This is a pretty ignorant post. While the jeep patriot isnt a trail monster so many forget that it wasnt designed to be. Thats like buying a honda civic to compete in top fuel drag races. For what the patriot was designed for it does very well. Its off road capabilities blow away any and all of its in class competition, and even competes and beats bigger SUVs in that category. People need to stop comparing apples to oranges. The Patriot and compass ARE REAL Jeeps! Just a different take and for a different market then wranglers, libertys, GCs, etc. People need to get their heads out of their asses and realize there are other jeep fans then ones who spend their entire life on a trail, as well as more uses for a jeep then crawling rocks or splashing through mud. Think Jeepster. Patriotwhite wrote: truth is the only thing that can compare to a Jeep Wrangler are the older Broncos and the Defender This is incorrect. Sure all three are venerable vehicles there are other vehicles that compare. The Wrangler, while a nice rig, is not the end all be all rig. While the after market allows it to go further then most jeeps, that doesnt make it better. Stock for stock alot of jeeps are on the level with wranglers and in some categories beat them. If you want to talk heavy modified wranglers well then youre not referring to the jeep wrangle but a totally different vehicle as most of if not all of the "Jeep" influence is gone from them. Take a stock liberty renegade, stock wrangler rubicon(2 and 4 door), stock GC, stock cheerokee, stock commander and put the max size of the same tires and youll see the difference is null for most categories. Sure some may perform a little better in some categories then others, but the differences are VERY far from what people say and definitely not enough to say the wrangler is in a class of its own.