If you own a Jeep, it means that first and foremost, you value the functionality of your vehicle. Luxury and design come second. The Jeep Patriot was developed and launched for that very reason.
The target group of Jeep Patriots has always been folks who need a workhorse, not a luxury vehicle. And they got it. But what did the manufacturer do to make Jeep Patriots cheap? Let’s find out.
The Jeep manufacturer (FCA US LLC) produces vehicles in a broad price range, starting from a stylish and chic Jeep Wrangler and ending with the Jeep Patriot, which is basically an entry-level compact SUV.
You have a lot in between, of course: Jeep Compass, Jeep Grand Cherokee… The list goes on and on. Jeeps are diverse and meet the demands of millions of customers all over the world.
And the customers are getting more and more demanding every day.
After thorough research and collaboration with advertising and analytics partners, the Jeep manufacturer launched the cheapest SUV to comply with the needs of the consumers who wanted an entry-level SUV, often for a specific purpose, like going hunting in the wild and cruising rough terrains.
So, let us give you a detailed answer to the question: why are Jeep Patriots so cheap?
Contents
Workhorse
That’s what the Jeep Patriot is — a functional vehicle without premium features or a luxurious interior. Reliable and basic.
Compact SUV
Compared to other Jeep models, like Jeep Grand Cherokee or Wagoneer, this guy is much smaller. It’s truly an entry-level compact SUV.
But: the smaller the car, the fewer materials are used for its production.
Production years
If you are interested in exploring new Jeep Patriots, you’ll find no new models, as the manufacturing was terminated after 10 years. 2006-2017 are the years when the Jeep Patriot was trying to gain its place on the market among vehicles of a similar price range.
But the market turned out too competitive for the Jeep Patriot, with other vehicles filling the niche Jeep Patriot intended to occupy (for example, Nissan Juke). The result: 2017 was the last year of the Jeep Patriot production.
Why are Jeep Patriots so cheap?
Let’s see now where exactly FCA US optimized the production costs for Jeep Patriots to be able to charge a cheap price for their compact SUV.
Engine capacity
Reduced engine capacity while making Jeep Patriot more budget-friendly also limits its capabilities. A basic engine of the vehicle does not allow the driver to explore the extremely rough terrain, and that could be one of the reasons why the Jeep Patriot years on the market were numbered.
An inline four-cylinder engine is not too impressive, as well as a 2.4-liter volume. As for the horsepower, it’s 160.
Such vehicles cannot provide the excellent speed or off-road capacity that a lot of Jeep Patriot owners would prefer to enjoy.
Especially when you cross-check with other Jeep models.
The basic set of features
Apart from a relatively basic but good engine, this vehicle has similar other features: reliable but basic. Like cargo space, for example. It’s enough, but not too large, and it optimizes the price of the vehicle, which was one of the main objectives of the manufacturer.
Among significant features are anti-lock brakes, critical for most drivers.
The Jeep Patriot is obviously equipped with air conditioning, but it’s not a luxury, just a basic necessity. The airbags are part of the package too.
Limiting the number of features contributes to cost reduction but can also lead to customer loss. This coin has two sides.
Modest interior
The same tendency to provide all the necessary basics and nothing else continues in the design of the car cabin.
When Jeeps were first introduced in 1940 as US Army vehicles, they definitely had an extremely basic interior with only functionality in mind. And Jeep models featured moderate design for a long time. But the situation changed. Customers demanded style and comfort, so the Jeep Wrangler was launched.
Since then, more and more comfort has been provided for Jeep customers. But price optimization was part of Patriot’s positioning on the market, so modest basic interior it was.
No plush, expensive leather, no fancy sound system — only functionality.
The Jeep Patriot is capable of easily carrying 4 passengers, although other Jeep vehicles have a higher capacity.
Acceleration & transmission
A very reliable transmission (4-speed automatic and 6 — manual) and acceleration provide you with off-road capacity, although to a certain limit. Lowering the price results in the narrowing of possibilities in terms of the off-road qualities of the Jeep Patriot.
Windows and doors
To make the Jeep Patriot competitive among other inexpensive vehicles, the manufacturer decided not to install powered windows and doors.
That would substantially increase the price of the vehicle. The result — windows and doors can be only powered manually. But many people don’t consider power windows a luxury and view a manual option as an inconvenience.
Jeep Patriot is not a vehicle de Luxe
Apart from the lack of fancy devices and features, there were no luxurious materials used in the manufacture of this Jeep, whether on the inside or the outside of the car. And there are no power seats as well. All of that is also the reason it is cheap compared to the other products on the market, including other compact SUVs.
Jeep Patriot: issues to look out for
The Patriot is a reliable, high-quality vehicle and is a worthy competitor among cars of a similar price range. But let us give you some clues on what to look out for when choosing your Patriot.
Stagnation at low or high speed
That can happen during a red traffic light stop, and some drivers complained about the stalling. The same kind of stagnation was observed at high rates of speed, too.
Interior leaks
Those usually happen in the area of the car doors. Water trickles down due to the insufficiently sealed doors.
Maintenance
The manufacturing discontinuation created an additional issue with the Patriot repair.
It affected first and foremost the availability of spare parts.
It can be challenging to find certain elements on short notice.
Conclusion
If you compare the Patriot with other vehicles produced under the Jeep label, its price is substantially lower. You can purchase the vehicle in the range of $500-4,000 depending on the production year and the overall condition of the vehicle.
If we compare it with a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, for example, the gap is significant. The starting price here will be $24,000.
Of course, these vehicles are of a different class, but still, the Patriot is a budget-friendly vehicle. Its reliability rating is 4.0 out of 5.0 which is a high number, especially taking into account the reasonable price tag.
In the article, we showed you what made Patriot so inexpensive, so you can evaluate those factors and decide if Patriot is worth the investment.
Frequently asked questions
What Jeep model is the closest to the Ford Escape?
The Grand Cherokee is the most similar to the Ford Escape model, with both Freedom Drive I and Freedom Drive II options.
If you need to read about why are Jeep Patriots so cheap, please read our article.
