The Jeep Patriot (MK74) is a compact crossover SUV introduced in early 2007 for the 2007 model year by the Jeep marque of Chrysler. It debuted publicly in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show and slots between the Compass and Liberty in the Jeep lineup. Market-wise, it is the least-expensive SUV in North America and one of the lowest priced SUV-standard crossovers up to date.
The Compass and Patriot are both based on the DaimlerChrysler/Mitsubishi GS platform. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditional four-door Jeep wagon, similar to the Cherokee, which was discontinued in the U.S. in 2001, while the Jeep Compass is intended as a sporty crossover, but with more capacity to handle rough roads and poor weather than competitors like the Pontiac Vibe. The Dodge Caliber, also based on the GS platform, is a more direct competitor to the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix, and is more like a small hatchback than either of the Jeeps. The Patriot is manufactured at DaimlerChrysler's Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant alongside the Dodge Caliber and Compass.
The Patriot uses a four-cylinder 2.0 L or 2.4 L GEMA gasoline I4 engine In the U.S. the base car features front-wheel drive, but a choice of two electronically controlled four-wheel drive systems is optional. One, the Freedom Drive I, is a full-time system for on-road use. Freedom Drive II is made for off-road use with variable torque between speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h) and 65 mph (105 km/h) for optimal handling. The 2.0 L GEMA I4 is an option for the 4X2 model Patriot.
For Europe and Australia a 2.0 L (1968 cc; 120 cid; 140ps) Volkswagen-manufactured diesel engine is fitted along with a 6-speed manual gearbox. All EU cars are fitted as standard with four wheel drive and a version of the Freedom Drive System which tuned differently from the U.S. versions, but with similar capability to FDII with brake traction control and three switchable electronic stability control and traction control settings for on or off-road use.
The Freedom Drive II-equipped Patriot uses a continuously variable transmission with a low range instead of a traditional two-speed transfer case, but has Jeep's "Trail Rated" badging, signifying that it "has been designed to perform in five categories of off-road conditions: traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording." The Freedom Drive II Patriot is among the most offroad-capable vehicles in its class, in part to the presence of the off-road Brake Lock Differential (BLD). This allows the vehicle to maintain forward motion if one or two wheels lose traction by selectively and aggressively applying brakes to the spinning wheels. This is an improvement over a conventional AWD system; a vehicle intended for onroad use with open differentials only would be stranded if there is a loss of traction in one front and one rear wheel at the same time. The BLD is NOT available in the Freedom Drive I model, although traction control is standard. The traction control is similar to the BLD, but less aggressive. options.
No comments:
Post a Comment