Blind to the Value
As equipped, our test Patriot Limited 4x4's price was $29,700, and people found that hard to stomach. Dig deeper, and you find the base price for this trim is $24,550, which is a bit lower than that of the CR-V's and Tucson's higher trim levels (see them compared). The roughly $5,000 difference amounted to our Patriot's long list of options, including the automatic transmission, a moonroof and a premium stereo with unique flip-down rear speakers in the liftgate. There's also remote start, Bluetooth phone connectivity, HomeLink, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a cargo cover, roof-rack crossbars, a readout for the tire pressure monitoring system and more. The in-dash multimedia system included a well-executed navigation system with a free year of Sirius Traffic Service. It also featured both analog and digital jacks for playing and controlling audio sources and for loading songs and photos onto the onboard hard disk drive.
It's actually a lot of features for the money, but there's such a disconnect between the price and the perception of quality that people seemed blind to the value of the added options. If this doesn't illustrate the importance of aesthetic quality, nothing will.
See also:
Frequency Of Fluid Change
Under normal operating conditions, the fluid installed at the factory will give
satisfactory lubrication for the life of the vehicle. If the fluid becomes contaminated
with water, it should be cha ...
Prepare For The Appointment
If you’re having warranty work done, be sure to have the
right papers with you. Take your warranty folder. All
work to be performed may not be covered by the
warranty. Discuss additional charg ...
Illuminated Entry — If Equipped
The courtesy lights will turn on when you use the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter to unlock the doors or open any door.
This feature also turns on the approach lighting in the outside mirror ...


