Exterior & Styling

The Patriot's styling breaks no ground. Its triumph is that it looks like a Jeep. That might seem minor, but even today this vehicle class carries a cute-ute stigma, and one of the Compass' problems is that it doesn't look like a Jeep — at least not in any of the ways one might want it to. As the photos show, there's a passing resemblance between the two because they and the Dodge Caliber share the same platform, and all are assembled at the same Illinois plant.

One could argue that the squared-off Patriot most resembles Jeep's flagship, the Commander, but it more strongly honors old-school Cherokees and Grand Cherokees.

The two trim levels are Sport and Limited, with few visible differences. The Limited adds a metal-look cover to the front and rear bumpers, and upgrades the Sport's respectable 16-inch steel wheels to 17-inch alloys. The Patriot Sport has standard black roof rails, but the cross-members are optional. The Limited has aluminum rails and cross-bars as standard equipment.

    See also:

    Outside Power Mirrors
    The power mirror switch is located on the driver’s side door trim panel. The power mirror controls consist of mirror select buttons and a four-way mirror control switch. To adjust a mirror, p ...

    Selection Of Engine Coolant
    Use only the manufacturer’s recommended engine coolant (antifreeze). Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in “Maintaining Your Vehicle” for further information. CAUTION! ...

    Freedom Top™ Three-Piece Modular Hard Top — If Equipped
    CAUTION! • The hard top is not designed to carry any additional loads such as roof racks, spare tires, building, hunting, or camping supplies, and/or luggage, etc. Also, it was not designed as ...