Ride & Handling
Compact crossovers may be car-based, but they don't ride like cars. With this in mind, the Patriot's ride quality is decent — better than the firm-riding Honda CR-V, but not close to the Ford Escape, which I consider the high-water mark for ride comfort in this class.
Despite a tendency to wander a bit at highway speeds, steering is acceptable, and handling is pretty good — definitely more tidy than that of the Hyundai Tucson. Again, this isn't a car, and you feel the high center of gravity, even in the Limited trim level, which has 8.1 inches of ground clearance. When equipped with the Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package, the Patriot's ground clearance is 9 inches.
Off-roading is the Patriot's biggest advantage. Without getting into heavy-duty truck-based models like the Jeep Liberty or Wrangler, the Patriot has few peers among car-based crossovers. The Land Rover LR2 is one, but it's a luxury model priced above $35,000. The Subaru Forester is capable of duty beyond the basic off-pavement trail, but it lacks the additional low gear that facilitates climbing steep inclines and scrambling over larger obstacles. Unlike our test car's Freedom Drive I, which is mainly a hands-off four-wheel-drive system with a manually lockable center coupling for tougher scenarios, Freedom Drive II lets you select a crawl gear. It's not technically a dual-range transfer case, because it uses the CVT's broad range to provide the 19:1 ratio, but the effect is the same. I drove the Patriot off road after its debut and was impressed.
See also:
Radio AM
To switch to the AM band, say “AM” or “Radio AM”. In this mode, you may say the
following commands:
• “Frequency #” (to change the frequency)
• “Next Station” (to select the ne ...
Display Fuel Saver — If Equipped
The “ECO” message is located in the compass / outside temperature / audio information
/ ECO display. If Display Fuel Saver is selected as ON, only the ECO message will
display in the audio inf ...
Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM)
This system anticipates the potential for wheel lift by
monitoring the driver’s steering wheel input and the
speed of the vehicle. When ERM determines that the rate
of change of the steering w ...