2010 Jeep Patriot review

I get why people love their Jeeps: They're rough and tumble and go anywhere from a weekend at the beach to an extreme off-roading adventure. However, the 2010 Jeep Patriot feels cheap, sluggish and plastic-y, making it seem more like a toy Jeep than a real one (and not even a cute one like the miniature electric pink Barbie Jeep the neighbor girls have).

Upon starting the Patriot for the first time, I realized pretty quickly that this wasn't a toy electric Jeep. The rumbling engine actually made me wonder for a moment if my test Patriot had a diesel engine. Nope, no diesel, just a really loud cabin.

I was not only underwhelmed with the Patriot but actually annoyed by the continuously variable automatic transmission in it, which was part of the Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package. It felt slow to get up and running from a stop, and if I tried to coax it to go any faster it would rev loudly as if to say, "The kids'll get to school when I'm damn well ready to get them there." Sheesh! On top of stressing about getting the kids out the door on time, I hated having my car bark at me every morning.

See also:

Front/Rear Axle Fluid
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Door Frame Installation — Two-Door Models
1. Unfold door frame and unscrew thumbscrews. 2. Set the door frame pin into the hole on top of the body side, behind the door opening. 3. After the door frame pin has been set into the body sid ...

Shifting Procedure
2H to 4H or 4H to 2H Shifting between 2H and 4H can be made with the vehicle stopped or in motion. With the vehicle in motion, the transfer case will engage/disengage faster if you momentarily re ...