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:

    Air Conditioner Maintenance
    For best possible performance, your air conditioner should be checked and serviced by an authorized dealer at the start of each warm season. This service should include cleaning of the condenser f ...

    Inserting Compact Disc(s)
    Gently insert one CD into the CD player with the CD label facing up. The CD will automatically be pulled into the CD player and the CD icon will illuminate on the radio display. If a CD does not g ...

    Illuminated Entry
    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 mi ...