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:

    AM/FM Button
    Press the button to select either AM or FM mode. ...

    Parking Brake
    Before leaving the vehicle, make sure that the parking brake is fully applied and place the shift lever in the PARK position. The foot operated parking brake is located below the lower left cor ...

    Cooling System – Drain, Flush, And Refill
    If the engine coolant (antifreeze) is dirty or contains a considerable amount of sediment, clean and flush with a reliable cooling system cleaner. Follow with a thorough rinsing to remove all de ...