| Week at the Wheel | Jeep Patriot |

Inside & Out:

The boldness of the Jeep Patriot's styling is a major opinion divider. On the whole, given the SUV role it fulfils, the Tonka truck looks and brash American overtones are likely to win more potential buyers than they put off, especially given the conservative appearance of many established rivals. What the generous exterior dimensions bring that isn't controversial in any way is a cavernous interior and a large load space. As a family wagon or workhorse the Patriot scores well.

Engine & Transmission:

The Patriot makes most sense when fitted with the VW-sourced diesel engine. It's a standard recipe of 2.0-litres displacement producing 138bhp but more importantly 229lb.ft of torque available at 1,750 rpm - a good fit with the Patriot's potential use for a spot of off-roading and perhaps some towing. On the road the performance is adequate rather than brisk but the six-speed gearbox shifts with alacrity and once up to speed the Patriot cruises well.

Unfortunately the engine's machinations aren't isolated from the occupants of the cabin very well with some vibration evident through the controls and noise levels that are excessive when judged against the most well mannered competition. The economy figures, admittedly biased around a week's worth of urban driving rather than long motorway journeys, were in the low 30s mpg - not a disgrace but some way short of best in class and brought into focus a little by the relatively small 51-litre tank. In fairness this figure would climb some way nearer to the claimed 42mpg combined figure with a more representative blend of usage.

Ride & Handling:

This is perhaps the area where the Patriot marks the biggest advance in the evolution of the Jeep brand - it's a world apart from some of the previous offerings and shames some of the larger vehicles in the range with a level of compliance and subtlety sadly often missing from American cars. It is much more closely related to a family hatch than a crude off-roader and this basis yields large rewards.

The Patriot steers accurately and the body control is impressive with roll well contained and the minimal of pitch and dive. However, it's not at the expense of the ride quality - the damping is well judged. Under duress the Patriot's game does begin to fall apart a little but it's competitive and isn't shamed by any means in comparison with more adept European and Japanese rivals.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

In terms of cost the Patriot is bang on the money at under £20k. In terms of family friendly features, the Patriot comes with a full complement of gizmos and safety features as one would expect. The interior appearance, fit and finish doesn't match that of the Ford Kuga or Honda CR-V, but given the relative purchase prices it isn't shamed and levels well with lesser rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander, while putting the similarly themed Dodge Caliber firmly in the shade.

Overall:

There's a lot to like about the Jeep Patriot: space, practicality and appearance are all big plus points and the new found capability in the chassis department is a real step forward. Overall, the Patriot is a very good Jeep, but still lags the best SUVs in class and falls some way short in comparison to rivals such as Ford's Kuga. However, it's as close as Jeep has ever been to the class leaders.