Jeep Patriot (07 on) - Review

Despite its utilitarian appearance, the interior of the Patriot offers reasonable comfort to go with the substantial amount of space for passengers and their luggage. Headroom is impressive plus the car will carry five at a pinch, but a double cupholder on the transmission tunnel impedes legroom for the fifth passenger in the back. There are no map pockets at the rear of the front seats and rear seat passengers have to make do without a centre armrest.

The Patriot is designed as a family-friendly vehicle and there are some useful touches including a washable boot floor and reclining rear seats. The boot itself offers 536 litres of luggage room - that's not far short of a Ford Mondeo estate, while folding down the rear seats (which almost flatten down) boosts this to an impressive 1277 litres. The front passenger seat backrest can also be folded down to carry longer items.

The interior of the Patriot is predominantly grey and drab with an uninspiring dashboard that has a lot of hard, rough surfaces. Several areas such as the door pockets, have thin plastics with sharp edges, reinforcing the decidedly low-rent feel. That said the instrument cluster is clearly laid out and includes Jeep’s trademark compass along with an onboard computer. There’s no lumbar support on the driver’s seat and steering adjusts only for height, but the driving position is adequate and provides excellent forward visibility. A thick centre pillar obstructs side vision, but huge mirrors compensate by providing a wide view.