Patriot gets a reprieve (update)

Based on word from within Chrysler, some have speculated that the Jeep Patriot would cease production long before the Jeep Compass, especially now that the latter has a Trail Rated, skid-plate-bedecked version that can withstand a reasonable amount of off-road abuse. However, internal sources have told us to expect the Patriot to stay in production for around the same period. Reliable source oh2o informed us, what’s more, that there would be a 2014 model year. We don’t expect many 2014s to be made, though.

Belvidere sources claim that the Compass will run through the end of 2013, for a short 2014 model year; Patriot is to end in late summer or fall 2013, for a very short 2014 model run. The difference between the two appears to be a matter of three or four months, and the plant is likely to make a decent supply of extra Patriots to allow dealers to have both of the small Jeeps.

So far, there has been no final word on whether the Patriot and Compass replacement(s) will continue either name, or both (ComPatriot), or a new name; past company statements have suggested that Compass will continue and the “too obvious” Patriot will be dropped. The new car is, like the Liberty/Cherokee replacement, to be adapted from the basic platform and architecture of the Dodge Dart and upcoming midsized cars. A Trail Rated version will definitely be made, but statements have been vague concerning the standards for trail rating vehicles in this segment.   (First posted July 17. Reposted July 21.)