The 2009 Jeep Patriot is a step forward

The Jeep Patriot seems to have it all: gas mileage, offroad capabilities, reasonable pep, and a lifetime warranty, with numerous interior features. Sales have, though, been slower than one would expect during these frugal, gas-sipping days. The factory that makes the Patriot, Compass, and Caliber is still on limited capacity. Hopefully, customers will give the Patriot another look now that the Patriot’s gotten an interior workover; the “bulky look” is gone now, replaced by more curves and better-looking materials. We won’t be able to report on personal impressions for a while yet - we do have them! - but we can tell you just from the pictures that this is a much better interior than the current Patriot has. Pay particular attention to the treatment of the glove compartment; the blocky look is gone and textures seem to have been fixed, with chrome accents relieving the plastic. Overall, everything is still in roughly the same place - it’s clear that this was no “unlimited budget” or “from scratch” makeover - but the details have been cleverly reworked for a massive improvement.

You may wonder how we can release this photo (and more at our Jeep Patriot page). First, the details we have on the Patriot were leaked to us before we were bound by the media embargo; second, Chrysler has violated its own embargo with brochures and actual cars showing up at dealerships just a tad early. Is there really a point to our withholding photography when you can go to a Jeep dealer and see the real thing? We sure hope not, because we don’t want them to be mad at us again!