Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: S. Georgia/N. Florida
Posts: 1,215
Patriot owners, are you happy with it?
With the gas prices doing what they are, I'm seriously considering a Patriot.
I own a Full size, lifted Dodge Hemi 4x4, heavily modded with a little over 400 HP (335 RWHP), not exactly a fuel miser. My DAILY DRIVER is an '02 Grand Cherokee Overland with the only mod being a K&N drop-in.
I've always had a Jeep of one kind or another. A '73 J10 pickup, '84 CJ7, '94 Wrangler, and this '02 GC Overland of my own. A '95 & '98 GC Laredo (both I6, 4x2's) and a '02 Laredo Sport 4x4 which were my wife's (now ex-wife) daily drivers.
I'm seriously thinking that having two V8 4x4's as my only vehicles is not the way to go. I get what I think is VERY respectable mileage out of the GC for what it is, about 17 everyday and I've hit 22 on a couple of trips, but I'd like to have something that gets closer to 30 mpg. I'm going on vacation next week and taking the GC camping in the mountains for about 10 days of trout & smallmouth fishing, about a 1200 mile round trip. This may prove to be the last such trip in the GC. I'm NOT looking forward to the gas credit card bills coming after I return.
I was thinking of a Honda CRV, but would really like to stay in the Jeep family.
I'm curious to know how you guys who purchased one feel about it. Would you buy it again/recommend one? Gas mileage? Problems? and finally, if I got it in a 4x4, do you feel it's off-road capabilities are worthy of the Jeep name? Not planning on any hard off-roading, that's what the Hemi pickup is for, but some backwoods camping, fishing, etc.
Thanks in advance for your opinions...
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
Old Man Emu HD coils, 265/65/17 Nitto Terra Grapplers, Warn M8000, home made light bar, Cepek 130 watt lights, Hella 500s
CURRENTLY REBUILDING THE 4.7 HO ENGINE