Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Chrysler, LLC., Jeep
2009 Jeep Patriot with new interior already on dealer lots
Click above to view a gallery of the Patriot's new accoutrements
All you used to need to know about the Jeep Patriot is that it looks Jeepy; drives super-solidly (even when making forays above 80 mph); and comes with a nasty interior that will shred your knuckles on that excess flash all over every piece (Ed. note: flash is what's left over from injection molding where the two halves of the mold come together). Take that painful and bloody criticism, print it out on heavy paper, and then savor the sound as you crumple it up; our bloviating has been rendered irrelevant by Chrysler delivering on its promise to fix the Patriot's insides.
Our final judgement will come down after we get a chance to sample one of the new interiors in person, but these pics of the new interior we picked up on last week are inside vehicles that have already made their way to some Jeep dealers' lots. There's a new, smoother dashboard; SRT-reminiscent seats; and door panels that look more well thought out (nevermind that manual window crank). It's nice to see that Chrysler's owner-pooch has put its money where its three mouths are and delivered a more attractive interior that appears higher quality. Click the gallery below to see more angles of the Patriot's new flash-less interior. Thanks for the tip, Jeffrey!
Gallery: New Jeep Patriot interior
[Source: Cars.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
ken_aisin 11:38AM (8/11/2008)
looks very cheap and plasticky
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2007RC46SP2 12:05PM (8/11/2008)
+1000
friko 12:39PM (8/11/2008)
you sound like a hater and/or whinner
The Luigiian 12:39PM (8/11/2008)
Hideous. Reminds me of the interior of a toy car.
I was hoping for better than this when Cerberus said they would fix these interiors.
The Luigiian 12:43PM (8/11/2008)
Edit: Although I'll admit it looks a lot better than it did.
Nellydesign 1:16PM (8/11/2008)
Good for them. They have now reached Ford's levels of refinement from 5 years ago.
Brent 1:58PM (8/11/2008)
Please look at what it used to look like.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/hanyou_kimura/7482016199245938751IM104565x421_A56.jpg
Also, realize the base price is only $17k.
The Luigiian 2:57PM (8/11/2008)
@ Brent: After seeing those pics, a whole LOT better.
I know it costs $17K. The new dash looks good, don't get me wrong. I have an issue with the doors specifically. They look tough but toy-like. There doesn't appear to be much room on the armrest, and the door has no differentiation in color between the crank and the door panel. On the other hand, when you zoom in it looks like they've done a good job on plastics grain. The seats look like they might be too soft and unsupportive, with the same recline levers as they already had. Build quality looks like it might be iffy in a few places.
Bottom line: It looks like it might be uncomfortable. But I'll have to see it in person before I come to a final conclusion.
azzo45 4:46PM (8/11/2008)
Who cares about the "improved" interior...
... same FUGLY exterior styling still there!
ken_aisin 6:30PM (8/11/2008)
To be honest, if you show me these interior pictures without the Jeep logo on the steering wheel, and ask me what I think of them, I would straightly tell you that it's a made in China vehicle, or a Chinese knock off.
Actually, I've seen made in China interiors that looks better than this.
gforce 11:38AM (8/11/2008)
Looks much better. These are obviously the lower end versions (the Sport). I'm interested to see the differences in the Limited, which from the earlier shots looks to have a fair bit more brightwork.
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Brent 2:09PM (8/11/2008)
The limited is the 2nd set of pictures....
TJ 11:39AM (8/11/2008)
looks great!
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Bryant 11:40AM (8/11/2008)
Nice swastika there on the driver's side floor
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BlackEmblem 11:42AM (8/11/2008)
LOL.
icetraxx 12:51PM (8/11/2008)
At first I had no clue what you meant but now I see. That had to be done on purpose. LOL
HAWC1506 4:06PM (8/11/2008)
I see what you're talking about but that looks nothing like a swastika haha
The Other Bob 11:46AM (8/11/2008)
As bad as it is, the interior is not what kills this vehicle for me. Its the CVT that kills it. Give me a decent, durable automatic instead and maybe you would have a sale.
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MikeW 12:10PM (8/11/2008)
It isn't the CVT that makes it bad, it is Chrysler's piss-poor programming.
Chrysler should program it to operate as a 7 speed auto.
If M-B can have 7 speeds with a 6:1 ratio, so can Chrysler.
Just copy the % change in gearing from the 7g-tronic
1-2 65.3%
2-3 67.2%
3-4 71.2%
4-5 73.1%
5-6 82%
6-7 88.8%
Then you'd have a real good use for the AutoStick.
The Other Bob 12:57PM (8/11/2008)
MikeW-
You might be right, from a performace perspective, but I just cannot trust the durability of a CVT - they all suck and are expensive to replace. I suppose Chrysler's life-time warranty helps with that, but I'd rather have the peace of mind of regular auto instead.