7th August 2008 4:35 pm Jeep

Chrysler LLC’s Jeep(R) brand has a solution for sport-utility vehicle (SUV) customers seeking relief from high gas prices and economic uncertainty — the Jeep Patriot. A study by Edmunds.com reveals that the Jeep Patriot is the least expensive SUV to own at 48.6 cents per mile.

“In difficult periods like this, it is vital that we continue to evolve our products to exceed customers’ needs and Jeep Patriot does just that,” said Robert Hegbloom, Senior Manager - Jeep Brand Marketing. “By providing great fuel economy, performance, handling and flexibility, all at an affordable price, the Jeep Patriot is a tremendous value.”

The number one ranking is based on Edmunds.com’s True Cost to Own data, which incorporates projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs. The data accounts for total vehicle costs over a five-year period.

“Even though gas prices are high, some consumers are still in search of a sport-utility vehicle to meet their needs,” said Jesse Toprak, Executive Director of Industry Analysis, Edmunds.com. “For those consumers, vehicles like the Jeep Patriot are relative bargains in their segment.”

The Jeep Patriot continues to gain traction in the marketplace with total U.S. sales in July up 4 percent versus the same period last year. Additionally, Jeep Patriot 2008 year-to-date sales increased 119 percent, with 40,135 total sales when compared with July 2007 year-to-date sales.

Strong and capable, the Jeep Patriot is unmistakably Jeep, designed to appeal to compact SUV buyers who want classic Jeep styling with best-in-class off-road capability. Jeep Patriot combines the packaging and interior flexibility of a sport-utility vehicle, while offering an excellent fuel economy at a great value. Safety features, such as standard side-curtain air bags and standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP), add to Jeep Patriot’s incredible value.

The Jeep Patriot’s powertrain delivers world-class performance, fuel economy and refinement. Patriot features a standard 2.4-liter World Engine with dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT), which helps optimize the torque curve at all speeds. Patriot’s World Engine produces more power, better fuel economy and a smoother, quieter ride than engines without dual VVT. Dual VVT is a technology typically not available on vehicles sold in the United States in the Patriot’s price class.

Performance objectives are targeted to match the best in the segment. The 2.4-liter engine coupled with a five-speed manual transaxle provides 172 horsepower (128 kW) and 165 lb.-ft. (222 N*m) of torque and delivers 23 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder World Engine also is available on front-wheel-drive Jeep Patriot Sport models and achieves 23 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Jeep Patriot features a standard five-speed manual transaxle and an available Continuously Variable Transaxle (CVT2). CVT2 is a
second-generation CVT that Chrysler LLC engineers calibrated for pleasing engine response and precise ratio control. CVT2 contributes to a fuel economy improvement of 6-8 percent compared with a traditional four-speed automatic transaxle. Patriot also is the first Jeep vehicle to offer a CVT2 with integral low-ratio (CVT2L). The CVT2L’s effective first gear in low
ratio is 19:1, which provides the torque necessary for crawling over moderate rocks and logs and other off-road events.

Jeep Patriot has more capability than any other vehicle in its class. Jeep Patriot is available in three drive configurations: front-wheel drive, Freedom Drive I(TM) (a full-time, active four-wheel-drive system with lock mode) and the Freedom Drive II(TM) Off-Road Package (a full-time, active 4×4 system with low range that provides true Jeep 4×4 Trail Rated(R) capability).

Freedom Drive I is an available full-time, active 4×4 system with Lock mode designed to give drivers year-round assurance to handle rough weather and low-traction conditions. This active four-wheel-drive system is recommended for daily use, including slick conditions that come with rain and light snow. Freedom Drive I features a lockable center coupling, giving drivers the ability to put the Jeep Patriot in four-wheel-drive Lock mode to handle deep snow, sand and other low-traction surfaces.

The Freedom Drive II Off-road Package is an available four-wheel-drive system that makes the Jeep Patriot a Trail Rated 4×4, creating the most capable vehicle in the crowded compact SUV class. The Freedom Drive II Off-road Package includes CVT2L, 17-inch all-terrain OWL tires and aluminum wheels, a full-size spare tire, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lamps and manual driver seat height adjuster.

All Jeep Patriot models include standard brake traction control, driver-controlled three-mode ESP, Brake assist, Electronic Roll Mitigation and Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with rough-road detection.

The Jeep Patriot is manufactured at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill.

The Jeep brand has expanded to seven nameplates, the most available to retail consumers at one time in the brand’s 66-year history. The Jeep brand offers customers the freshest, most capable and widest range of sport-utility vehicles under one brand in the industry.