I've had this idea that when Jeep Patriots got cheaper I'd pick one up, dump it on some wide tires like so and have a nice little utility box that was still semi-sporty (basically a FWD version of the Challenge Cherokee). Its bigger/heavier than all the car's I've had, but it would make up for it in utility.
I just read it has 54 cu feet of cargo area. (seats down)
The Honda Fit has 57 cu feet.
My Saturn Wagons had 58.
New Scion XB has 68.
SUVs are not smart choices for most people, yet they continue to buy them.
High floor. Gotta look butch and un-minivan-like in today's market.
Duke wrote: High floor. Gotta luck butch and un-minivan-like in today's market.
I thought the height would make up for the high floor. Its >10 inches taller than the Saturn.
Kind of reminds me of something that happened several years ago. My extended family, 7 of us, flew to Phoenix to see my grandparents. My parents had rented a 7 passenger SUV thinking there'd be plenty of room. The rental was a Jeep Commander, that could have fit all of us, but our luggage would have been left behind, including a stroller that didn't even fit behind the 3rd row. We traded "up" to a 15 passenger van instead.
It's big enough to carry 3 grocery bags, soccer cleats and a bag from Macy's, which is what it was designed to do. Whatcha bitchin' 'bout?
Cherokees weren't very big to start with, and wasn't the Patriot smaller?
Cherokee sport is smaller in every dimension, with 71 cu ft. of cargo area.
It's the seven thousand air bags and crumple zones designed to make NTSB Geeks happy that reduces the interior volume. Yet another reason to buy an older vehicle
The 2 door Wranglers have a whopping 12.8 cu. ft. behind the rear seat. But if you remove the seat, it swells to 56.5 cu. ft.
What more do you need to carry than a machete and a bandana? 
ProDarwin wrote: I've had this idea that when Jeep Patriots got cheaper I'd pick one up, dump it on some wide tires like so and have a nice little utility box that was still semi-sporty (basically a FWD version of the Challenge Cherokee). Its bigger/heavier than all the car's I've had, but it would make up for it in utility. I just read it has 54 cu feet of cargo area. (seats down) The Honda Fit has 57 cu feet. My Saturn Wagons had 58. New Scion XB has 68.
those other vehicles might have more available cubic feet, but how much weight are they rated to carry in that space? how would an XB compare to the Jeep with a fully dressed big block Chevy in the back?
stanger_missle wrote: The 2 door Wranglers have a whopping 12.8 cu. ft. behind the rear seat. But if you remove the seat, it swells to 56.5 cu. ft. What more do you need to carry than a machete and a bandana?
The Ark? :)
Watching the Dakkar Rally updates has me thinking I need an Iveco 4x4 with cargo body.
I'm one of those guys that thinks/knows that a minivan is the way to go vs. most SUVs but - and this is a big but to me - I get more people either tailgating me badly or pulling out in front of me almost to the point of swerving or activation of the ABS in my wife's Caravan. She experiences the exact same thing.
This is NOT occurring driving my F150 which is no BroDozer I can assure you.
Knowing myself, I don't think I can put up with that all the time.
chrispy wrote: Kind of reminds me of something that happened several years ago. My extended family, 7 of us, flew to Phoenix to see my grandparents. My parents had rented a 7 passenger SUV thinking there'd be plenty of room. The rental was a Jeep Commander, that could have fit all of us, but our luggage would have been left behind, including a stroller that didn't even fit behind the 3rd row. We traded "up" to a 15 passenger van instead.
Been there. We borrowed an Escalade once. There was lots of room for people, or cargo, but not people AND cargo. Pretty common theme with third row SUV's.
The Patriot is pretty small behind the back seats. The great big honking solid rear axle and driveshaft/transfer case, push the floor up pretty far, it's also fairly narrow inside. It's built a lot like a truck. My wife loves hers most of the time, she likes the high seating, but there are occasions she wishes it was bigger.
Size for size, FWD will always have more interior space. Low floors, no trans tunnel, no driveshaft tunnel, no rear axle hump.
novaderrik wrote:ProDarwin wrote: I've had this idea that when Jeep Patriots got cheaper I'd pick one up, dump it on some wide tires like so and have a nice little utility box that was still semi-sporty (basically a FWD version of the Challenge Cherokee). Its bigger/heavier than all the car's I've had, but it would make up for it in utility. I just read it has 54 cu feet of cargo area. (seats down) The Honda Fit has 57 cu feet. My Saturn Wagons had 58. New Scion XB has 68.those other vehicles might have more available cubic feet, but how much weight are they rated to carry in that space? how would an XB compare to the Jeep with a fully dressed big block Chevy in the back?
Don't know... have no desire to put a fully dressed big block right behind my head. There are no provisions for securing something like that anyway. Or getting it in/out of the car.
I know its only rated to to 1000lbs.
Toyman01 wrote: The Patriot is pretty small behind the back seats. The great big honking solid rear axle and driveshaft/transfer case, push the floor up pretty far, it's also fairly narrow inside. It's built a lot like a truck. My wife loves hers most of the time, she likes the high seating, but there are occasions she wishes it was bigger. Size for size, FWD will always have more interior space. Low floors, no trans tunnel, no driveshaft tunnel, no rear axle hump.
Ah. This is what I was missing. I did not realize it had a big rear axle/transfer case/etc. Actually, it didn't even really occur to me that it was AWD. I was interested in the FWD/Manual model. Although the XJ has both those things and still a ton more space.
I've spent lots of time in patriots. I even helped someone move with one.
Long story short: they're tiny. They make my Trooper look like a full-sized van. It's a combination of a high floor (they have good ground clearance), a low roof (they are short), and a ridiculously intrusive interior design that makes every plastic trim panel 3 feet thick.
And yes, like you I planned to buy one once they were a few years old. A few press cars changed my mind on that one.
To be perfectly honest, I think they were designed for women. I find the drivers seat cramped for me, but I'm fairly large. My wife at 5'1" loves it. As Tom said, the interior is designed to be cramped. The center console is tall and wide, almost like a sports car. The back seat is designed for children. Not big children. My 15yo son hates it.
I don't think they are available in FWD only. It's RWD or 4WD. And I want to say the manual was only available with the 4cyl, which knowing Jeep, is anemic at best. Ours has the 3.7 and it's decent. Knocks back about 23mpg highway and has plenty of power.
The best features of a Patriot. It will cut a u-turn on a two lane road and not leave the asphalt. That makes it perfect for parking lots and downtown areas. It's great in tight spaces. It is by far the easiest vehicle I have ever worked on. All that space you loose in the interior is around the mechanics. I changed both front upper suspension arms in under 30 minutes. Plugs, 20 minutes. The entire power steering system less rack, under an hour. I love working on it because there is room around everything.
Wait, what? Are we talking about the same car? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Patriot Its definitely available FWD. It has the 2.4L World Engine. There is no 3.7 available. Its ~172hp, which doesn't seem like it should be that anemic in a ~3100lb car (in FWD form). It has to be quicker than my 2.5RS.
It's also struts... so you can't swap the upper suspension arms.
Apparently most Caliber SRT-4 suspension stuff is bolt-on, and you can swap to the turbo motor if you desire.
Do you mean liberty?
In reply to ProDarwin:
Oh crap. Blame it on the cold medicine. I'm home sick as a dog today, so I might be PWI.
Her's is the Liberty.
It sounds like the Patriot has a lot of the same problems as far as cramped interior. Ignore everything else I said. Sorry.
The Patriot is nothing more than a Compass/Caliber boxed up to look like a SUV.
Saturn Vue 4cyl, manual trans, fwd is already cheap.
Previous gen rav4s are good bets. They have a nice amount of cargo space, and the v6 goes 0-60 in 6.4!
Driven5 wrote: The Patriot is nothing more than a Compass/Caliber boxed up to look like a SUV.
Yeah... and? That's what I wanted. Basically an econo-car wagon. But since wagons are dead, I need to make my own.
JohnRW1621 wrote: Saturn Vue 4cyl, manual trans, fwd is already cheap.
Much, much harder to modify. Taller, slower, etc. Looking to make a fun utility/sport box. Low, with wide, sticky rubber, a manual, and capable of at least 15s in the 1/4. Surprisingly, the Vue has barely any more space than the S-Series wagon.
Do not want tall. Prefer 60" or less to begin with. Whatever I end up with, should definitely be able to get height < track after mods.
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