Comparing Trail-Rated Liberty w/ Trail-Rated Patriot

[MacAttack]

How does the Liberty compare with the Patriot FD2 w/ crawl ratio?

I can buy a brand new one of either at basically the same price....$500 less maybe on the Patriot.

I want to drive logging roads, forest roads, snowy roads, mountain roads in NW Oregon......will not be offroading just for fun, but rather to access places.

The Liberty will get me anywhere I need to go ........will the Trail Rated Patriot get me there also? I was set on the Liberty, but then started thinking the All Wheel Drive would be nice on the Patriot for rain and mild snow and it's always on. The Liberty on the other hand is rear wheel drive only unless offroading or snow.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the first Patriot vs. Liberty comparison thread.

... a bit earlier than I expected!

I'll help by throwing out some specs.


---------------------Patriot --- Liberty
Ground Clearance: 9.0" --- 9.4"
Approach Angle: 29º --- 37º
Breakover Angle: 23º --- 22º
Departure Angle: 33º --- 31.5º

 

[KJ02Ltd]

Keep in mind that if you get the Select Trac on the Liberty, then you can run 4x4 Full Time 'til your heart's content.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

FWIW, I have looked at every option on every Jeep on the website, I think, and compared alot of them against one another. IMO, the Patriot would be more suited to the entry level Jeep driver rather than someone who really needed to get to somewhere offroading even the least. Granted it might be trail ready, but that's just my opinion. I think the base model with a few options might be a nice first Jeep for my 6 year old. Granted it'll be 10 years old when he gets it, but that's the point, right...

jpm

 

[MacAttack]

Keep in mind that if you get the Select Trac on the Liberty, then you can run 4x4 Full Time 'til your heart's content.

I would like SelecTrac if I get the Liberty, but my wallet doesn't like it.

I forgot to mention the trail-rated Patriot only gets a little better gas mileage than the Liberty. Patriot rated 21/23. Liberty 18/22.

By the way is AWD a big deal when compared to the rear-wheel drive of the Liberty? I only have experience with a rear-wheel drive pickup, so pretty clueless which is a nightmare....tires spin on hills when it's raining....can't go up a snowy hill at all if at a complete stop.

 

[Corwyyn]

There was a media event out here in the Phoenix area a couple of weeks back, all of the magazines sending reporters out to bash them around in the desert. Here is a link to a review/report on some of the trails driven. I have first-hand experience on the 'Four Peaks rd.' trail that is the first one in the review and would say if the Patriot was able to get up and down some of those obstacles then I would not have a problem taking it on a moderately rugged trail. In fact I have a picture from that trail for direct comparison:

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And heres one of the Patriots on that same obstacle:

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This obstacle is a drop of about 18" on loose (very loose) gravel/dirt. In the picture of my KJ I had to step about 10" because my door was over the center of a depression; the Patriots drivers front tire is just about where I put my foot down, and I'd imagine his passenger rear is about 6-8" in the air. Not a bad little trail for only being about 45 minutes from my front door...

 

[desertkj]

I'm not gonna lie. I was gonna start out bashing the Patriot, until I read that link from Corwyyn. Its got more potential than I expected. My only complaint is still the CVT (I'm a traditionalist I guess).

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I'm not gonna lie. I was gonna start out bashing the Patriot, until I read that link from Corwyyn. Its got more potential than I expected. My only complaint is still the CVT (I'm a traditionalist I guess).

What's there to Bash? Looks good, decent size, and can offroad just as well as the Liberty, with the exception of an approach angle.

I do have a few issues with the Patriot:

It's still too darn narrow, I can't carry my entire dorm room in it, and there's nowhere for me to rest my left arm since the doorpanel has a downward angle. Love the iPod hookup, and the interior layout.

It's funny because the Dodge Caliber of which it is based has absolutely no offroad capability, lol.
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[Dave]

I like the looks of the Patriot but I've only seen pictures. I do not like the engine options (didn't see a v6 option), the permenant awd, and the spare underneith in a off road vehicle.

In the KJ I like the selec-trac for the reason that I can decide when I want/need full time. I don't have to worry about the spare getting whacked off road.

It depends on your preferences though and your usage. I guess you will need to drive one and decide which one is best for you. I know they started making them but I have not seen one at the dealers yet.

Dave

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I'm pretty sure the spare is inside the cargo area, under the floor.

 

[MacAttack]

I like the looks of the Patriot but I've only seen pictures. I do not like the engine options (didn't see a v6 option), the permenant awd, and the spare underneith in a off road vehicle.

Just wondering what's wrong with AWD? Isn't that a good thing?

 

[Jeger]

How does the Liberty compare with the Patriot FD2 w/ crawl ratio?

I can buy a brand new one of either at basically the same price....$500 less maybe on the Patriot.

I want to drive logging roads, forest roads, snowy roads, mountain roads in NW Oregon......will not be offroading just for fun, but rather to access places.

The Liberty will get me anywhere I need to go ........will the Trail Rated Patriot get me there also? I was set on the Liberty, but then started thinking the All Wheel Drive would be nice on the Patriot for rain and mild snow and it's always on. The Liberty on the other hand is rear wheel drive only unless offroading or snow.

I WOULD say get whichever one you like the best, either would do great for the driving you mentioned.....BUT, to me the CVT is unproven as of yet. I would wait to see how it is going to hold up before I made my decision. So if you cant wait, get the liberty, also get the liberty if you think you may get more into offroading, there are more upgrades available for it already.

 

[Jeger]

Crawl ratio Comparison

From another thread:

[quote="Jeger
Says the patriot has 19:1 overall reduction in low range. I dont know if that is accounting for the diff reduction or not.

A CRD with the 545 ****** in low range has an overall reduction of 30.44:1

If you have the 42RLE and 3.73 gears it is. 28.81:1

6 speed with 3.55 diff would be 43.07:1

So 19:1 is not that great but not terrible either. Now if they arent accounting for the 3:91 diff then the overall would be
74.29:1
Which is quite good[/quote]

At least that is what I got when I figured it up, anyone come up with anything else?

 

[MacAttack]

Ok. I have no 4WD experience, so I am having trouble making a choice. I'm now looking at the non trail-rated Patriot vs. Liberty 4WD.

Patriot is front-wheel drive unless loss of traction then it is auto AWD.
It also has a lock mode to lock 50/50 front & back equivalent to 4 wheel drive high....it will stay locked until you pass 10mph then it reverts back to regular and unless stuck again then it locks again. There is no 4 wheel drive low.
Gas is 25/29 vs Liberty 18/22.
That is a lot of dough, and the reason I'm so interested !!!

Would the Patriot be enuf for me for rough forest roads, logging roads, snowy mountain roads or do I actually need the Liberty? Again I have only owned a rear wheel drive pickup which is horrible on everything, so I just don't know enuf to make a decision.

 

[desertkj]

Ok. I have no 4WD experience, so I am having trouble making a choice. I'm now looking at the non trail-rated Patriot vs. Liberty 4WD.

Patriot is front-wheel drive unless loss of traction then it is auto AWD.
It also has a lock mode to lock 50/50 front & back equivalent to 4 wheel drive high....it will stay locked until you pass 10mph then it reverts back to regular and unless stuck again then it locks again. There is no 4 wheel drive low.
Gas is 25/29 vs Liberty 18/22.
That is a lot of dough, and the reason I'm so interested !!!

Would the Patriot be enuf for me for rough forest roads, logging roads, snowy mountain roads or do I actually need the Liberty? Again I have only owned a rear wheel drive pickup which is horrible on everything, so I just don't know enuf to make a decision.

For me, no 4-Lo would be a dealbreaker. Although I may not use it as often as some on here, it is a nice sense of security. You never know when situations may take a turn for the worst and that fireroad that used to be nicely graded and dry is now a soupy mess from a storm. If my memory serves correctly, I think it was jeepjeepster who got stuck in a heck of a storm and posted some pics of situations I would have wanted 4Lo in.

 

[Eddo]

Ok. I have no 4WD experience, so I am having trouble making a choice. I'm now looking at the non trail-rated Patriot vs. Liberty 4WD.

Patriot is front-wheel drive unless loss of traction then it is auto AWD.
It also has a lock mode to lock 50/50 front & back equivalent to 4 wheel drive high....it will stay locked until you pass 10mph then it reverts back to regular and unless stuck again then it locks again. There is no 4 wheel drive low.
Gas is 25/29 vs Liberty 18/22.
That is a lot of dough, and the reason I'm so interested !!!

Would the Patriot be enuf for me for rough forest roads, logging roads, snowy mountain roads or do I actually need the Liberty? Again I have only owned a rear wheel drive pickup which is horrible on everything, so I just don't know enuf to make a decision.

The Patriot sounds like it would be enough for some logging roads, mild off road type stuff. Of course the Liberty can be lifted 2.5-3" with some 32" and a locker. That will allow you tackle just about any trail out there.

However, if you just need some basic capability for old forest roads/logging roads it seems more than enough. Just read the review that Crowyn posted. Do these pictures looks like it is good enough for you?

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Also, don't pay too much attention to the specs. They are pretty much meaningless, you need to get the feel of the vehicle for yourself. Talk to someone that has actually wheeled and they will give you a much better idea then comparing specs. Crowyn's posted article gives a very good perspective.

For alot of people the Patriot may be a better choice. Alot of people want AWD or 4WD and a little off-road capability, but never plan on going rock-crawling or tackling some 4+ trails at Moab. Since the patriot is on a car platform, it gets better gas mileage and probably rides nicer, which seem to be the main complaints of the Liberty. Those are some pretty impressive pictures of the Patriot in Crowyn's posted review.

 

[06Liberty]

IMO, it's still a 4 cylinder, front wheel drive CAR based JEEP.....that just ain't right. [-(

 

[MoladoGuy]

Local dealership has a Patriot in their front lot. I drove up to it, miniturizing it, then got out to take a look. My head was clear over the top of the vehicle!!! I did not know it was that small. Yuck.

 

[Dave]

I like the looks of the Patriot but I've only seen pictures. I do not like the engine options (didn't see a v6 option), the permenant awd, and the spare underneith in a off road vehicle.

Just wondering what's wrong with AWD? Isn't that a good thing?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with AWD. But I prefer selec-trac where I can can be the one to decide when I want to be in full-time and not have the electronic wizardry of the automatic AWD system do it for me.

Dave

 

[Dave]

I'm pretty sure the spare is inside the cargo area, under the floor.

Thanks for the correction. That's a good thing that it is not underneith the vehicle like I thought.

Dave

 

[MacAttack]

After looking at the review of the Patriot at Expeditions West and looking at the specs, the Patriot seems to be a better deal for the majority of people. Maybe the Liberty is better for the hard-core offroader, but it seems like you would have to search pretty hard for a section of road that the Patriot couldn't perform in.

Both are trail-rated
Patriot costs less
Patriot has AWD activated at all times, safer than rear-wheel drive
Patriot comes with tow hooks, fog lights, heavy-duty cooling system, & skid plates. (and is still cheaper)
Patriot gets slightly better gas

I'll probably get the Liberty though.