Patriot handles off-roading, but on-road is another story

OAK RIDGE ESTATE, ARRINGTON, Va. -- Red clay, wet. Worse than ice. Jeep on a side slope. Gravity takes over. Yikes.

Some miracle prevents the Patriot from smashing a tree that was supposed to be off to the left but now is dead ahead of the driver. And prevents it from slipping another few inches sideways and rolling into a sufficiently alarming gully — on the driver's side, of course.

What do we learn from this exciting close call, boys and girls? First, just as in swimming, go with a buddy (but in Jeeping, be sure the buddy has a winch with a long cable). Second, make sure your trail spotter, the person who's supposed to guide you through the seemingly impossible spots using hand signals, is outside the vehicle. Inside, where it's warm and dry, the spotter's view is no better than yours.

But, as enthusiasts like to say, "You ain't four-wheelin' if you ain't stringin' cable." So we were four-wheelin'. Winch cable hooked into Patriot's right front tow hook, then off to the right, around a tree and back down to the winch-meister. A little tug sideways by the Jeep-mounted winch, a little backing up by the Patriot and, there you have it. Realigned and free to press on.

That was the only get-stuck episode. Actually more fun than scary, especially when the sheetmetal that might get bent belongs to somebody else.

Small trees across the trail, a deep and fast stream, mud puddles — all handled without much hassle.

And that was the point Jeep wanted to make: Properly equipped, the Patriot's no wimp.

Even though it has relatively modest ground clearance. And no separate transfer case with a set of low-range gears. And is built atop what you might reasonably view as a car chassis, given that it also underpins the car-like Jeep Compass, and the Dodge Caliber, which by any sensible definition is an economy car.

Ah, hah, says Matt Liddane,. Patriot chief engineer: We didn't start development with the Caliber in mind and then, oops, have to heavily modify that chassis for the off-road Patriot. No, indeed. Started with the off-road Patriot in mind and just didn't make the Caliber and Compass chassis quite as robust or put on skid plates to protect the underbody's key parts — powertrain and fuel tank — from nasty rocks, as on the Patriot when it's fitted with the Freedom Drive II (off-road) package. You get "Trail Rated" logos on the fenders to remind your buddies that you're no poser.

The off-road ability is partly due to a devilishly clever application of the continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT — CVT2L, as it's designated in the case of the off-road package. It is modified to include an unusually low, crawler-gear ratio for low-speed slogging. No need for the weight and friction of a separate four-wheel-drive transfer case to accommodate a set of low-range gears, as you find in other off-roaders. Less weight, lower cost, better ground clearance. Good thinking.