Chrysler: Gripping when the going's rough

Chrysler's new Patriot has any-roads capability but is also a user-friendly family wagon. Photo / Supplied

A smart soft-roading SUV with niche brand character at a mass-market price sounds too good to be true, but that's what you get with Chrysler's updated Patriot.

Whether buyers will realise there's an affordable alternative to the segment's leaders - Toyota's RAV, Hyundai's Tucson or Mitsubishi's Outlander - is another matter.

Chrysler has been through the bankruptcy wringer and now has to send a message that it's very much alive, with a vibrant future and products worth buying.

Hence the extensive Australian drive of this Patriot and the Jeep brand's headliner, the hard-core, mud-wrestling Wrangler. Although the Wrangler might appeal to our inner Tarzan or Jane, it's hardly an everyday proposition. Patriot most definitely is. Production has resumed, and dealers will be working overtime to sell them.

What's new

A redesigned cabin, with one-piece dash, centre stack and entertainment systems, including satnav. New materials, a rejigged boot space, more sound insulation and a revised exhaust tune to reduce noise.

The engine's the same 125kW, 250Nm petrol mated to a CVT auto delivering 9.1l/100km thirst, and there's the expected suite of specs, including four airbags (add two more for $750), and electronic roll mitigation.

The company line

Managing Director of Chrysler Australia Gerry Jenkins - hosting the launch - says the Fiat/Chrysler relationship is going well, and next month will reveal its new official product strategy.

He says Chrysler New Zealand's scaled-down product list has left it with the right horses in the stable, with Patriot a hot favourite. "We cannot be successful in New Zealand if we're not successful in this segment," he says, hence the sharp $35,990 start price.

What we say

Patriot's look is underlined by that traditionally Jeep seven-slot grille, round headlights and chunky wheel arches. But it's benefited from a simpler cabin that replaces hard plastics with soft-touch surfaces and an easy-to-live-with layout. That includes a carpeted boot floor which reverses, for a wipe-clean plastic surface with a lip - soccer mums and keen fisher-folk will love it.

Also easy to live with, the road-friendly ride-handling compromise and the clever "Freedom Drive" four-wheel-drive system.

On the road

Our two-day launch drive through Victoria's once fire-ravaged countryside was conducted in torrential rain. Patriot proved comfy on road, with compliant ride and reasonable handling for the breed. It segued seamlessly to gravel, but really shone when the surface degenerated.

In places, the wet clay had turned to indescribable slop, ideal to illustrate this car's party trick - a four-wheel-drive system that provides forward motion as long as one wheel has grip, and very effective stability and traction control.

That also took us further on our off-road course than expected, given the conditions and Patriot's road-oriented tyres.

A steady approach meant it tackled steep drops, water crossings and skating-rink surfaces with aplomb - leaving only the steepest uphills and belly-busting ditches to Wrangler.

Why you'll buy one

Jeep's Patriot is a smart, characterful and effective family wagon with any-roads capability and the sort of brand cachet that normally costs a premium, at a price to compete with mainly bland mass-market offerings.

Why you won't

You like bland; you're not reassured by Fiat backing.