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AWDReport.com - A Buyer's Guide to All Wheel Drive Cars, Wagons and Crossovers
Under $20,000 | $19 - $21,000 | $20 - $23,000 | $22 - $25,000 | $24 - $27,000 | $26 - $29,000 |
      $28 - $30,000 | $29 - $31,000 | $30 - $33,000 | $31 - $34,000 | $32 - $35,000 | $34 - $38,000 |
           $36 - $40,000 | $39 - $42,000 | $41 - $44,000 | $42 - $45,000 | $44 - $47,000 | $45 - $48,000 |
               $46 - $51,000 | $49 - $53,000 | $51 - $57,000 | $55 - $60,000 | $60 - $69,000 |
                        $66 - $73,000 | $69 - $79,000 | $78 - $92,000 | $88 - $125,000 | More than $120,000 |

  All Wheel Drive Report

CarsDirect.com
2010 Patriot

JEEP

This is the company that put off-roading on the map. But this site isn't about off-roading, so Jeep doesn't get the kind of coverage you might expect. Their "trail-rated" vehicles are built using box frames and when these frames are welded to a unibody, Jeep calls it a "uniframe". Regardless, I won't go over those vehicles. What we are left with are the Jeeps that are built for road use with only occasional excursions. These are Compass and Patriot.

As I began to research the 2010 Jeep product line, the very first item I am concerned with is the chassis. Because Jeeps have traditionally been some variant of a box frame, I want to make sure that I'm not misleading anyone by comparing apples and oranges. A box or tube frame vehicle is going to have different characteristics than a unibody. And I want to tell you, I looked EVERWHERE and couldn't find jack about Jeep chassis. Very annoying. And the Flash... I HATE it! As a result, I'm simply sticking to what I found last year.

JEEP AWD Choices

2010 Patriot Ltd The Jeep Patriot is available in either Sport or Limited trim levels. Sharing the same platform as the Compass, Patriot nevertheless succeeds in looking like a Jeep should. For 2010, Jeep has focused on Patriot as an off-roader version of Compass. It is available with Freedom Drive I™ (a full-time, active four-wheel-drive system with lock mode) and a Freedom Drive II™ Off-Road Package (a full-time, active 4x4 system 19:1 Low Ratio that provides true Jeep 4x4 Trail Rated® capability). The latter sits one inch higher than the former. Its 17-inch wheels contribute to the Trail Rated Patriot's 9 inches of ground clearance. In addition, Trail Rated models have additional body sealing and high-mounted drivetrain vents in order to support 19-inch water-fording capability. The Off-Road Package utilizes a 2nd-generation Continuously Variable Transaxle with a low ratio (CVT2L) to maximize off-road capability. In addition, all-terrain tires, a full-size spare, skid plates, tow hooks and fog lamps separate Trail Rated Patriots from all other compact SUVs. The base Patriot Sport with 4wd starts at just $19,545, while the Off Road version comes in around $21,900. (And if you're buying a Jeep, you want that version. Trust me.)
2010 Compass The Jeep Compass engines are now called "World" engines. Are you kidding me? No I'm not. The honchos at Jeep seem to really believe we're all idiots. They think if they call their painfully anemic powerplants "World" engines that somehow we will believe that they are the world's best instead of the worlds slowest. The upside to these powerplants is better fuel economy. So if economy is more important to you than performance, these just might be your cup of tea. The 4WD Compass 2.4 liter powerplant includes a 5 speed manual transmission. So if gear banging turns you on, you'll do it cheaply here. . Hmmm... I wonder if anyone makes a turbo kit.... Before you pop for a Compass, try a Kia. I'm just sayin....Prices on the Compass Sport with the 4WD option start at $20,470

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