DON'T Make This Mistake: You'll Regret Buying These 3 Off-Roaders! 

I had a 2016 Patriot as my first car. it romped around in the snow, that was probably the limits of its off roading prowess. The 6 speed automatic they started putting in them was the highest quality component in the whole vehicle. The creature comforts are the best in any modern vehicle IMO, three large clicky knobs are easy to dial in without taking your eyes off the road. Honestly the only thing I miss about it. It kept having little failures and issues and I really wanted a Wrangler anyway, so I traded it in for a '23 2 door Sport S last year.

Some of you clearly did not grow up getting in the back of small 2 door cars and trucks - although simple manual operation is way quicker than power seats.

My sister had a 2015 Jeep Patriot 4X4 it was actually a pretty reliable vehicle for her never had any issues. When she bought a new vehicle I bought the Patriot off of her and turn it into a little off-road vehicle for myself. I put a 2" rough country lift with some nice all-terrain tires and you'd be surprised how capable it actually is lol.

Drove my 2016 Patriot Sport all the way out to Boulder from Atlanta, in part to see how it did on the old Gold Mine Hill test used to be done on this channel. Made it to the top. Then drove out to Moab. While not the best road trip vehicle, it does the level of offroad I need, which included trails that get the wheels 2 ft off the ground.

I felt like The Pathfinder and the Ford Explorer rant into the same problem where the when from cool boxy offroad SUV’s so feminized mall crawlers.

I had an ’03 Pathfinder. Put a quarter million miles on it. It was a great truck, but the ’04 model was the last of the good ones. They turned it into a Pacifica.

I had a 2016 Compass Sport 4X4 with the 6 speed AT and the 2.4. After some larger off road tires were fitted, it handled all the Florida fire roads I routinely took it on, though it was a slug on acceleration. Unfortunately, the weighty tires, and Jeep's notorious aversion to good fuel economy, caused it to drop to 16 MPG around town. And it was my daily driver back when fuel was up to $5 gal. V8 economy from a 4-banger started to bug me, though it was reliable. Eventually traded out for a V6 Jeep Cherokee Overland with proper low range and suspension upgrade. Quickly swapped out the touring rubber for Falken AT tires. Pulling 19 city and 26 highway with 271 hp. Good with that considering the jump in performance. Plus I can't see going without swamp-ass eliminating vented seats anymore, which were not available in the "Compatriot". Suffering from swamp-ass is what makes the Florida Man so crazy!

I liked my Patriot. It was cheap at the time. I ordered a limited with 5 speed manual in green. Leather was durable, body panel metal was thin and weak though. It was great in the snow and light off road once I put Goodyear wranglers on it.

A rental car company gave me one of those in Ontario, CA. That CVT was so bad that it’s the only time I felt unsafe merging into freeway traffic.

We had a 2008 Patriot for a number of years- my wife’s daily. No power… terrible CVT, and marginal on gas at best. But Was a great kid hauler, got us back deep in the woods for camping and trail riding, on the beach in Florida and was pretty darn good in the snow. Ended up putting a 2” lift and 31’s on it- was a solid little Jeep for us and I truthfully don’t recall ever having any major issues with it.

Fun video! Thanks for mixing up a variety of truck/SUV videos!

A series where you take this three cars to moab (or wherever if thats too much). What a missed opportunity...

All totally valid points on the Jeep Patriot. I used to have a 2007 Patriot Limited and drove it to 215k. Cheaper interior even with the top trim features, but genuinely the BEST snow vehicle I’ve ever owned (between a ZJ Grand Cherokee, Subaru Outback, and Gen 1 Honda Ridgeline) and a dream to drive with some nice A/T tires with kick ass gas mileage. If the CVT didn’t crap out and essentially total it, I would have gone as far as that little 2.4l was willing to go. Miss that thing!

lol the Patriot ah good memories. It was good enough to get 5 big guys through the snow outside Denver to an expo we were exhibiting at. The Nissan Altima of the Jeep world.

IMO Jeep patriot is a very good looking car, it’s boxy and simple, also sized perfectly, I wish there is a modern version of that car kinda like Jeep version of Jimny

How about a Patriot with the 6-speed auto for a future cheap Jeep series?

I saw the Durango and the Baja parked behind the Nissan in the background.

TFL love them damn Range Rovers.

I bought my 2014 Patriot new and it’s going strong with over 120k miles. I’ve had no issues. It’s 4x4 and handles great in snow. It’s not made for off roading. Haha. For what it is, I’m happy with it.

I had a 2010 Compass. Yes a lot of the suspenesion and engine was the same. Mine was the AWD version with the 2.4. I had a button I could lock in 4wd and I had the 5 speed manual. I put a 3 inch lift on it from Old Man Emu and went up 2 tire sizes. It hurt the fuel milage and top speed, but I took it off roading and it did decent, not like something designed just for off road, but it kept up with other wranglers and Yota's when would go out with the skyliners 4wd club. Now I nver took it out on a hard trail, but it would go up the "Dare" side of one of the tails you use.

Totally agree the Patriot is not a good choice for off-road. It may make it to your destination, but the suspension is not designed for continued off-road use. I wish though your little test was with a '14 or newer with the 6-speed traditional automatic. It really does make a huge difference. We've had a '15 High Altitude edition as an on-road daily since new (currently 248KM) and it has been fantastic. Minimal unexpected repairs. Great in winter with the select 4x4 where most mainstream SUV's just have sensors deciding when to engage 4x4.

I had a 2012 Patriot that I ordered with the “Trail rated” package. So much promise in a great little vehicle! But, alas, too much cost cutting and not enough forward thinking. The CVT was terrible as was the has mileage due to its off-road gearing. Not to mention on highway trips the vehicle would go into limp mode as the transmission would overheat due to high rpm use over long periods of time. The upside is its small footprint that made it spectacular off-road as long as you stayed within its designed parameters. What could have been!

I actually have owned a 12 patriot 5 speed for 9 years and have bent two rims and cracked the "skid plate" abusing it off-road. It honestly has done way better than I thought it was going to and it hasn't got stuck in any mud hole I've put it through so far or river crossing ive come across. It's decent but definitely is lacking power

I love my 2015 Patriot Latitude. I don't know much about its off-toad capabilities and that CVT feels like brakes apply as soon as you take your foot off the gas. However, it has the best traction going through snow of any consumer vehicle I ever drove. It's perfect for urban travel.

Almost about 2 years ago I use to have Jeep Patriot 2016 model red paint man that little suv use to have trouble and I mean lots of problems everything from the ac compressor going out having to replace it almost about four times and tensioner going out and along with cvt transmission overheating having to sit on the side of road for almost 30 to 40 mins cause it wouldn't go anywhere it would just limp and whatever and at one point I have to wait almost about hour and half to let it cool down and whatever at one point. Plus it would overheat every time getting it fixed or whatever something would always happen as well plus the tires were pain as well plus the anxiety of wondering if that temp gauge would too high level as well and other times where the sometimes it would have trouble starting as well took a little bit of time to get it too start. The one thing it did well was the radio had great sound the speakers and the gas mileage was decent and it did well in the snow as well always felt safe in it cause it was the mini suv type and liked the fact it did have a hatch and most of all it was okay. And at least got to places with it idk all the problems that came with it and the anxiety of fixing it repairing it just cost cost cost I say its like the brand says about JEEP {JUST EMPTY EVERY POCKET} I just wouldn't recommend this mini suv!!

Patriot was never intended to be an off-roader. It's the Jeep version of a Rav4.

Thank you, Tommy and Brendon, good point of discussion. There are "off-roaders" rock climbing, black bear pass: think Wranger, 4runner, Land Rover Defender level, and there are off-roaders that can leave the pavement and venture onto the wet grass or dusting of snow, they are called crossovers

Got the 2016 3 door Evoque Coupe. Had it for 8 years and 195.000 km. It never missed a beat - best car I have had. The coupe is still by far the coolest looking car in the compact SUV segment.

My 2010 Jeep Patriot manual transmission has been good to me for many years, but it's definitely not anything fancy. I LOVE the sunburst orange color though! Also, I average 26 mpg. And the one thing in the Jeep Patriot that I can't find anymore - a fold flat front seat. When I put that front seat down along with the back seats, I could get an 8 foot plywood sheet in there (cut in half lengthwise) and over 9 ft long 2x4 crosswise - 10 ft long if I stuck a few inches out the front window. Now I have to get a truck or extra large SUV to be able to get that plywood. I wouldn't be able to get that 7 foot high bookshelf I picked up a few years ago. It is my hauler and is surprisingly good in the snow. Off-roading? Nah. Nice to have those 8 inches of clearance when you have to drop off a curb though!

Well to be fair with the Patriot and compass! They were never meant to be a fully off-roading vehicles! And a lot of us Jeep enthusiasts knew that! Those were meant for light trails and snow weather climates and other light duty uses. I just don’t understand why a lot of you keep thinking that all jeeps are supposed to be extreme off road vehicles! That’s why we have the wranglers and most grand Cherokees!

I love the look of this model and Bowler sort of used the body for their Bowler Dakar which they obviously gave it the bells and whistles but unlike the Landrover based Bobcat and another model I cant remember the name of, Bowler sold those designs to a Cornish company just down the road from me name of QT and they ran with the designs and improved them year on year. Always wanted the Range Rover but always out of my budget and by the time they were I had wised up and got a Mitsuibishs Shogan Sport with the Dakar trim and performance man I wish I had never sold it.

Wait, why didn’t you guys drive the Pathfinder? Not that’s it’s super exciting or anything but still.

I enjoyed the segment, almost any vehicle can go off road or perhaps off pavement. Any vehicle will have a problem with inclines, ground clearance for obstacles and traction on muddy surfaces. Most people who own true off road vehicles rarely ever take them seriously offloading, mainly because of lack of experience and they don’t want or can’t afford to damage the vehicle. Your channel is very entertaining and educational. You probably inspire many 4x4 sales and encourage a few to go into more serious off-road scenarios. Just a tire change and a small improvement in ground clearance and most vehicles can go almost anywhere within reasonable circumstances. Even in a two wheel drive. Maybe you guys should see how far you could take these vehicles stock then make small inexpensive improvements that make them better. I would really enjoy that type of programming. 👍 guys and happy holidays.

I’ve had two patriots and they weren’t perfect but they were reliable and really decent off road

You guys clearly never drove the Jeep Patriot with the 6 speed automatic, it came out in 2014. If you got the base model patriot with the 6 speed automatic and 4x4 option, it’s actually an extremely capable vehicle. I have multiple videos of my Jeep Patriot off-road crushing courses with this specific set up. Stay away from the CVT’s and get either the manual or automatic. I actually recommend the automatic.

I had a 08 Patriot sport so Fwd 5 speed and I live in central Wisconsin. I took it down several trails my buddy went through with full size 4X4 trucks surprised us all. Don't get me wrong I have gotten stuck in areas I wish not to admit like parking spaces but with alittle momentum it would go through deep mud and snow

At Jeep Week, in Ocean City, I watched a 4x4 Jeep Patriot going over the obstacle course with it's bigger Wangler/Grand Cherokee siblings, and doing a good job.

Alot of manufacturers did the same thing making body on frame 4wd SUV's and turned them into AWD CVT crossovers.

I agree about patriots but keep in mind that in the 70s and 80s full sized trucks put out abut 175 hp

How about an updated version off what's the best off-road suv?

1:22 The Liberty was exactly that! It had a proper low range transfer case, a rear wheel drive architecture, and a solid rear axle. I can't tell you how many people I've met who were surprised to find out the Liberty has the same basic powertrain and suspension setup you'd get in a Toyota 4Runner, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Nissan Xterra, or Ford Bronco. It's crazy how little even hardcore off road enthusiasts really know about it. People look at it and think Compass and Patriot when in reality it's mechanically closer to a Wrangler than either of those vehicles.

the pathfinder also went from body on frame to unibody

When it comes to these entry level Jeeps, what most people, sadly including TFL, look at them all wrong by trying to compare it to the Wrangler. The Patriot, Compass, Renegade, Cherokee, etc are required for CAFE brand fuel economy standards so that the Wrangler can exist. Also, these aren’t mean to be as good offroad as a Wrangler. They are built to be the “Jeep” of their respective classes. That means, the Patriot didn’t need to be as good offroad as a Wrangler or 4Runner. It needed to be better offroad than a Ford Escape, Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Equinox, etc, which it was. You could get a Jeep Patriot from the factory with a lower crawl gear ratio, Engine/trans, Fuel tank steel skid plates, front and rear functional tow hooks, and the same Brake lock differential system as the Wrangler so it could get wheels way in the air and still get up a hill. A comparable AWD Rav4 with one wheel off the ground isn’t going anywhere, as TFL showed with the first Adventure trim test. Those FWD Patriots with the 2.0 and CVT were necessary evils that allowed the JK/U, Liberty, and Commander to exist. But get a properly optioned Patriot and it will surprise you offroad.

The most disappointing thing about the Patriot is that from the outside it looks like a newer model XJ but it doesn't come close to living up to the XJ.

My dad has a Jeep compass and even though he says it’s the worst car he’s ever owned he’s put some major miles on it and it still keeps going. It has the 2.0 four cylinder and everything that has broken either him or I have been able to fix.

Drinking game: everytime bearded guy says “prowess” take a drink

I had a 2010 jeep patriot with 130,000 at the time of me selling it. It was cool to use and utilize. But that CVT disgusting, and somewhere at 130000 miles it only started up when it wanted to, so it had some crazy electrical gremlins. It costed me 4 starters in a short amount of time and 1 alternator. I never wanted to buy a dodge/chrysler/ jeep ever again.

My wife has a 16 Patriot. 4x4. Wild peak tires, 2 inch lift. Does great on fire trails to get us to the camp sites and lakes. It's obviously not a true 4x4 but it does the job.

Tommy the JK was sold 2WD for a few years too pre pentastar.

Sorry to all of the people in this comment section. No, the Jeep Patriot didn't just get a bad rep. They were junk. Notoriously unreliable, with ultra cheap build quality. They had issues with the CVT, cabin noise, leaking, electrical issues, etc.

The Compass was very much the same except for the sheet metal. I bought a base Sport Patriot in 2014. It was a 2.0 5 speed FWD. It was a reliable commutermobile. I sold that one with 138K on it. My wife had a matching Compass, which wasn't bad either. Unfortunately it was a CVT, which wasn't impressive. Not bad daily drivers, but definitely not hard core off-road vehicles.

Fun question... who on earth, remotely interested in "off road", would think that gen Pathfinder or an Evoque looks even remotely tough or rugged? The Patriot has the box thing going on at least... could be mistaken for something truck-y at a glance.

Patriot and first compass...just a Mitsubishi fwd, AWD chassis with Hyundai/Kia engine block with Jeep intake and exhaust. Thanks a lot Mercedes management

Can’t believe you didn’t bring up the new Blazer

I bought a Patriot brand new in 2014 - 6 speed trans was defective right out of the gate and started to overheat with less than 100 miles. It never even saw a dusty road. Alas Jeep never again.

I've always wanted to find out how the Patriot with a 6-speed drive. The CVT in its Dodge twin I had wasn't grand to say the least.

My mother has a 08 Patriot, thankfully with AWD. She loves it but it does leave some things to be desired. I can't fit my long legs into the drivers seat, the power is lacking, and it gets worse mileage than my 21 Ram, despite being a much smaller, less powerful vehicle.

Yall should include screenshot pictures of the vehicles you're talking about !

I saw the Dodge version of that Jeep sell as low as $9k new. (End of the line) Bargain for a new SUV.

I bought my 2012 Jeep Patriot 4x4 brand new, going on 12 years and 109k miles. It has never let me down and gone through a couple of big northern Illinois and Indiana snow storms.

Tommy being facetious is hilarious. Brendan you look magnificent sir. I’m proud of you By the way. Brendan would you ever own a awd sienna minivan. ? Kase your camera man skills are incredible bud. So tremendous

Tommy you are not wrong about it sharing parts with Ford it has a Ford fusion engine the same one as in the fusion not only that when I worked at Hertz rent a car these Range Rovers would always be in the shop for a number of different things wrong with them

First Evoque was tiny in the back. I had a R60 Countryman and the wife could comfortably sit behind me but couldnt in the Evoque. Disagree with the offroading though. Compared to its class rivals it still out performs them offroad, so X1/3, Q3/5, Lexus NX etc. I have the lastest Evoque now (PHEV, im in the UK) and its really impressive messing about in.

Evoke is definitely the looker of the bunch, typical British great looks, my 91 year old aunt has and still drives the lil Jeep everyday and the horrible lil CVT has by far out lasted the transmission in her prior RAV4, I know hard for me to believe too.

Had a friend who bought a new patriot and had nothing but issues with it. The vehicle had so much potential but lacked what the Jeep brand was known for.

Air Conditioning was optional on the Patriot.

The Patriot was a Dodge minivan with a Fiat engine and a Hyundai transmission.

Do the Lada Niva sometime ;)

Yep

Jeep should never be offered in a 2wd option. It should have some sort of awd or 4x4. Awd for those “mall crawlers”. And an actual 4x4 for those who might get onto gravel or dirt roads.

CVT transmission belongs in a go-kart! JUNK!

My son has a 2014 Compass & goes places I’d really prefer he wouldn’t.

The Diesel Jeep Liberty was Peak Jeep!

The lettering on the hood of that Range Rover wasn’t even close to how it should be

Love the bone yard walks

Editing tip, when you talk about old models or other models, snap in a pic of it so we don’t have to google it lol

To me, the Patriot seems to be a SUV version of the Neon.

Love my 2008 (3rd gen) Pathfinder! Over 200k miles and still feels strong and tight

I don't care for Range Rovers, but this model is pretty nice as far as looks go.

LR have learnt nothing. The new Defender 90 3 door still has that woeful front seat system for gaining access to the rear seats 🙄

I thought the Evoque was awesome too. In 2012 I went to test drive one and really liked it. However, it is comically small inside. So I took a new LR4 out for a spin and fell head over heels in love. Drives and feels like a tank that was tuned by Lotus. Will go up and over and through quite literally anything I point it at. And it’s a real Land Rover. Not some dinky little thing devised by a Spice Girl.

Looks like dealer auction repo lane.

You didn't mention why the Evoque is bad offroad. Aside from the backseat and no air suspension what exactly makes it bad offroad? 🤔

We bought a Patriot to be our dog hauler and took it to back country trail systems all over northern Idaho without issue using fire and logging roads. It was loud inside, cold in the winter, and lacked all the creature comforts millennials crave, but again it never let us down heading into the back country to hike hidden lakes etc.

Evoque was particularly designed by posh spice. Looks good but is terrible. Aren't those jeeps actually fiats? I'll stick with my 2010 rx350 thank you very much. 😊

Some Evokes ran the 2.0 Ecoboost

I thought all Jeep’s were 4 wheel drive this whole time!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap!!!! I’m a Toyota guy lol

WAIT… That’s a Pathfinder?

Silly TFL. Nobody shopping for an off roader isn’t shopping these LOL.

That is why they didn’t gat “trail rated” badge

When will Brendan get the official TFL jacket.

6:07 agreed they are cool.

Do an episode titled......jeeps that don't jeep!

The problem with the jeep is the fact of being made in a dodge factory. Poc anything comes out jeep ram all that other crap. Don't buy they all are garbage

On the evoque, that's what she said... lol

The cvt has ruined so many iconic cars. All the Subarus are lack luster now, it seeped in to Jeep and Nissan and almost all hundai or Kia products which were already not the most reliable. So sad

My current work beater is an 02 Patriot Renegade wirh 430 000 kms. Yeah, it's a pile, but has 4L and a great LSD. I've built all sorts of off road stuff on 38s+ with lockers but this isn't for that. It's a cheap rig that looks respectable and gets me through the snow and keeps my tooos secure.

6:16 ohh like the Defender is not a disaster, fake off road vehicles, Jimny 10 times better off road

I owned a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SE 4WD that was used at the time that a 3.5 liter V6 automatic I miss that vehicle I got rid of it due to sunroof issues and just some other issues I donated it. I drive a 2016 Ford Escape SE pre owned it had 32,000 miles on when I bought it. I have 107,000 miles on the 2.0 liter Ecoboost in in the Escape

They're ripping on the Patriot elevation of build the Patriot