Ford Motor Company (F), General Motors Company (GM): Why the 2014 Jeep Patriot Is the Best SUV on the Market

The 2014 Jeep Patriot really is the complete package. Photo credit: Chrysler

Have you ever come to the point where your current vehicle just isn’t cutting it anymore? It just seems like one thing happens after another and you realize that it’s time for an upgrade. Unfortunately, that just opens up a whole new set of issues as you now need to find that new set of wheels.

That’s exactly the position my wife and I found ourselves in recently, when it became apparent it was time to replace our 2007 Jeep Liberty. Because Jeep stopped manufacturing the Liberty after the 2012 model year, we were forced to look elsewhere for our upgrade. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much on the market that appealed to us. We were looking for something having the rugged good looks of the Liberty, but with better gas mileage and more comfort for long trips. Not only that, but we needed something with four-wheel drive for visits to family during the winter. Oh, and we wanted it all for a price we could afford.

We spent hours looking online at vehicles including Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)‘s  Escape, which, in all honesty, didn’t have the rugged good looks we wanted. It was the same story when comparing General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)‘ Chevy Equinox. Further, while both are excellently built vehicles, when putting a price tag on the fully featured vehicle we were looking for, it really wasn’t as appealing as the vehicle we ended up purchasing: the 2014 Jeep Patriot.

Not only did the Patriot have the rugged good looks we desired, but the price really couldn’t be beat. Its base Sport model starts at just $15,995, while the more luxurious Limited can be had starting at $23,995. Compared with the Chevy Equinox which starts at $24,225, or the Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) Escape at $22,700, it’s evident why the Patriot has been called the best-priced SUV in America.

Best of all, the Patriot put our gas-guzzling Liberty to shame, as the four-wheel drive 2.4L World Engine our Patriot is equipped with gets up to 27 MPG on the highway and 21 MPG in the city — though I will point out Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s Escape and Chevy’s Equinox can both get up to 32 MPG on the highway. When it comes down to the overall value, missing out on a few MPGs was a compromise we were willing to make,