In 1940, the US government issued a requirement for automotive manufacturers to develop and provide a general purpose (gp) “light reconnaissance vehicle” for the US Army. Willys-Overland eventually won the bulk of the contract and produced 368,000 of the vehicles with others, under license producing almost another 300,000. Willys-Overland called their vehicle the “Quad”, but very shortly the Army came to call the general purpose (gp) vehicle the Jeep™.
Jeep™ has become one of the few true icons in most of the world becoming synonymous with sport utility vehicles in general. Through the 70 years since World War Two, a civilian Jeep™ has been produced starting with the JeepCJ-2A in 1945. Today, Jeep™ produces and delivers five versions of the popular sport utility vehicle for the world marketplace. Starting with the full size Grand Cherokee SUV at the top of the line and then the Wrangler / Wrangler Unlimited, Liberty as a mid-sized SUV with Compass and Patriot being offered in the compact-SUV segment, Jeep™ has an option for everyone.
As Jeep™ celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2011, they have created a special edition version in all of their current models. The Patriot Latitude 4X2 (also available as a 4X4) is no exception with some very nice features added to celebrate the 70th Anniversary in a very affordable compact-SUV with iconic Jeep™ heritage. Those features are mostly interior including dark slate seats with perforated leather inserts embossed with the Jeep™ logo. The seats are trimmed with chestnut accent stitching and piping. The other 70th Anniversary features included for the modest $575 up charge include a unique dark green cluster overlay, 70th Anniversary logo on the radio screen, berber floor mats and cargo area all trimmed with chestnut binding. 
A 70th Anniversary badge is discretely placed on each of the front doors.
The model we tested was the Latitude 4X2 midrange Patriot with the 70th Anniversary upgrade.
The Latitude comes with larger 17 inch tires and style steel aluminum wheels and the bigger 2.4-liter I4 DOHC engine generating 172 hp with a standard 5 speed manual transmission rated at 23 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. The car we drove was equipped with the 6 speed auto stick CVT2 Controllable Variable Transmission second generation. This power train combination is rated at 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. The second generation auto stick CVT is improved and performs much better than earlier year models. Though you will not be racing this one from a standing stop, it performed more than adequately in normal city and highway driving as tested.
Though this Jeep™ is of the “off road” heritage, it is not the full rough off-road performer that its bigger brothers are. But, it is a very nice and affordable performer for the family that is looking for Jeep™ styling, above average off-road ability of most car based crossover vehicles while giving a “rugged” look with in a comfortable suburban or city friendly runabout.
The Jeep™ Patriot Latitude 4X2 70th Anniversary edition has a base price of $22,720 including the Anniversary accessories. Adding CVT2 transmission, Media Center 430N 6CD/DVD, MP3/HDD radio with Sirius XM Satellite Radio and steering wheel mounted audio controls, Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth™, USB port for mobile devices, auto dimming rearview mirror with microphone, power 6 way driver seat, heated seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, adjustable roof rail crossbars, soft tonneau cover, daytime running lamps plus destination charges brought the model tested to $26,450. There are additional options available including a sunroof, Bose speaker system and a pair of nifty Boston Acoustics speakers that swing down from the raised lift gate when open. Colors available include Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat, Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl and Bronze Star Pearl Coat. The interior for all is Dark Slate Gray.
This is a very comfortable compact SUV to drive and ride in. It holds five very comfortably. although the actual back storage space is small (as in most compact SUV’s) it is more than adequate for items you may be bringing along to the beach, mountains, a picnic or bringing home from the mall. With the 60/40 fold down rear seats that fold flat, the carry capacity for this vehicle is very good especially with the wide rear opening and swing up door to facilitate loading. The Jeep™ Patriot Latitude 4X2 70th Anniversary Edition is a good value from the iconic Jeep™ family of sport utility vehicles.
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