Well hell, love my Cherokee Sport 2000 with Selec-Trac but curious about the Patriot and Freedom Ride II.
Patriot size and shape appeals to me more than the new restyled Cherokees but dubious about the 4WD 'Lite' option even with Rock-Trac.
Anyone got any views.... not looking for an argument, just discussion.

 

Im not one to speak for an entire forum, but this being posted in cherokee chat im not sure youll get an answer. Most here i asume arent a fan of the newer models like the patriot or have more experiance with pull the lever 4wd tcases. Try off topic discussion or just reviews on google boss. But thisll bump so hopefully youll get an answer

 

Back in 2008 I was looking into one. I was intrigued by the idea of better fuel economy with space and utility. The Freedom Drive I would have probably been adequate but the Freedom Drive II would have been more useful. With the FDI, it could have had the CVT or a stick shift. Rated fuel economy was decent for it's class. The FDII was another story though. It was only available with the CVT, and apparently also had lower axle ratios. The combination of the two killed much of the fuel economy advantage. It would have been nice if they offered the FDII with a 6 speed manual with a low range being provided by a "granny gear" below 1st. Space wise, it also looked good on paper, but in person, was a fare bit smaller than the XJ, which I've filled to the roof several times. The final deal killer for me was towing capability. I need to be able to tow at least 3000 lbs, and the Patriot could only manage 1000.

 

Tks, guys