dox have you ever driven and used a Patriot?
Yes, I have, and it feels like I forgot my space suit. Come on... We're not going into outer space here. ALL THAT PLASTIC in the interior is just unbelievable...
One thing I have noticed about this, this new "car" is just how small the space behind the rear seat is. Has anyone noticed how SUVs in this category have their hatch space shrunk over time?
No, Jeep needs to call this one something else. This is not a Cherokee by any stretch of the imagination.
With respect to the new "Cherokee": as far as I'm concerned it's an insult to the heritage of the Cherokee name.
X 2!
I've been really impressed with the latest Chrysler Group outputs lately, but if the final production version of the Cherokee looks like that, I'm rather disappointed. Jeep has had an entry in the small SUV market for quite a while, but theirs were always different from the competition, in that you could always take them off road to some degree. That's what made them a Jeep. But with this they've lost it, and I think they should have either made this particular vehicle a Dodge, or made it more capable and therefore regain that Jeep uniqueness in the market.
It's unfortunate that they used the Cherokee name in an attempt to cash in on its cache. Maybe some of you have seen it, but us Nissan owners saw a similar move with the Pathfinder name, one which has almost the same level of respect to us. It's unfortunate really, but the automakers are trying to move where the money is (ever see how many CR-Vs Honda sells?) and are trying to achieve the higher CAFE goals in our US market, which mostly means the slow death of off road vehicles.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Banana Republic... Tell that to the people who ruined that company. Prior to the Gap's purchase of that company, it had one heck of a retail ride as a safari and travel clothing store. About the most fascinating thing I ever saw in retail clothing space. The people who ruined it also capitalized on the brand name recognition in spite of the fact that Banana Republic very specifically refers to a country with a primitive economy and kleptocratic government, and sometimes, it is a puppet of a major power. Now, apparently, it "outfits" urban professionals primarily in the US, a country that although it is a major power, it is approaching some characteristics of a banana republic (or it already has some). Apparently, the people who ruined this company had seen that this was going to happen, and there was no way that urban professionals in a decaying society were going to go without proper threads!
And so it goes with Jeep. Just imagine a commercial on TV 20 years from now with disruptive technology that does away with asphalt roads and trails (recycling the oil in these roads for other uses and restoring the land in parks to their "natural state"). "Folks, come on in! We have the perfect vehicle for you! Are you worried about the amount of roads that cover the earth's lands today? How about the damage being done to our national treasures by off-roading? Just imagine being on the trail without feeling any bumps or shocks as you float to your campsite. Yes, float to your camp site! We have the first ever functional anti-grav engine capable of carrying 2,000 lbs of people and cargo up to heights of 30 feet above the surface, or, even better! 4,000 lbs to a height of 12 feet!"
I would imagine that Jeep is quietly sharpening its design skills so that it can eventually become a premier space craft designer, if not the space craft manufacturer itself for small space craft capable of a space expedition to the Moon or Mars. That is where you need that space suit that seems missing in the Patriot.
