AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM Jeep News Australia and New Zealand - Just the Jeep for a blokey metrosexual

IF you believe the marketing spin, then when you buy a compact SUV wagon you make a lifestyle statement.

FIRST DRIVE: Philip Lord The Australian Newspaper

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The rest of us buy a car to get around in but compact SUV buyers, apparently, are free-spirited, nature-loving individuals who are likely to be found deep in the bush playing guitar around a campfire surrounded by admiring friends.

What a load of piffle.

The Jeep Patriot is one of many recent "statement" compact SUVs, despite a name that reminds you less of a campfire and more of a bad Hollywood movie. Stripped of its camouflage cargo pants, the Patriot is another version of the Jeep Compass launched earlier this year.

The powertrain, chassis, interior and, in fact, pretty much everything except for the military-style outer panels points to Compass. So the Patriot is the blokey version, although it's a metrosexual kind of bloke. It dances in the same hall as other compact SUVs such as the Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4.

Like them, the Patriot won't actually go for cross-country drills that ruin the manicure, although with its four-wheel drive system hanging around on a beach is OK. Australia doesn't see the "Trail Rated" off-road option offered elsewhere, which would provide a measure of true grit. The turbo-diesel four-cylinder is not a particularly quiet diesel.

But that's the worst of it, as it is a very smooth engine with a petrol-like inclination to spin quickly to its redline, albeit curtailed to 4500rpm. Thump the throttle from idle though, and there is the inevitable, sluggish awakening of revs until the engine is fed some turbo pressure at around 1600rpm. Then it builds up steam and by 2000rpm it takes off like a rocket.

This is the engine's only bugbear; not that it's soft from idle, just that the transition from not-much-power to lots is hard to modulate. You soon learn to slip the clutch or make sure revs are up before taking a gap in the traffic. The need for a diesel engine in the compact SUV class is debatable, although it was nice to see a city average of high 7s when 11 litres per 100km is the petrol norm.

That fat mid-range torque is not what you'll see in any of its petrol competition, either. The six-speed manual is a bit clunky and has relatively long throws but its positive-shifting nature means keeping the engine on its meaty torque curve is easy.

Jeep doesn't offer an auto yet with the diesel.

The Patriot seems to handle harsh, sharp bumps without drama, but at speed the dampers feel a little soft. The chassis development is pretty good for a Jeep - no, it's not Jeep's answer to the MX-5, but for a compact SUV it's quite entertaining.

There's light but tactile steering, assertive turn-in and a surprisingly tight hold on weight transition in the twisties. Get it horribly wrong and the standard stability control will step in and sort out the unruliness.

Having an upright, military style body means that the windows are relatively small and pillars thick, which might look cool but can make the Patriot feel claustrophobic. Despite this, the interior is actually comfortable and provides an acceptably useful, practical space.

The only beef is an unusually thick inner skin for the tailgate, which eats into the cargo area and when open, means it's too easy to thump your head. The Patriot looks like it's ready for a long, difficult hike to a remote location but really it's happier having a skim latte at the corner cafe. Provided that doesn't cramp your (life) style, the Patriot is not a bad thing.