It doesn't carry the solid axles of the XJ. But I think we all have to realize that, barring some major advance in suspension technology, the solid front axle will only appear on the Wrangler and its variants.

The Patriot does appear to have a decent amount of ground clearance. The size is close to that of the XJ. I am anxious to see what the new 4WD system is. I think that if Jeep leaves this a no-frills (no GPS, no ride-comfort electronics, etc.) vehicle to keep the cost down, that they could have a hit on their hands. Mostly from those who need a cheap, fuel-efficient daily driver, or an inexpensive trail runner (and who are willing to go without the rock-crawling prowess of the Wrangler to save some cash).

It is also smart for DCX because it means they can ditch the stripped down low-profit-margin base models of the Liberty and Wrangler.