To our eyes, the Patriot's angular styling is markedly more attractive than that of the soft and squishy Compass. It looks more expensive than the price tag would suggest, and is instantly recognizable as a Jeep, what with its round headlamps and seven-slot grille. Project chief John Segalia likes to call the new Jeep the "spiritual successor" to the old XJ Cherokee, and on paper, its dimensions match up nearly to the inch.

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Our biggest complaint was with the continuously variable transmission under extreme acceleration. Heading up steep hills, the engine would race to redline and hold there as vehicle speed caught up. This "motor boating" is a phenomenon common to CVT design, but with the Patriot powertrain, the result was an unpleasantly brash and raucous roar from under the hood. Under less aggressive driving, both engines were acceptably smooth and reasonably quiet.

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The SUV market has become both crowded and confusing. There are simply too many options to keep track of, whether true utes or cute-utes. But anyone looking for an affordable, capable and fun-to-drive compact SUV, it would be making a mistake to leave the new Patriot off their shopping list.