Chrysler has taken a beating from both consumers and the media regarding the poor quality and materials inside the majority of its products, particularly the Jeep Patriot and Compass. Recognizing the problem, Chrysler made the announcement earlier this year that it would be seriously revamping both model's interiors in short order, and judging by these leaked images from the 2009 Mopar Accessory brochure, they weren't lying.
Looking at the pictures from the brochure, the model with the gray and black interior is the refreshed version, while the beige picture (with heated seats!) seems to be the new '09 dash with the pre-2009 door panels. The dash is all new and looks to be a step-up, while the leather seats have been revised and look more upscale than before. Perhaps the greatest difference will be the door panels, which featured hard plastics, chintzy buttons and switches that were directly in the way of where your arm should go. The new 2009 interior puts these items in recesses, which was sorely needed. We'll reserve final judgment until we get to see and feel the updates in person.
While everyone's waiting for Chrysler to fix the interiors of the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, Cerberus has made a surprise decision to spruce up the Jeep side of the house first. Both the Compass and Patriot are getting freshened interiors, and not a moment too soon. While we haven't driven the Compass (which would benefit from a flamethrower to the exterior as well), we've spent some time with the Patriot, which shares its sibling's exceptionally unexceptional cabin appointments. Hard, cheap-looking, plastic abounds, and attention to detail is uneven at best. For example, there's all kinds of flash left on trim elements like the individual slats in the HVAC vents, and apparently, Chrysler expects the front seat occupants to supply their own padding for the granite-hard armrests. Overall, it's a resounding disappointment inside, which is unfortunate because the Patriot's boxy exterior style is solid, handsome, traditional Jeep. While it wasn't the most refined vehicle, it made for a solid little 4WD commuter (especially with the manual transmission). Almost everyone who saw it was immediately taken with its outward appearance. Open the door, however, and you get the impression that the passenger seat is coated in truth serum, and not just the bland-looking YES Essentials fabric that's standard in the Patriot Sport. Discussions frequently went something like this:
Passenger: "What the... It's like a total economy car inside."
Me: 'Well, that's because it's based on an economy car."
Passenger: "Ugh. Not good. I don't know if I could look at this every day."
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