Chrysler's in-house performance tuning arm, MOPAR, will be showing off a mildly customized version of the Jeep Patriot called the Back Country at next month's Paris Motor Show. The run-of-the-mill Patriot and Compass models, which share a platform with the Dodge Caliber, have had their interiors redone a bit for the new '09 model year and the small improvements appear to make a major difference, at least in appearance. We'll reserve final judgement until we get inside one for ourselves. At the upcoming Paris Motor Show, attendees will see a few mods to the new model, including an Optic Green paint color, blacked-out B-pillars, and a new "platinum chrome" light bar on the outside. MOPAR makes good use of its own accessories catalog with a cargo basket on the roof that sports extra off-road lights, splash gaurds and some 18-inch five-spoke alloys. Joining the refreshed interior are satin chrome details and a scuba-like fabric covering parts of the seats. This concept above goes to show that the Patriot is a decent looker and just a few minor tweaks away from being a real Jeep. Now, if they'd just take care of that Compass...
All you used to need to know about the Jeep Patriot is that it looks Jeepy; drives super-solidly (even when making forays above 80 mph); and comes with a nasty interior that will shred your knuckles on that excess flash all over every piece (Ed. note: flash is what's left over from injection molding where the two halves of the mold come together). Take that painful and bloody criticism, print it out on heavy paper, and then savor the sound as you crumple it up; our bloviating has been rendered irrelevant by Chrysler delivering on its promise to fix the Patriot's insides.
Our final judgement will come down after we get a chance to sample one of the new interiors in person, but these pics of the new interior we picked up on last week are inside vehicles that have already made their way to some Jeep dealers' lots. There's a new, smoother dashboard; SRT-reminiscent seats; and door panels that look more well thought out (nevermind that manual window crank). It's nice to see that Chrysler's owner-pooch has put its money where its three mouths are and delivered a more attractive interior that appears higher quality. Click the gallery below to see more angles of the Patriot's new flash-less interior.
