Jeep Patriot's classic exterior styling and capability have been enhanced for 2011 with new front and rear fascias, lower bodyside accent cladding, a revised grill and an increased ride height.

The Patriot offers customers outstanding capability with features such as brake traction control, Hill-descent Control, 4x4 Lock shift-on-the-fly which sends 50% of torque to front and rear wheels, and a maximum tow rating of 1500kg.

The Jeep Patriot also boasts an upgraded suspension for 2011, including increased diameter of the rear sway bar. Despite these numerous capability features, the 2011 Jeep Patriot boasts impressive 4x4 fuel economy in its segment.

Freedom Drive is Patriot's standard full-time, active four-wheel-drive system with lock mode designed to give drivers year-round assurance with the ability to handle rough weather and low-traction conditions.

This active four-wheel-drive system is recommended for daily use, including slick conditions that come with gravel or rain.

Freedom Drive also features a lockable centre coupling, giving drivers the ability to put the Jeep Patriot in four-wheel-drive lock mode to handle sand, deep snow and other low-traction surfaces.

Patriot features a standard 2.4-litre engine that produces 125kW and 220 N.m of torque. This engine has dual variable valve timing (VVT) on both intake and exhaust camshafts, which helps optimise the torque curve at all speeds and produces more power, better fuel economy and a smoother, quieter operation than engines without dual VVT.

When paired with the five-speed manual, Patriot's economy records 8.4L/100km combined cycle, with economy of 6.7L/100km on the highway.

Patriot's CVT also improves vehicle performance compared with a traditional automatic transaxle because of optimised gear ratios, especially in the 60–100 km/h range during passing manoeuvres.

The new Jeep will sell in Australia from $30,000 for the 2.4l five-speed manual, excluding government charges and dealer delivery.