jeep patriot sport + 2.4 manual

Mixed feelings.

I bought my Jeep Patriot sport + 2.4 petrol manual in June 2011. It had 2000 mls on the clock and was eight months old.
The car replaced a vauxhall zafira, my last 4x4 being a series 1 LR Discovery, and with the bad winter predicted I was on the look out for another 4 wheel drive.
First impressions were good, a lot quieter than the zafira, more toys- bluetooth, mp3 input, all round electric windows.
It has a lot less space in the boot and less economical although 30-31 isnt bad for a petrol 4 wheel drive, and it has reached 37mpg on a long run, with a low of 26 in heavy city traffic.
The looks take time to grow on you although the back looks better than the front, the cloth seats are comfy, much better than the leather option, there's been some criticism of the plastics but most family cars are dull and plasticy, it's much better than some japanese and korean interiors.
The problems- Reverse can be difficult to engage sometimes as it has no synchromesh, the engine management light came on one morning but went off by the time I'd reached the dealer.
Drivers door wouldn't open, I disconnected the battery and it reset the ECU, been ok since. Cargo cover sometimes will not wind in.
Driving is ok but can feel a bit unsettled if back wheel hits a pothole. The 2.4 engine is quite a lazy engine and having the correct gear selected is essential, it shows it's displeasure if in too high a gear but hesitating and needs to drop from 5th to 4th to get up hills.
It was either this or a diesel Chevy Captiva, and if I needed 7 seats I would of got the Chevy but it would of been older with more miles.
I like the car but would I buy another jeep? Probably not since Fiat has now taken control, but a Freelander 2 would be nice.

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