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Jeeps are known for their off-road capability, and while the Patriot crossover is aimed more at urban dwellers than off-road fans, the Texas Auto Writers Association recently selected it as the compact SUV of the year.

Most compact SUVs are generally thought of as soft roaders because they have limited ground clearance and no transfer case for extra-low gears. The Patriot can be specified with the Freedom Drive II off-road package that includes a full-time four-wheel-drive system that has a 19:1 low gear for crawling over obstacles. The off-road package gives the Patriot 9 inches of ground clearance and enables the vehicle to drive through 19 inches of water.

I didn’t have the opportunity to sample the Patriot’s off-road capabilities, but it acquitted itself quit nicely in our January snow.

Patriot prices begin at $17,795 for the two-wheel-drive Sport with a 2.0-liter engine. The all-wheel-drive Sport starts at $19,545, and the all-wheel-drive Limited begins at $24,550. The well-equipped test vehicle had a sticker price of $30,510.

A Rocky Mountain Edition, with aluminum wheels, upgraded audio, power sunroof and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, starts at $19,765.

Competitors include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.

Mechanically, the compact Jeep is kin to the Dodge Caliber. The engine is a 2.4-liter, 172-horsepower four-cylinder that is capable of achieving 28 miles per gallon on the highway with a five-speed manual transmission. The test vehicle was equipped with the optional continuously variable automatic transmission, and its mileage rating was 20 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.

The Patriot’s engine, with variable valve timing, four valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts, was developed jointly with Hyundai and Mitsubishi. The engine delivers decent power, but it is fairly noisy.

The CVT, which is more fuel-efficient than a four-speed automatic transmission, has been calibrated so that it feels a lot like a normal automatic transmission. Off-the-line acceleration is a bit sluggish. The AutoStick feature lets the driver manually select up to six gear ratios.

The Patriot’s full-time, four-wheel drive has a center differential that can be locked for maximum traction in bad conditions.

The Limited has heated seats and a tilt steering wheel with fingertip controls. The high driving position provides good visibility, and getting in and out is easy. The instrument panel has light-faced gauges and brushed-silver or body-color panels on the center stack. The gearshift is mounted on the lower section of the instrument panel. The center armrest has a holder for an MP3 player or cell phone built into the top section.

The cabin is fairly noisy and the interior materials are underwhelming.

The split-folding rear seat yields 53.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded flat. An optional folding right front passenger seat can be used as a table or for space to carry long objects.

The Patriot is available with a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics sound system and speakers that pivot down from the tailgate when it is open.

A rechargeable interior lamp can be removed and used as a flashlight, and there’s a 115-volt outlet in the center console for powering laptops and other small electronic devices.

Safety items include side-curtain airbags, traction control, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, hill descent control and a vehicle stability program.

Price

The base price of the test vehicle was $24,550. Options included a sunroof, Boston Acoustic sound system with tailgate speakers, Freedom Drive II, skid plates, tow hooks, continuously variable transmission, 30-gigabyte hard drive, navigation and Sirius satellite radio for one year. The sticker price was $30,510.

Warranty

Three years or 36,000 miles with a five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

2010 Jeep Patriot Limited

Engine: 2.4-liter, 172-hp 4-cyl

Transmission: Automatic

All-wheel drive

Wheelbase: 103.7 inches

Curb weight: 3,315 lbs.

Base price: $24,550

As driven: $30,510

MPG rating: 20 city, 22 hwy.

To reach Tom Strongman, send e-mail to tom@tomstrongman.com