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Yes, indeed.

That would be the all-new, 2007 Jeep Patriot Sport, with a starting price of $14,985 (including freight).

There are those who would argue that the under-$15,000 Patriot isn’t a real Jeep, however. And I suppose that in the truest sense, they might be right. It’s not a Jeep that you could take onto the Rubicon Trail.

That’s because the base model doesn’t come with four-wheel drive. But it’s still a Jeep vehicle, it looks like a Jeep, and it has lots of standard amenities that make it quite a value for the money. After all, there are some of the new minicars that cost this much, yet can’t hold five full-size adults and their gear the way the Patriot can.

And for those who want a real Jeep – that is, one that bears the “Trail Rated” badge – there is a Patriot four-wheel-drive version that starts at just $19,175.

That one can be driven on the Rubicon Trail, the legendary off-road route through the Sierra Nevada range in Northern California. This is where all off-road-capable Jeep vehicles are tested before they can qualify for the “Trail Rated” designation.

Some off-road purists who swear by their Jeep CJ and Wrangler models have complained that Chrysler Group is weakening its Jeep brand by introducing models that aren’t what they would call real Jeeps.

My response is that anything that helps keep the Jeep brand financially healthy – such as volume sales of lots of different Jeep-branded vehicles – is a good thing. That’s because it helps assure the continuation of the Jeeps that we off-road aficionados like to have to play with in the sand, rocks and mud.

What the Patriot will do for Jeep is help Chrysler move the brand into the mainstream, so it can continue to develop and produce niche vehicles such as the Wrangler and the new four-door Wrangler Unlimited model that arrived for 2007.

Along with the slightly smaller Jeep Compass, which is not Trail Rated in any form, the Patriot gives Chrysler Group more to offer would-be consumers in the Jeep showrooms across the nation (and around the world), helping to keep dealers profitable, too.

The Patriot, which is now being shipped to dealers, is built on the same chassis as the Compass, which was introduced this past fall. The Compass essentially is the Jeep version of the new Dodge Caliber, a small crossover utility vehicle/wagon that came to market last spring.

The biggest difference, besides the availability of an off-road-capable four-wheel-drive system, is that the Patriot is about the same size and shape as the Jeep Cherokee, which led the Jeep brand from the early ’80s until being replaced by the similarly sized Liberty in 2002.

The Liberty was long touted as the replacement for the Cherokee, which for years had been the lowest-priced Jeep. And indeed, in other markets outside North America, the Liberty is sold as the Cherokee.

While the Liberty remains in the lineup, it will grow a bit with the next generation, due to arrive later this year as a 2008 model. To see what the new Liberty will look like, just examine the 2007 Dodge Nitro, which is almost identical.

The Patriot should appeal to those who once bought the Cherokee and even the original Liberty, whose prices began just under $20,000. But with an entry-level price under $15,000, a lot more people will be able to afford a Patriot two-wheel-drive model than a similarly equipped Liberty.

The Patriot’s exterior has the traditional round Jeep headlights and seven-slot grille, the boxy Jeep side view with trapezoidal wheel openings, a clamshell hood, and what Jeep calls “robust” bumpers.

“This is the latest iteration of the Jeep classic design,” Don Renkert÷, senior manager for Patriot design, said during a recent national media introduction of the vehicle in Scottsdale. “It’s within one inch of the length and width of the Cherokee, but slightly longer.”

The styling is quite similar to that of the full-size, seven-passenger Jeep Commander, whose own styling was based on that of the Cherokee and the earlier Jeep Wagoneer models.

One of the big differences between the Patriot and the similarly-sized 2007 Liberty is under the hood. While the Liberty is now available with either a four-cylinder or a V-6 engine, and most are sold with the V-6, the Patriot comes only with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder.

That four-cylinder is Chrysler Group’s new “world engine,” and is the base powerplant in a variety of Chrysler Group products today, including the Caliber, Compass, and Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger sedans. The engine is rated at 172 horsepower and 165 foot-pounds of torque.

Another difference is the drive system. The Compass and Patriot come standard with front-wheel drive, while the Liberty, Grand Cherokee, seven-passenger Commander, and Wrangler Unlimited base models come with rear-wheel drive.

For the $14,985 price, you can get the base front-drive Sport model with the 2.4-liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is optional.

With the manual gearbox and 2.4-liter engine, the front-drive model has EPA ratings of 26 miles per gallon city and 30 highway; with the CVT, the front-drive 2.4-liter model’s ratings are 24 city/27 highway. With four-wheel drive, the manual is rated at 25 city/29 highway.

There also is an optional 158 horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder available, which comes only with the CVT and front drive. Its EPA ratings are 26 city/30 highway.

With the CVT, there are two four-wheel-drive systems offered: Freedom Drive I and Freedom Drive II. Only the second one comes with low-range gearing for serious off-road use, and it is the one that allows the Patriot to receive the Trail Rated designation.

Unlike other Jeep off-road systems, though, the Patriot’s Freedom Drive II does not have a separate transfer case that allows the transmission to operate in low range. Instead, the CVT has a special low first gear (19:1 ratio) that is similar to the first gear of a Wrangler operating in low range. With the Patriot shifted into this low gear, it will crawl at less than 5 mph.

With the Freedom Drive I system, which comes with the regular CVT and is suitable for light off-road use, EPA ratings are 23 city/26 highway.

The Freedom Drive II models, which are Trail Rated, have mileage estimates of 21 city/23 highway. (Note: All of these mileage figures are based on 2007 rating criteria; they will be lower next year as new EPAmileage-rating rules take effect.)

Models with the Trail Rated designation come with the off-road package, which includes the Freedom II system, as well as a one-inch higher ground clearance (9 inches), 17-inch aluminum wheels with all-terrain tires, a full-size spare tire, underbody skid plates to protect the transmission and gas tank, two hooks and fog lights.

Two trim levels of the Patriot are offered – base Sport and uplevel Limited.

The Sport model with the Freedom Drive II, CVT and off-road package is $19,175. Standard on Limited models is leather upholstery, among other amenities.

The front-drive Limited model with manual gearbox begins at $19,985, while the one with the Freedom Drive I system and CVT starts at $21,735. For the Limited with the Freedom Drive II and off-road package, the price is $23,530.

For the under-$15,000 price, the Patriot comes with manual outside mirrors, crank windows and door locks, and does not include air conditioning. But a package of extras that includes air conditioning, power mirrors/windows/locks and more raises the two-wheel drive base model’s price to $17,333.

All Patriots come with electronic stability control (with roll mitigation) and four-wheel antilock disc brakes, as well as side-curtain air bags for both rows of seats. Front seat-mounted side air bags are optional, as is a tire-pressure monitoring system.

The Patriot is built in the same factory as the Compass and Caliber, in Belvidere, Ill.