Jeep introduced the Compass and the Patriot, two small car-based crossover vehicles, for 2007. Both are based on the Dodge Caliber hatchback, which itself is built on a Mitsubishi platform. Whereas the Compass looks like the love-child of a Mazda 3 and a half-used bar of soap, the Patriot looks much like the Jeep Cherokee of the ’80s and ’90s. Blocky styling, round headlights, and the classic Jeep grille give the Patriot a tough appearance that is missing on its Compass twin.

The toughness of the Patriot isn’t just skin-deep. Although front-wheel drive is standard, there are two available all-wheel-drive systems. One of the Patriot’s optional all-wheel-drive systems is geared toward on-road traction, but the other, dubbed Freedom II, earns the Patriot Jeep’s Trail Rated badge. That means that Patriots with Freedom II can climb and scurry over scabbard lands and hop over rocks like other Jeeps with the badge. Freedom II models also get a crawling “gear” for the continuously variable transmission.

Two engines are offered in the Patriot. All but the most basic versions get a 172-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that mates to a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that offers seamless power delivery without shifts. Basic Sport versions have an available 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 158 hp that’s available with the manual or the CVT.

The 2.0-liter four delivers 23 mpg city and 27 mpg highway on the EPA cycle. The 2.4-liter achieves 23 mpg city and 28 mpg on the highway when equipped with the five-speed manual. Order the CVT, and fuel economy suffers slightly—front-drive models get 21 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, and the all-wheel-drive models come in at 20 mpg city and 22 mpg on the highway. For those who have light things to tow, the Patriot can handle up to 2000 pounds.