- Jeep(R) Patriot costs just $.486 per mile to own

            - Jeep Patriot, most capable vehicle in its segment



    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 7 /EMWNews/ -- Chrysler LLC's Jeep(R)

brand has a solution for sport-utility vehicle (SUV) customers seeking

relief from high gas prices and economic uncertainty -- the Jeep Patriot. A

study by Edmunds.com reveals that the Jeep Patriot is the least expensive

SUV to own at 48.6 cents per mile.



    "In difficult periods like this, it is vital that we continue to evolve

our products to exceed customers' needs and Jeep Patriot does just that,"

said Robert Hegbloom, Senior Manager - Jeep Brand Marketing. "By providing

great fuel economy, performance, handling and flexibility, all at an

affordable price, the Jeep Patriot is a tremendous value."



    The number one ranking is based on Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own data,

which incorporates projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs

consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums,

fuel costs, maintenance and repairs. The data accounts for total vehicle

costs over a five-year period.



    "Even though gas prices are high, some consumers are still in search of

a sport-utility vehicle to meet their needs," said Jesse Toprak, Executive

Director of Industry Analysis, Edmunds.com. "For those consumers, vehicles

like the Jeep Patriot are relative bargains in their segment."



    The Jeep Patriot continues to gain traction in the marketplace with

total U.S. sales in July up 4 percent versus the same period last year.

Additionally, Jeep Patriot 2008 year-to-date sales increased 119 percent,

with 40,135 total sales when compared with July 2007 year-to-date sales.



    Jeep Patriot Unmistakably Jeep



    Strong and capable, the Jeep Patriot is unmistakably Jeep, designed to

appeal to compact SUV buyers who want classic Jeep styling with

best-in-class off-road capability. Jeep Patriot combines the packaging and

interior flexibility of a sport-utility vehicle, while offering an

excellent fuel economy at a great value. Safety features, such as standard

side-curtain air bags and standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP), add

to Jeep Patriot's incredible value.



    The Jeep Patriot's powertrain delivers world-class performance, fuel

economy and refinement. Patriot features a standard 2.4-liter World Engine

with dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT), which helps optimize the torque

curve at all speeds. Patriot's World Engine produces more power, better

fuel economy and a smoother, quieter ride than engines without dual VVT.

Dual VVT is a technology typically not available on vehicles sold in the

United States in the Patriot's price class. Performance objectives are

targeted to match the best in the segment. The 2.4-liter engine coupled

with a five-speed manual transaxle provides 172 horsepower (128 kW) and 165

lb.-ft. (222 N*m) of torque and delivers 23 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on

the highway. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder World Engine also is available on

front-wheel-drive Jeep Patriot Sport models and achieves 23 mpg in the city

and 27 mpg on the highway.



    Jeep Patriot features a standard five-speed manual transaxle and an

available Continuously Variable Transaxle (CVT2). CVT2 is a

second-generation CVT that Chrysler LLC engineers calibrated for pleasing

engine response and precise ratio control. CVT2 contributes to a fuel

economy improvement of 6-8 percent compared with a traditional four-speed

automatic transaxle. Patriot also is the first Jeep vehicle to offer a CVT2

with integral low-ratio (CVT2L). The CVT2L's effective first gear in low

ratio is 19:1, which provides the torque necessary for crawling over

moderate rocks and logs and other off-road events.



    Jeep Patriot has more capability than any other vehicle in its class.

Jeep Patriot is available in three drive configurations: front-wheel drive,

Freedom Drive I(TM) (a full-time, active four-wheel-drive system with lock

mode) and the Freedom Drive II(TM) Off-Road Package (a full-time, active

4x4 system with low range that provides true Jeep 4x4 Trail Rated(R)

capability).



    Freedom Drive I is an available full-time, active 4x4 system with Lock

mode designed to give drivers year-round assurance 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 rain

and light snow. Freedom Drive I features a lockable center coupling, giving

drivers the ability to put the Jeep Patriot in four-wheel-drive Lock mode

to handle deep snow, sand and other low-traction surfaces.



    The Freedom Drive II Off-road Package is an available four-wheel-drive

system that makes the Jeep Patriot a Trail Rated 4x4, creating the most

capable vehicle in the crowded compact SUV class. The Freedom Drive II

Off-road Package includes CVT2L, 17-inch all-terrain OWL tires and aluminum

wheels, a full-size spare tire, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lamps and

manual driver seat height adjuster.



    All Jeep Patriot models include standard brake traction control,

driver-controlled three-mode ESP, Brake assist, Electronic Roll Mitigation

and Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with rough-road detection.



    The Jeep Patriot is manufactured at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in

Belvidere, Ill.



    Jeep Brand



    The Jeep brand has expanded to seven nameplates, the most available to

retail consumers at one time in the brand's 66-year history. The Jeep brand

offers customers the freshest, most capable and widest range of

sport-utility vehicles under one brand in the industry.