I do not own a Patriot but I do have a Jeep Liberty and it has been a bad experience thus far. First off, its a tiny TINY truck. You can't hardly fit anything inside. Despite its size it weighs the same as a other mid-size trucks and the gas mileage, oh the gas mileage! I average about 14-15 mpg. Its a 4 wheel drive but it suck balls in the snow! The check engine light comes on and off randomly. The fucker is possessed if you asked me. I can't think of one thing that I like about this truck. I can't wait for the day I can unload this piece of shit.
I've also own a 2nd generation Ford Explorer for 13 years and the currrent generation looks really good. I would recommend that one or if you are looking for something smaller, the Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV. You can't go wrong with both of those small trucks.