I’m afraid I may not have given my tester this week a complete test. The Jeep Patriot Latitude seemed to want to get off the paved highways and byways and feel some dirt underneath its tires.

Sadly, I did not get a chance to take the Patriot offroading. I believe it would’ve excelled under these conditions. It is a Jeep, after all, and possesses such a stalwart reputation.

The Patriot still performed well, despite never having to employ its 4x4.

On appearance alone, it impressed. It was unequivocably a Jeep with the waterfall grille, but not quite as stout as the Grand Cherokee. Instead, this compact crossover separates itself as a suburban warrior, capable of maneuvering a family to soccer games, or going on an off-road adventure, or anything in between for that matter. Forgive the bad pun, but this Latitude had a little attitude.

With a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, the Patriot attains 172 horsepower. This bigger engine is not standard on other Patriot models, as the 2.0-liter engine with 158 HP is standard. Since I found my tester to be somewhat underpowered, I could only imagine how the smaller of the two engines would perform.

The performance issues of my tester could be traced to the continuously variable transmission. I found shifting to be cumbersome and delayed at times, especially at higher RPMs. A manual transmission is available for some Patriot models, and I believe those would outperform the CVT.

The 2012 model features a tweaked suspension and adjusted steering hardware. It shows with a ride quality that is comfortable for everyone.

Inside, an upgrade to the materials did not go unnoticed. Softer, better-feeling materials exist on the dashboard and side door panels. The interior, though, is not so luxurious that if you got some mud inside — after a day of offroading — it will look out of place. That’s what you want and expect from a Jeep, so the designers did an excellent job of maintaining its utilitarian feel, but with enough quality touchpoints.

Road and engine noise were noticeable, however, but that can be overlooked for such a utilitarian vehicle.

Rear 60/40 split seats fold flat to allow for 53.5 cubic feet of space. This is smaller than most in the compact crossover segment. Behind the second row seat does feel smaller too, and shows with a mere 23 cubic feet of space. The rest of the space provides adequate leg and headroom for passengers.

The Patriot proudly sports a trail-rated badge and comes with tow hooks, hill descent control and a full-size spare. All of this is more than what other compact crossovers offer, but again, few other crossovers boast the off road capabilities and performance of the Jeep Patriot.

On road, the Patriot averages 21 MPG. It has an EPA rating of 20 city/23 highway. The smaller engine, manual transmission optioned Patriots can get fuel economy up to 29 MPG, which makes it extremely competitive.

With a base price of $22,780, the Patriot is one of the most affordable crossovers on the market. Add some options like the Freedom Drive Off Road Group (which includes all-wheel drive), which my tester had, and you take the price up to $25,235, and it’s still affordable.

The Patriot is perfectly suited as a member of the Jeep family. It holds true to everything that Jeep is known for, but it gives more versatility and range to the suburban warriors who will find it appealing.

Jimmy Dinsmore is the Wheels editor at the Dayton Daily News and may be reached at (937) 225-2115. Follow him on Twitter @wheelseditor