Michael Phelps and the 2008 Jeep Patriot
By: Melanie Droz
As the 2008 Beijing Olympics come to an end, I regrettably have to say farewell to Michael Phelps in a Speedo and the 2008 Chrysler Patriot Sport 4X4.
In view of the fact that both have a strong exterior and commanding capability, I suggest that Phelps share one of his medals with the Patriot. He has a record 8 gold; would he really miss one around his neck?
The Patriot would hang it proudly from the rearview mirror and take very good care of it due to its smooth handling, which is a result of the new independent MacPherson strut front and multi-link independent rear suspensions. Even when the 4X4 is off-road, the shock tuning and high-strength steel springs will keep the gold nice and safe. Maybe I should send Phelps an email via his website.
Both the success of Phelps in the pool and the 2008 Chrysler Patriot on the road brought out the true American in me. I only wore red and white while I was driving around in the Surf Blue Pearl Patriot. I wanted to support my country in the Olympics; however, I didn’t realize that, when not in the vehicle, I looked a little bit like a walking billboard for Target, a candy cane, or a tablecloth.
My favorite thing about the Patriot was the spacious interior. Since the Olympics have inspired me to become more active, the Patriot made it easy to pack up my friends and load the camping gear for a 2-day hiking trip up north. The non-skid UltraFloor vinyl cargo load floor in the back was durable enough to carry 23.0 cubic feet of tents, coolers, hiking shoes, and plenty of water. Although we couldn’t possibly eat 12,000 calories worth of food in one day like Michael Phelps, we probably would have been able to fit it in the Patriot just in case he decided to join us.
On the way up there we alternated between tunes on the MP3 player that snuggly fit in the unique flip pocket attached to the center console and the laptop, which we had plugged into the standard 115-volt two-prong power outlet. We had to stay updated on the medal count, especially since Phelps was on his way to becoming the greatest Olympian of all time.
Speaking of the greatest of all time, the 2008 Chrysler Patriot was ranked the most fuel efficient Jeep 4X4 ever to wear the Trail Rated badge. With up to 26 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, that sounds like a gold medal to me.
The Patriot also received 5 stars from the Government safety ratings in crash passenger, side front seat, and crash rear seat. With the electronic roll mitigation, I felt safe driving the winding road up north. That adds up to 4 gold medals.
I also heard Edmunds.com voted the Patriot Least Expensive SUV to own at $17,225. Sounds a lot cheaper than the Opening Ceremony in Beijing. Did I mention Kelly Blue Book selected the Patriot as one of the Top 10 Coolest New Cars under $18,000, it has earned a SmartWay certification, and was named 4X4 of the Year by 4X4 and MPV Driver Magazine?
And, the 2008 Chrysler Patriot won the Green 4X4 award. If I am counting correctly, that is 9 gold medals for the Patriot. It looks like Michael Phelps has some competition; Phelps may look better in a Speedo, but the Patriot is now the Greatest Olympic SUV of all time. I made that award up, but we can still count it as gold medal number 10.
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