Auto News 5

Driving this Jeep left me with a deep sense of déjà vu. No, we haven't sampled a Patriot for a while, but we did drive a Compass Limited 4x4 last month. Apart from the exterior styling, the two were virtually identical -- along with the common platform, powertrain, and instrument panel, both were fitted with the same $5000-worth of options and equipment packages.

So much for alternative energies as the immediate future of the automobile. The solution that beat out steam and electricity a hundred years ago wins again -- and not just by using a high-energy-content liquid (in this case E85) to fuel an internal-combustion engine, but also by embracing the formula espoused by Henry Ford, Ettore Bugatti, Colin Chapman, and many others: keep vehicle weight low. Add greatly reduced aerodynamic drag, and you have the whole philosophy, as most elegantly expressed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni, founder of Carrozzeria Touring: weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle.