You might want to get your friend a physics lesson or two. The seat belt broke her rib, that could happen in any car in which the seat belt goes across her body in a similar way. Her Echo was destroyed because that's how energy gets dissipated. If the car was indestructible, she'd have been goo all over the dash.
The Patriot doesn't even have great crash test ratings.
2015 Jeep Patriot Crash-Test Ratings It isn't really that big either. I'm sure there are many small to mid-size cars that are about the same size, have better crash test ratings, and handle better to help avoid the accident in the first place. Mileage isn't too bad, but if she drives enough, a Civic might pay for the increased insurance costs with the gas savings.