Picture Gallery: 2007 Jeep Compass
Day 1:
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Difficult to see in photos but the Compass is actually a rather small vehicle in size. Parked next to a Mazda 3 it does not jump out at you as being overly large or having the stance of a typical SUV.
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The Compass is powered by DaimlerChrysler’s 2.4L 4-Cyl World Engine, which produces 172hp and 165lb-ft of torque. The Compass comes standard with a 5-speed manual gear box, but my tester uses the optional CVT transmission and 4×4 capability.
Also included in my tester as optional accessories are heated seats (always welcome in the depths of winter), a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics sound system with steering wheel mounted controls and articulating liftgate speakers and cruise control.
With a curb weight of only 1,472 Kg and a towing capacity of just 450 Kg this vehicle should not be mistaken for a real Jeep, but the body, grill and interior design are unmistakably Jeep.
2007 Jeep Compass
MSRP as tested: $26,135
For more information on Jeep and the Compass visit Jeep Canada
Day 2:
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My first impressions of the Jeep were positive. Maybe I was expecting the worst, but I had driven a Jeep Grand Cherokee back in the summer, as well as the Dodge Caliber around the same time.
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I noticed a few things today — things you may never notice on a test drive — that could be irritating. At least they are especially irritating when it is -25c and you just want to get going in the morning. The buttons for the recirculate, defrost and air conditioning are tiny and not only hard to see, but also hard to use because of their size.
This morning I needed to scrape the windshield off before heading to work. I had never thought about the placement of an antenna as much as I did this morning. The antenna is simply in the way, a few inches forward on the fender and it would be a non-issue but with where it is, it was a difficult task to get my windshield clean. It seems most vehicles these days have hidden antennas either on the roof, built into the glass or in some other inconspicuous location; the long protruding antenna is now simply out of style.
Day 3:
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But enough with the dislikes, let’s talk about the driving dynamics of Jeep’s first non-truck model. Being based off the Caliber, the Jeep Compass is an easy-to-drive city vehicle, parking lot maneuvers and turning circle are tighter than I expected. It really maneuvers like a car but provides a higher seating position to give the driver an SUV feel.
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For those not accustomed to CVT transmissions the engine noise on acceleration could be a huge disappointment. The Compass is nearly identical in feel and power delivery to the Caliber I drove back in the summer: there is a loud harsh grumble that is continuous as you accelerate. Around town this is barely noticeable and once up to speed there is no issue; during highway merging, though, the Compass feels severely lacking.
I personally find that it is hard to sense speed in a CVT-equipped vehicle so I spend a lot of my time glancing at the speedometer. Without the typical shift points of a manual or automatic transmission you cannot rely on your ears to determine your speed during acceleration.
There is one saving grace here: it would be difficult to get a speeding ticket in the Compass — there just doesn’t seem to be enough power to keep it moving. I would classify the Compass as a momentum car: once you have it, try not to lose it.
Day 4:
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The Compass’ handling is very car-like and I have been fairly impressed by it over the past few days. If you really only want the SUV look with a little higher ride height and some cargo space, the Compass performs well. And as small as it may sound, the windshield wipers work unbelievably well on the Compass and with visibility the key aspect of driving this is very much welcomed.
Seating in the rear of the Compass is comfortable and has a good amount of headroom. I actually didn’t sit in the rear until today and was impressed by the room back there.
Gas mileage returned over the week was fair, with an average of 12.5L/100km mostly city driving; given the arctic temperatures over the past week, I was not disappointed by the fuel mileage. As the temperatures rose over the past few days I watched the average fuel consumption decrease.
Unfortunately, I’m still a little confused about the Compass. When Jeep offers “real” Jeeps for nearly the identical price of the Compass it makes less sense for this vehicle to exist. If the Compass provided a quieter and more comfortable environment to live with day to day I would understand more. But as it is if I were in the market for a Jeep, I would be shopping for a real Jeep, like a Liberty perhaps.
*Rating out of 5:
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*Rating based on vehicle’s classification
2007 Jeep Compass
MSRP as tested: $26,135
For more information on Jeep and the Compass visit Jeep Canada
January 30, 2007, 09:16:18 am Agree with Bullet Blue, Calibre is much more better looking, this is Jeepized version of it, bulked up. I like to see what James is going to do with this in winter.
January 30, 2007, 10:20:07 am Here is a great review from Driving Television.
http://drivingtelevision.com/CarReviewVideos.php?ccID=15
January 30, 2007, 10:36:20 am What the heck is that gaping hole in the passenger dash? Is that a space to hide your face when trying not to be seen in this thing?
Dodge / Jeep / DC can't make a good looking vehicle to save their life (or brand). Yuck!
January 30, 2007, 10:50:16 am Wing, the price you must pay to get the keys to the Porsche.
January 30, 2007, 12:17:43 pm I hated this vehicle in photos, but not so much with some colours in person. I don't really like it, but don't hate it either. I also don't know why it exists.
I thought this would be the cheapie Jeep, but then they price the Patriot even less than this Compass!!! The Pariot actually doesn't look half bad, and probably has more interior room being so boxy. And for the record, I really like the new 4dr Wrangler.
Thing is, the Caliber doesn't offer the interior space you'd think it would. The Compass has to improve upon it, and the Patriot I'd imagine one-ups it further. Regardless of how cheap the interior looks and feels (to me, Chrysler's at the bottom of the barrel so far as interiors go, while also offering some nifty little features other manufacturer's aren't which is the tradeoff) there's nothing else on the market I can think of that comes close to the pricing of these pseudo-SUV-thingies. Even the Tucson/Sportage are over $20, and the SX4 is micro-sized in comparison. So, these Jeeps have the lower end of the market to themselves, and at $17-20,000 they're not bad vehicles, but when you're up over $25 it's just too much. They do have a lot of inexpensive option selection, so you do your picking wisely.
January 30, 2007, 12:39:27 pm I think I like the Caliber a bit better but they both are just OK looking.
The Nitro on the other hand looks awesome Jeep need to build something along the same lines (since that is usually what Chrysler does).
It is to bad the interior looks like crap. Well, I do like the cooler in the glove box thing and I think the drink holder can both cool and heat.
The Caliber and the Compass are both very different (in a good way) then the car that they replaced the Neon, man I hated that thing.
Worst front end ever!!
January 30, 2007, 12:44:27 pm Having looked at the patriot and the compass at this years auto show...I really did'nt get why DCX made two version of this car. To me, the Patriot looks awesome, really great classic lines. But then my wife though the compass was better looking! I have yet to find a girl that hates the compass. In the end I think its a good idea now. One for the guys and one for the girls. I found the compass/patriot interiors to feel less cheap than the calibers...maybe its because you expect a more rugged interior on a jeep. One question, where are the stearing wheel controls? on the back? Its also nice that you can get NAV on these cars...but at close to 3k for that option...it make little sense on a 20k car. I find that at around 25-27k the Patriot limited is a good deal. 170hp, AWD, great looks, decent amount of storage, leather, all the toys...parked next to my 35k jetta 2.0T...seems like a much better bang for the buck. You can get a 20k rabbit, but its to bare bones of a car for me. I need toys!
The Nitro is good looking but mpg really sucks...your getting HEMI mpg with V6 performance. Mind you with a loaded Patriot pushing 28-29k...the 32k Nitro SLT looks attractive. You can only get a manual in basic psec on the Nitro though.
January 30, 2007, 01:59:02 pm
January 30, 2007, 03:03:34 pm I didn't necessarily dislike or like the Compass when I first heard about it. Like previous posters, I wonder about the logic of this and the Patriot - but judging by some remarks about women liking this vehicle, I guess we should chalk this up as one for the marketers. I'll be interested to see how it comes out after 4 days of real-life testing though.
January 30, 2007, 10:29:36 pm I have a Jeep Liberty and the same steering wheel audio controls - they are mounted behind the steering wheel. Honestly, I've tried a few different ones, and they are the most intuitive and easy to use buttons around. It's just easier to manipulate with multiple fingers than just your thumb when driving.
Of course, if you have paddle shifters (not on Jeep products of course), that complicates things.
Oh, and my best friend bought a Caliber when it first came out. I wouldn't pay the premium for the Compass, with essentially the same platform and a better / available AWD system. Interior quality is not very good, engine feels smaller than it is for its HP rating, and CVT does not live up to gas mileage expectations. On the other hand, a well optioned SXT Caliber w/ upgraded stereo, steering wheel mounted controls, ABS, etc. is under 22K w/ tax. Not a bad value overall for the Caliber.
January 31, 2007, 01:15:56 am It's funny that people mention that many women find the Compass better looking, because I've yet to find any of my friends - both male and female - that find the Compass attractive. The Patriot's looks appeal more to most of my friends. I would say that there may be a target demographic reason but we're all young urban dwellers (20-30 year olds in downtown Montreal) and apparently the Compass is supposed to target our particular demographic....
The (few) times I've seen the Compass on the road it's mainly been older women. The younger end of the Baby Boomer generation with a recently emptied nest...
January 31, 2007, 09:25:12 am The new RAV4 has the external antenna in almost the same position. I found it annoying to get around to scrape the windshield after freezing rain.
January 31, 2007, 09:30:51 am So it does! I guess I didn't have to scrape the windshield of the Rav when I had it a few weeks ago.
January 31, 2007, 09:43:50 am Like so many others here, I too find the styling of the Compass to be less than stellar -- but of course, styling is a subjective matter anyway (afterall... some people actually DID buy Azteks too!).
From a marketing perspective though, the simple fact that the Compass is a 'cute ute' and is NOT 'Trail Rated' is certainly doing the Jeep Brand no favours. After so recently (and proudly) announcing in every ad that "Every Jeep is Trail Rated" -- only to turn around and offer such an inept off-road vehicle completely devalues the brand positioning for Jeep.
Like LandRovers, no matter how tarted up and luxurious Jeeps became, you could always at least rely on the macho aspect that they would also kick-ass if ever all the roads were washed away en route to the Muskoka cottage. Now, Jeep is simply becoming another clone brand under the D-C umbrella. Haven't we seen this thought process before with GM... and look how well it worked for them! If you keep duplicating models across Dodge and Jeep, you will very quickly render one of the brands redundant... and something tells me (sadly) it would be Jeep first.
Wake up DaimlerChrysler!
January 31, 2007, 09:46:32 am
No kidding. I just followed a green one to work. Ridiculous was the first word that came to mind.
A guy was driving it. For a male, that's the truck equivalent to slamming ones genitals in a door.
January 31, 2007, 09:56:44 am
Second only to a man driving a peach-coloured VW new Beetle Convertible I'd say.
January 31, 2007, 12:16:23 pm
Second only to a man driving a peach-coloured VW new Beetle Convertible I'd say.
I love those peach orange New Beetle Convertibles. Would have to be a Turbo, which boosts the testosterone factor, no doubt
January 31, 2007, 05:13:06 pm I think Car And Driver review on the Jeep Patriot sums it up quite nicely.
Thanks.......Rovert
February 01, 2007, 02:30:20 am Wing don't those solid rear headrests not impede visibility pretty badly? They look very large in your pictures.
I saw a Compass parked in the lot at my local Crappy Tire before Christmas and was surprised at how awkward it looks. I haven't seen a Compass since.
Thanks.......Rovert
Welcome Rovert! I don't understand why you're rolling your eyes, but welcome nonetheless.
February 01, 2007, 05:24:18 am
* well, more is always better and I'm not fooling myself that I can beat a CX-7 in a drag race
February 01, 2007, 09:07:38 am "slamming ones genitals inna door"........I hate it when that happens DAILY.....
February 01, 2007, 10:10:33 am Thanks for the welcome Wolfe,
Have not seen neither the Jeep Compass nor the Patriot up close but my $$$$$$ is on the latter. They are basically the same vehicle but the Patroit being superior in the looks dept....it does look like a Jeep and, according to the C&D Jeep Patriot review, a better all-wheel drive platform (see article in C&D for further info).
The price of a Patriot is less than that of the Compass (the same vehicle) so the question is why is there a Compass in the first place?
I say Chrysler, drop the compass.....it's pointing the wrong direction.
February 01, 2007, 10:20:45 am Is that ROVERE'"T" the crossover "V" "W"................
February 01, 2007, 11:47:01 am Well Safristi.....can't fool you for a second.........
A week or two perhaps......
February 02, 2007, 02:23:46 am We looked at the Compass by accident recently when car shopping.
We went to look at the Dodge Caliber as we were in the market for a small wagon with a better/higher seating position than the Suzuki Esteem Wagon we were driving. We found the Caliber to be so cramped that we didn't consider it for even 10 seconds, and with the tailgate speakers and in-dash cooler it was aimed so far from our market segment that we almost ran screaming from the dealership. But before we could leave, the salesman gently pointed us toward the Compass. It might actually have been exactly what we were looking for but besides the styling and finishing not really speaking to us, we really didn't feel inclined to drive anything bearing the Jeep name - we are SO not Jeep people. There is the downside of building a strong brand identity - not only do you disappoint your regular customers if you try to break out of your mold, your image may also be a barrier between you and the new customer niche you want to enter.
But interesting point that Giant Dwarf makes above, that it may be a step toward phasing out some of the brands by making them less specific, overlapping, and ultimately redundant.