Jeep Compass
Encyclopedia
The Jeep Compass is a compact
crossover SUV
introduced for the 2007 model year
. The Jeep Compass, along with the Patriot
both slot below the Jeep Wrangler
as Jeep
's entry-level sport utility vehicle
s, and is one of Jeep's first crossover SUVs.
The Compass did not carry the "Trail Rated" badge found on other SUVs in the Jeep family for the 2007-2010 model years, but received the "Trail Rated" badge for the 2011 model year. This indicates that the Compass targets first-time Jeep buyers and those who drive primarily on paved roads. Traditional Jeep vehicles, in contrast, have a reputation for off-road prowess, and some
trace their origins to vehicles once used in ground operations by American troops.
The Compass and Patriot are both based on the DaimlerChrysler
/Mitsubishi
GS platform
. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditionally styled 4-door Jeep wagon
, while the Compass shares a more in-town hatchback
look, similar in terms to the Dodge Caliber
.
. It featured a two door body, all-wheel drive and a 3.7-liter V6 engine
.
Jeep made its public debut of the production Compass at the 2006 North American International Auto Show
in January. The first Compass was assembled on May 30, 2006, in Belvidere, Illinois
, where the Dodge Neon
was produced.
ownership, announced that both the Patriot and Compass would get modifications for 2010, but will be discontinued by 2012, to be replaced by a single Fiat-based model.
For 2011, Jeep redesigned the Compass to more closely resemble the Grand Cherokee
, while keeping its own identity. The 2011 Jeep Compass also receives a revised suspension for better handling, a revised interior with more standard equipment, and more option packages including a Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package which includes a continuously variable transmission fitted with a low-range setting, all-terrain tires inside 17-inch aluminum wheels, skid plates, a four-wheel-drive system, and an increase ground clearance of a full inch.
I4
gasoline engine. The 2.0 liter GEMA engine is available on the 4X2 Sport model. A 2,0 liter l-R4 CRD
103 kW (140 PS) Volkswagen
-designed diesel engine
is available for the Europe
an and Australia
n markets. This engine is the same as used in the Volkswagen Passat
.
The car also features an electronically controlled all wheel drive system with variable torque between speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h) and 65 mph (105 km/h) for optimal handling. However, the base model version has only Front wheel drive (FWD), a first for any Jeep. The Trail Rated version of the Compass has passed the same testing of off-road ability as other Jeep vehicles in terms of traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording. Although Chrysler has released a high-performance 2008 SRT4 version of the Dodge Caliber, there is no SRT Group (Street and Racing Technology) edition of the Compass.
Compact SUV
Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles.- Background :...
crossover SUV
Crossover SUV
A crossover SUV is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover...
introduced for the 2007 model year
Model year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
. The Jeep Compass, along with the Patriot
Jeep Patriot
The Jeep Patriot is a compact crossover SUV introduced in early 2007 for the 2007 model year by the Jeep marque of Chrysler. It debuted publicly in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show and slots between the Compass and Liberty in the Jeep lineup...
both slot below the Jeep Wrangler
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a subcompact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle and an off-road vehicle manufactured by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque – and now in its fourth generation. It is a successor to the famous World War II 'Jeep' vehicle by way of the Willys civilian...
as Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
's entry-level sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s, and is one of Jeep's first crossover SUVs.
The Compass did not carry the "Trail Rated" badge found on other SUVs in the Jeep family for the 2007-2010 model years, but received the "Trail Rated" badge for the 2011 model year. This indicates that the Compass targets first-time Jeep buyers and those who drive primarily on paved roads. Traditional Jeep vehicles, in contrast, have a reputation for off-road prowess, and some
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a subcompact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle and an off-road vehicle manufactured by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque – and now in its fourth generation. It is a successor to the famous World War II 'Jeep' vehicle by way of the Willys civilian...
trace their origins to vehicles once used in ground operations by American troops.
The Compass and Patriot are both based on the DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
/Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
GS platform
Mitsubishi GS platform
The GS platform is a compact car platform co-developed by Mitsubishi Motors and DaimlerChrysler, which underpins the companies' compact cars. After DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi went their separate ways in 2004, DaimlerChrysler made substantial changes to the platform...
. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditionally styled 4-door Jeep wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
, while the Compass shares a more in-town hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
look, similar in terms to the Dodge Caliber
Dodge Caliber
The Dodge Caliber was a compact car produced by the Dodge division of Chrysler. It replaced the Neon, and it went on sale in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle...
.
History
Four years prior to the introduction of the production Jeep Compass, a concept vehicle with the same name had its world premiere in Detroit at the 2002 North American International Auto ShowNorth American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
. It featured a two door body, all-wheel drive and a 3.7-liter V6 engine
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
.
Jeep made its public debut of the production Compass at the 2006 North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
in January. The first Compass was assembled on May 30, 2006, in Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere is a city in Boone County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,585 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Boone County. Belvidere is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, where the Dodge Neon
Dodge Neon
The Plymouth/Dodge Neon, sold in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere outside the United States as the Chrysler Neon, is a compact front wheel drive car introduced in January 1994 for the 1995 model year by Chrysler Corporation's Dodge and Plymouth brands...
was produced.
2011 Updates
In a press conference on November 4, 2009 Chrysler LLC, now 25% under FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
ownership, announced that both the Patriot and Compass would get modifications for 2010, but will be discontinued by 2012, to be replaced by a single Fiat-based model.
For 2011, Jeep redesigned the Compass to more closely resemble the Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a Mid-size SUV produced by the Jeep division of Chrysler. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body on frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.- Development :...
, while keeping its own identity. The 2011 Jeep Compass also receives a revised suspension for better handling, a revised interior with more standard equipment, and more option packages including a Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package which includes a continuously variable transmission fitted with a low-range setting, all-terrain tires inside 17-inch aluminum wheels, skid plates, a four-wheel-drive system, and an increase ground clearance of a full inch.
Total United States sales
| Calendar Year | Sales |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 39,491 |
| 2008 | 25,349 |
| 2009 | 11,739 |
| 2010 | 15,894 |
| 2011 (January-November) | 43,454 |
Powertrain
The Compass uses a 172 hp 2.4 liter GEMAGlobal Engine Manufacturing Alliance
The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance LLC, or GEMA, is a manufacturing arm of Global Engine Alliance LLC, which was a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for developing a line of shared engines...
I4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
gasoline engine. The 2.0 liter GEMA engine is available on the 4X2 Sport model. A 2,0 liter l-R4 CRD
103 kW (140 PS) Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
-designed diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
is available for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n markets. This engine is the same as used in the Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen Passat
The Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
.
The car also features an electronically controlled all wheel drive system with variable torque between speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h) and 65 mph (105 km/h) for optimal handling. However, the base model version has only Front wheel drive (FWD), a first for any Jeep. The Trail Rated version of the Compass has passed the same testing of off-road ability as other Jeep vehicles in terms of traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording. Although Chrysler has released a high-performance 2008 SRT4 version of the Dodge Caliber, there is no SRT Group (Street and Racing Technology) edition of the Compass.