Teresa’s View
Car cults are a funny thing. Whether it’s Corvettes or Saturns, people can get wacky about their favorite autos. That’s good and bad for automotive manufacturers.
Take Jeep for example. Nobody does cults like Jeep. So when the company decided to broaden its market share, it had to walk a fine line to avoid hard feelings among the faithful.
They did it by dividing their brand into two segments: Jeep Classic and Jeep Modern. The Classic side includes the venerable Wrangler, Commander and the soon-to-be-launched Patriot. On the Modern side are the Grand Cherokee, Liberty and the all-new Compass, a compact SUV with obvious Jeep lineage.
The Compass sports the traditional round headlamps and trapezoidal wheel openings that have defined Jeep’s rugged mug since the Willys were first built for U.S. troops during WWII. Ironically, the newest Jeep is a joint effort with Japan-based Mitsubishi. What a difference 65 years makes, huh? Anywho, the result is a car-based SUV that combines the flavor of a sport-ute with the handling, comfort, fuel economy, and price tag of a compact sedan.
A 172-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine helps the sport-ute become the first Jeep to score sedan-like fuel economy ratings. EPA ratings are 25 mpg city and 29 mpg highway for the 4-wheel drive Compass Sport with the five-speed manual transmission.
Although the Compass is not “trail-rated” like its Classic brethren, a 4WD configuration tackles traction-challenged roads that few cute-utes would dare. Unlike many SUVs, the Compass allows the driver to deactivate the Electronic Stability Program for more hands-on control. A lower ride height means easier ingress and egress for passengers, but limits the Compass’ abilities to do any true stump-jumping.
Innovative features include an optional nine-speaker Boston Acoustics premium audio system with two articulating speakers that fold down from the open liftgate. There’s also a special soil-repellant and anti-microbial seat fabric that protects the upholstery from stains, odors and discoloration.
If I could make one suggestion it would be to allow the seat to move higher. At 5-feet 5-inches, I needed to sit on a phone book to see over the dash.
What Is It?: The 2007 Compass is an all-new, 4-door, 5-passenger crossover from Jeep. The Compass comes in two versions: the Sport and the Limited. Prices for the two-wheel drive Sport begin at $16K, including destination charges.
Gadget Rating: 5.5 out of 10. The base Sport is rather, um, base. Standard equipment includes side-curtain air bags, anti-lock brakes, an AM/FM/CD audio system, tilt steering wheel and cloth seats. You’ll pay extra for air conditioning, cruise control, reclining rear seats and power windows, mirrors and door locks. Alternatively, you can just step up to the Limited version. Gadgets and gizmos are well within ergonomic limits, however I’m assigning demerits for elements of cheap plastic trim and sloppy fit-and-finish in the cabin.
Cheat Sheet: Jeep is a member of the Daimler/Chrysler family.