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Driving the All-New Jeep Compass |
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Monday, 29 January 2007
Written by Administrator
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Most of us already know about Jeep’s latest offering. It’s a spin-off from the new Dodge Caliber that has many people scratching their heads. The Jeep Compass is built on a unit-body frame carrying the first ever FWD [facing east-west] engine under the hood. Jeep’s smallest SUV carries a bold design for the urban adventurous types looking for a smoother, more fuel- efficient ride around their city while retaining some off road ability. Despite the FWD platform, there will be an option for an off road oriented AWD system on both trim lines [Sport & Limited] to help with all weather driving ability. The major difference or ‘Jeep’ difference is that you can lock the power transfer in a 50/50 split for the front and rear drivelines unlike other AWD offerings. Another Jeep feature is a 3-mode terrain selector: Full Mode, Snow Mode and Full Off mode. Truly, it will be an all around Jeep that will meet the needs of many.
Why you might ask is Jeep breaking from the long-standing tradition of serious off road capability? The marketing planners within Jeep expect this small SUV segment to more than double in the coming future, which should justify the break from tradition. You can think of the Compass being similar to the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, and Ford’s Escape in terms of size, people carrying ability and payloads. The largest difference between this platform and current Jeep offerings is the weight. The base model tips the scales near a small 3100 pounds. In SUV terms, the Compass is very light, which translates into good vehicle motions. Speaking of driving experience, the Compass feels unlike any Jeep and is very car like in its mannerisms on road while still being able to travel further off road than it’s closest competitors. Another plus of the lower weight is the MPG figures. With the AWD system, the Compass gets 25 city, 29 highway with the five-speed and 23/26 with the CVT. Those are some very lofty numbers in the days of $3.00+ per gallon of gasoline.
The Compass offers only one engine choice for all models sold in the U.S.A.; a new aluminum 4-cylinder engine. It is built in Dundee, Michigan by the Global Engineering Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) that links DCX, Mitsubishi and Hyundai together. Power output is only 172HP with 165 ft/lbs of torque. Only 2 transmissions are available: A 5 speed manually operated gearbox and a CVT. Of the two choices, the 5 speed will probably make for a more entertaining driving experience. |
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