Compass

[Ravenfreak13]

I've been doing tons of research...and it seems that the compass is getting really positive reviews from consumers. The only common issue is a rear blindspot...

It's odd because people here have been mocking it...

Well I'm in defense of the compass. It's a pretty competant vehicle for its price.

Also the new patriot is even better...and cheaper.

"I test-drove the rav 4 V6 in direct comparison, and liked the compass much better - at thousands less!"

"I LOVE my Jeep Compass!!! Everything I ever wanted in a vehicle.

I had a 2003 Jeep Liberty that I also loved but wanted something more, like a car and of course I found it in another Jeep product."

"I just bought my Compass 3 weeks ago, and I have to say it is totally Rockin! This SUV is fun to drive around, handles like a car, the acceleration is good with the manual, the seats are very comfortable, very decent fuel economy (I avg 27 mpg in the highway)and I get a lot of compliments from my friends and neighbors about how cool this Jeep looks. Plus, you get a lot of stuff for the money! "

[Intrepidation]

Surprising indeed. I still hate it...I think it looks ugly...especially compared to the original concept.

[Ravenfreak13]

It's not THAT ugly....and you also have the patriot as an alternative

[Intrepidation]

It's not THAT ugly....and you also have the patriot as an alternative

The Patriot is fine...it's not the greatest design Jeep has ever come up with, but it's way better than the Compass. I've seen them before...I just can't warm up to the styling.

[Cory Wolfe]

The Compass is hideous and with cheap interior. Need I say more?

[regfootball]

having driven a new compass a few months ago, and having several times driven a current version Saturn Vue, I would say the Vue has it trumped big time in many ways. Actually, I've tested Vibes too and would prefer a Vibe to a Compass. The Compass is interesting from a packaging standpoint. But i didn't like the way it drove.

Edited January 16, 2007 by regfootball

[Dragon]

being an auto enthusaist website, we tend to be tougher on cars in general, ESPECIALLY if it isn't a GM product.

my roommate wanted one, till he drove it. Said he thought it was gutless and made my Sunfire seem like it had balls. Which says a lot, cause he drives a Mustang and LOVES to mock it.

personally, haven't driven one, but the look is meh. Plus, the fact its not trail rated cheapens it (and the Jeep brand) IMO.

Edited January 16, 2007 by Dragon

[Hudson]

My problem with the Jeep Compass is that it's so cheap. I wouldn't mind a car-based Jeep product if it were a serious vehicle...something akin to a WRX with rally implications, but I'd never take the Compass rallying. And then there's the interior which is among the cheapest in the market. Sure, the Compass is thousands less than a V6(!) Rav4, but it's nearly down 100hp as well. And the Rav4 has much more interior space...and is more off-roadable (even though I'd never take either one off road).

I spent a month driving a Dodge Caliber (the sibling to the Compass) and I grew to not hate so much (I can't say "love" or even "like") the CVT, but the car is still cheap. Please don't confuse this with "inexpensive," which is a good thing..."cheap" is a bad thing. Interior materials were described to me as being the quality of the interior of an Igloo cooler. My 3,000-mile Caliber had an annoying rattle in the driver's side door, which I can't attribute to all Caliber/Compass vehicles, but it's a sign of the quality of materials.

Did Jeep really need this vehicle? Couldn't they have done better?

I'm not being critical because this is a non-GM product...I'd be just as critical if it were, say, a Hummer or GMC. This vehicle is not worthy of the Jeep brand.

[K.C.]

To me, the Compass is a modern day AMC Pacer. Does anyone else see any similarities?

[RJB]

There is a reason why the Compass name ends in ASS, because it looks like ASS!! The Patriot I will say is mildly better but not by much. I know Jeep wants to be more affordable but do it in a why that is not watering down the offroad worthiness that it built on in the first place and putting cheapness in its place.

[CSpec]

The Compass is one of the worst vehicles on the market today IMO. The design is awful, the interior is absolutely appalling, and since it's so tall, it drives poorly too.

[FAPTurbo]

I almost pissed my pants laughing when I saw the title of the thread, "Compass" and then the word below the title, "Confused."

Confused has to be THE perfect word to describe the Compass.

[Drew Dowdell]

[FAPTurbo]

The head-on shots of the vehicle make me laugh my ass off, even without chipmunks as a comparison... not good...

[Petra]

The Compass is really not a terribly bad vehicle. It's just a terribly bad vehicle to wear the Jeep badge. The people who wrote those reviews were totally oblivious to the whole, "It's not a real Jeep!" dilemma.

[Bimmer325]

The Compass is one of the worst vehicles on the market today IMO.

Agreed.

[Charger4U]

The Compass is hideous and with cheap interior. Need I say more?

bitch, bitch, bitch, c'mon no matter what DCX does they could never impress yall.

[Robert Hall]

bitch, bitch, bitch, c'mon no matter what DCX does they could never impress yall.

It's that's it branded as a Jeep is what is most offensive... if it were a Chevy, I'm sure people would be ecstatic...

[DetroitNut90]

bitch, bitch, bitch, c'mon no matter what DCX does they could never impress yall.

Actually, they did impress me with the LX cars and the RT vans, the latter of which appear to be class-leading. But all of the products released inbetween those 2 haven't been really up to par (the Sebring comes to mind here).

I think the problem with the Compass is that it's like Jeep's Aztek. It's owners love it, but the general public won't touch it (myself included).

[Camino LS6]

bitch, bitch, bitch, c'mon no matter what DCX does they could never impress yall.

Not true. I've been known to really like a DCX product from time to time, just not this ill-conceived mess of a wanna-be Jeep.

I don't think DCX understands Jeep terribly well, they've really blown it lately trying to expand the brand.

[BrewSwillis]

Not true. I've been known to really like a DCX product from time to time, just not this ill-conceived mess of a wanna-be Jeep.

I don't think DCX understands Jeep terribly well, they've really blown it lately trying to expand the brand.

Yeah, what a horrible idea to expand the brand:

[Robert Hall]

Yeah, what a horrible idea to expand the brand:

The 4dr Wrangler is a great idea...surprised they didn't do it in '87 or before.. but the Compass????

[Sixty8panther]

Responding to this thread would not be good for my blood pressure.

Jeep should make 4x4s, SUVs, pickups & trucks. NOT CARS!

The Compass is less JEEP than a Geo Tracker. Litterally.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

To me, the Compass is a modern day AMC Pacer. Does anyone else see any similarities?

I did a chop of a two door Compass once. The greenhouse with two doors looks just like that of a Gremlin, actually. But the front . . . yeah, I can see the resemblance to the Pacer there, most definitely.

Customer: "Uh, does that Compass come with just two doors."

Salesman: "Sure. Just step to the back lot real quick."

[shortly after.]

Customer: [Looking stupefied.] "Uh . . . that's just a jacked-up Gremlin."

Salesman: [shrugging.] "Same difference, really."

[Camino LS6]

Yeah, what a horrible idea to expand the brand:

Expanding the brand isn't a bad idea, but the execution/direction has had mixed results to say the least. It almost seems like DCX has given Jeep a terrible case of multiple personality disorder.

[daves87rs]

Yeah, what a horrible idea to expand the brand:

I thought that was a great idea...my favorite Jeep right now...

[Cory Wolfe]

bitch, bitch, bitch, c'mon no matter what DCX does they could never impress yall.

That's odd... I like the Charger, Magnum, and the Viper of current DCX vehicles. That, and most of their vehicles throughout the 90's I liked as well.

[Dragon]

Yeah, what a horrible idea to expand the brand:

DCX's theory, both in general but especially with Jeep it seems, its to throw a bunch of product out there, and see what catches on. Sure there are some gems, but they are getting increasingly hard to find among the piles of $h!. Which, btw, is also obscuring Jeep's brand image as an offroad capable vehicle.

personally, there is a lot of product that I think is good that I would seriously consider, the Nitro, Dakota, LX's for instance

[Sixty8panther]

I've got nothing against a 4dr Wrangler.... I'm surprised it took them 6 decades to make

a factory four door JEEP myself. I've been sketching them since I was a kid. What does

bother me is a V6 in a truck. As a dumb kid i thought inline-sixes were lame, too long &

therefore impractical since a V6 is more compact. But then I realized as an adult just

how much more AWSOME I6s were than V6s. given the choice I'd NEVER take a V6 over

an inline six. My Datsun has 7 more inches of nose than the non-US version of the 77-84

Bluebird so as to accomodate the extra two cylinders over the four cylinder the rest of

world got in the "short wheelbase" version of my car.

[Charger4U]

That's odd... I like the Charger, Magnum, and the Viper of current DCX vehicles. That, and most of their vehicles throughout the 90's I liked as well.

Ic, you never really seem to make that evident thorugh your posts. oh well...

[Intrepidation]

Ic, you never really seem to make that evident thorugh your posts. oh well...

Fior the win!

But yeah he does mention from time to time he likes them

Good ideas from Jeep: Wrangler Unlimited (I love it) GC SRT-8, Commander (not the best but not bad, still a Jeep), next gen Liberty.

Bad Ideas: Compass, to a lesser extent Patriot, renaming the Cherokee the Liberty.

[BrewSwillis]

If you like the Patriot, then just stop bitching about the Compass. Admire Chrysler's flex-assembly abilities, and let young women buy Compasses.

Or, just wait till they release the 300HP Rallye/SRT-4 edition, and Jeep will have one badass WRC style car......then you guys can only complain how ugly it is, and how "cheap" the interior is....but not how slow it is.:

[Northstar]

DCX should have used the money spent on developing the Compass to give the Nitro a better interior.

[daves87rs]

If you like the Patriot, then just stop bitching about the Compass. Admire Chrysler's flex-assembly abilities, and let young women buy Compasses.

Or, just wait till they release the 300HP Rallye/SRT-4 edition, and Jeep will have one badass WRC style car......then you guys can only complain how ugly it is, and how "cheap" the interior is....but not how slow it is.:

looks ricey.....

[BlkHhr104]

The only problem I have with it is that whats the use of the Caliber and Patriot? .... and its looks, however on MTV's Real World the cast members were given two Compass', one stick one not, and they love em, and to tell you the truth, in Steel Blue and Jeep Green with those chrome wheels its not AS bad as it looks

Edited January 24, 2007 by BlkHhr104

[Ravenfreak13]

I like the patriot way more then the compass but people seem to be loving both....normal car buyers dont grace the dash with their fingers...or stick their fingers in cracks or along the edges of panels.

[Cory Wolfe]

Ic, you never really seem to make that evident thorugh your posts. oh well...

Why? When DCX makes something I actually like, I'll make it known. Since most of their recent products... well... suck, for lack of a better term... they don't give me a chance to. Simple.

...then you guys can only complain how ugly it is, and how "cheap" the interior is....but not how slow it is.

Well, that's perfect then. I never cared that it was slow, just that it was ugly and the interior was hilariously cheap.