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Very first Drive: two thousand seventeen Jeep Compass – NY Daily News

Very first Drive: The two thousand seventeen Jeep Compass isn’t a mini Grand Cherokee, but it is a big improvement

As it stands, the two thousand seventeen Jeep Compass is both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

That’s because there are, in fact, two versions of the two thousand seventeen Compass, with Jeep’s product planners carrying over the very first generation model into the calendar and model year two thousand seventeen despite production ending in December, but also determining to release the all-new global platform Compass to the world this year, badged as a two thousand seventeen instead of a two thousand eighteen model for unknown reasons.

Jeep could have introduced a fresh crossover and left behind to put wheels on it, and it would still be better than the outgoing Jeep Compass and Patriot.

Regardless, the old Compass is one of the most pitiful fresh cars you can buy – gravely, under no circumstances should you permit your local Jeep dealership to thrust a first-generation Compass on you, or the Patriot for that matter – but it and its unholy sibling have loved record sales recently thanks to fleet purchases, cheap-as-hell incentives, and America’s seemingly-unquenchable thirst for Jeeps.

The Trailhawk version of the Compass gives it some admirable off-road chops, even tho’ it lacks much of the mechanical prowess of the likes of the Wrangler.

The all-new Compass arrives at the ideal time, then, as gas remains cheap and the crossover craze resumes to ramp up, especially for anything with a seven-slatted grille. Globally, this model will be built in four different countries – Brazil, China, India, and Mexico if you were wondering – for dozens of markets around the world, as the brand aims to consolidate two pathetic models into one (more than) passable one.

To see just how passable this fresh Compass is, Jeep hosted several media groups at the stunning Hotel Emma in San Antonio, Texas for a day of highway cruising, back road bombing, and off-road wandering among the ranches of central Texas, so I went to see if this fresh model is truly lust-worthy, or just another rung on the way up Jeep’s product ladder.

Two fresh design languages, now fully fleshed-out

You’re most likely able to tell at this point, but the Compass contains way more Grand Cherokee design than Wrangler, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. If it ain’t broke.

In a seemingly nonchalant comment during the press briefing, Jeep’s head of design Mark Allen mentioned something that should have been evident to all of us before.

The brand’s designs go after two distinct languages, Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, and all present and future Jeep models fall under one of those two umbrellas. The Renegade and Wrangler obviously occupy the former, and the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, future Grand Wagoneer, and now the Compass all fall under the latter.

It was never so visible until the expose of the fresh Compass, for if you squint, it’s almost unlikely to tell the difference inbetween this fresh compact crossover and Jeep’s famous near-luxury suggesting, and as far as designs go, that’s a good thing.

Taut, clean lines make for a sleeker profile than the Renegade, and remarkable touches like the flowing character line, floating “shark fin” D-pillar, black painted roof, and the seven-slatted “jewel box” grille makes this Jeep more valet-able than its slightly-more-compact platform mate.

The Compass’s dashboard is hard to discern from its brethren too, but the centerpiece is a fresh and much more responsive UConnect touchscreen infotainment system.

Inwards, the Compass mimics the Cherokee family, too, with a dedicated, trapezoidal infotainment and air vent section of the dash, and clean lines across to create an instantaneously familiar and ergonomically pleasing cabin. The interior comes in several color and fabric options, but my individual dearest is the two-tone black cloth and ivory vinyl setup on the Latitude trim. A panoramic, two-panel sunroof is available and doesn’t cut into headroom, and while there are a few “Easter Eggs” via like the snake graphic on the rear glass, the Compass is less kitschy than the Renegade in every way.

Limited models get chrome trim, deeper air dams, and standard 18- or optional 19-inch wheels, the latter of which are wonderful but almost cartoonish on such a puny crossover. The Trailhawk trim combines crimson tow hooks, a black anti-glare rubber hood, underbody skid plates, knobbier tires, blacked-out accents and badges, and two-tone 17-inch wheels to form the Jeep look you (or at least I) truly want.

Less ‘baby Grand Cherokee,’ more ‘grown-up Renegade’

Sitting on a opened up Renegade platform, the Compass has slew of length, but where it lacks is in the width department, specifically to accommodate a fatter center console storage space and so your rear middle seat passenger doesn’t get totally sardined.

While its looks may suggest that this is a Grand Cherokee for the working man or woman, the Compass’s character would suggest otherwise. While the GC has become very sought after for its compliant rail, strong powertrain, buttoned-down feel, and class-less curb appeal, the fresh Compass only has, well, one of those things.

Based on a spread version of the Renegade platform, this fresh SUV is more Giuseppe than Jeep, tho’ you may have noticed by now that most Fiat Chrysler products are getting more Italian as the years go by. That’s not to say it’s an unfavorable quality, but the taut rail and steering undoubtedly feel more Fiat than anything.

The harder-sprung suspension is accentuated by the big wheels too, and traversing the highway for about fifty miles each way in both the Limited and Latitude models had my drive fucking partner and I wishing we had spent the entire time in the Latitude if only for its more compliant (read: smaller) wheel and tire package.

The fresh Compass’s Renegade roots are even more apparent inwards, not in terms of design or material quality but overall space. While rear legroom is adequate for a compact SUV (bordering on subcompact territory), and headroom is decent too, where the Compass severely lacks is in the width department. The entire car feels undeniably narrow, and even sitting two abreast in the front seats, my co-driver and I were almost touching shoulders.

It may sit directly inbetween the Renegade and Cherokee in terms of length, but make no mistake, this Jeep is closer to the lower end of the spectrum than the high.

This trait makes for significantly less storage in the center console, and makes hauling a fifth passenger in the rear middle seat a virtual impossibility, unless they were to have no arms or an unusually narrow chest and shoulders, both of which traits I’d rather not have to put my money on when hauling four others around by myself.

What’s more, the seats in the Compass, regardless of trim level, are far eliminated from some of the squishy thrones FCA has fitted to the likes of the Challenger, Charger, and Grand Cherokee. In comparison, the front buckets were awkwardly rock-hard on the back rest, and the head restraints may as well be vinyl- (or leather-wrapped) plywood.

The powertrain is nothing to write home about, either, with only one engine making it stateside in the form of the Two.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder, mated to either a 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, or 9-speed automatic depending on powertrain configuration. Two-wheel-drive Compasses get either of the six speeds, while all four-wheel-drive versions are available with the 9-speed, however you can get a manual transmission and 4×4 in the base Sport trim.

Rear legroom is decent too fir its size, as is headroom, but the Compass lacks on shoulder room in a big way.

Acceleration is anemic, tho’ there’s a decent amount of torque right off the bat. Power output figures of one hundred eighty horsepower and one hundred seventy five lb.-ft. are enough to get the job done, but this SUV could do with some help from a turbocharger, and the 9-speed is just confused when mated to an engine with such a petite power output. It shifts slickly in relaxed driving, but when shoved, takes seemingly seconds to determine what gear to be in, and even when it’s chosen, the passing power just isn’t fairly there.

Jeep’s representatives claimed that the Compass boasts best-in-class 4×4 fuel economy, however even after some light driving down back country roads, the mpg gauge refused to climb above twenty five mpg combined, with almost no city driving to speak of.

The nine-speed automatic with four-wheel-drive is rated at twenty two city, thirty highway, and twenty five combined, but don’t expect to get anywhere close to thirty even with a relatively light foot.

‘Trail Rated’ still carries weight, but don’t expect Wrangler moves

As far as compact crossovers go, this Jeep has got some serious chops, and its one of the only cars in its segment to be able to tow Two,000 pounds out back.

At the lunch stop at Vapid Rock Ranch in Convenience, Texas – one of many joy town names along the route, including Welfare, TX – Jeep’s off-road gurus had set up a rock and mud course to test the temper of the Compass Trailhawk when the going gets rough, and on paper, this little ‘ute seems more than up to almost any plain off road task.

The fresh Compass boasts 8.Two inches of wheel articulation, 8.Five inches of ground clearance (which is about on par with most Subaru models), and some moderately extraordinaire specs on the Trailhawk trim for light off-roading.

The Trailhawk manages a 30-degree treatment angle, 24-degree breakover angle, and 34-degree departure angle thanks to shorter and higher front and rear overhangs, and a one-inch lift over the more road-suited trims. It can also ford nineteen inches of water and offers towing capability of up to Two,000 pounds, something many other crossovers can’t fairly manage. It also boasts a rock mode in the terrain selection menu, and can lock the front and rear differentials and keep you in four-wheel-drive low for some more serious rock climbing.

Over the course of the, well, course, we tackled all sorts of obstacles on stock suspension and street tires, including some total articulation pits, steep downhill slopes, and even a few mud pits and rock climbing portions. While the Wrangler, Cherokee Trailhawk, and Grand Cherokee Trailhawk are all much better suited to more serious off-roading, the Compass will hold its own, and give you likely more un-paved abilities than the likes of the Honda HR-V or Mazda CX-3, or even their larger brethren, come to think of it.

Tech improvements surprise and delight, tho’ expect to shell out

As far as tech features go, Jeep has got pretty much all convenience and safety features figured out, but you do have a to pay a hefty premium to get your palms on those with the Compass.

As far as tech options go, the Compass goes after standard FCA procedure, however something fresh is afoot for this model. The re-vamped UConnect infotainment system gets a fresh processor, sharper graphics, and is much more pleasant to use overall, and with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you can have the utter infotainment practice even if you don’t opt for satellite navigation.

A suite of available active safety features, including blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control with total stop, and automatic braking assist will help boost the Compass’s safety ratings (especially over the last generation) when they are eventually released, but as far as safety and convenience tech go here, there’s nothing groundbreaking.

Those who have possessed an older car for a while will be struck, and while UConnect is one of my beloved infotainment systems, the Compass doesn’t shove the tech envelope in any big way.

A ways to go to achieve perfection, but already light years ahead of the old

Jeep despairingly needed a no-nonsense model to substitute their aging (and downright awful) models with one that is truly worth considering in its segment.

Truth be told, I’ve gotten a lot of interest about this fresh lovely ‘ute, both from previous (and righteously disgruntled) former Compass and Patriot owners and those who are looking to migrate to the Jeep brand. It’s with pleasure, then, that I can say that the fresh Compass is better in every possible way than the two models it substitutes, and is even worthy of making your brief list if you indeed love the brand but don’t want to shell out significant cash for a Cherokee or even Grand Cherokee, and you’re reluctant to the cutesy looks of the Renegade.

That said, while the old Compass did have one thing going for it – a miniscule purchase price and unbelievably cheap lease deals – this fresh one doesn’t suggest fairly the same value, nor should it. The base Sport 4×2 model rings in at $20,995 MSRP (before a hefty $1,095 destination charge), while the top-tier Limited model fetches $28,995 with four-wheel-drive standard, and the Trailhawk comes in at $28,595 with the same drivetrain.

Opting for the Limited does get you a leather interior and significantly better looks, but at almost $35,000 fully loaded, the model we tested didn’t fairly feel worth the coin. Road noise and pavement blemishes were accentuated by the big wheels, and the vinyl-and-cloth-equipped mid-tier Latitude model with more comfy 17-inch wheels and virtually the same options was altogether a more enticing package, even if the seats are still stiff as heck.

The Compass will undoubtedly sell, likely equal to or better than what the previous model was able to achieve, but if only because of admittedly good looks and that unquenchable Jeep thirst I mentioned earlier.

With the Renegade and Grand Cherokee bookending an evenly-spaced SUV lineup – and the Wrangler thrown in for venture enthusiasts – Jeep has built a very strong lineup of the only type of vehicles Americans seem to want to buy, but the Compass, like the Renegade and Cherokee, can’t truly be considered a segment leader just yet.

It’s certainly pointing the way, however.

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