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| 2007 Jeep Compass Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
Yet the Compass still points the brand on its new heading. While those other Jeeps may have raised the ante with their car-like unibody construction, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent front suspensions, the Compass goes all in with front-wheel-drive (or front-based 4-wheel-drive called "Freedom Drive"), independent suspensions at both ends, a 4-cylinder engine, and a boatload of Mitsubishi parts. Believe it: Jeep's gone Japanese.Partly, anyway. The Compass's closest relative is officially the Dodge Caliber (which preceded it by a few months), both of which are based on the same basic architecture that's spawning all the new Mitsubishis. You might call it a cousin twice removed of the Mitsubishi Outlander, another fairly recent sport-utility upstart that's trying to knock the Toyota RAV4 off its perch. From the looks of things, Jeep wants to do the same, and plans to go about it by using the template of the bite-sized RAV4s Toyota used to make. The Compass enters its class as the new featherweight, with only 3,329 pounds to carry even with 4-wheel-drive hardware - less than some competitors weigh in 2WD. And while the Compass uses the Dodge Caliber's biggest engine, that still only amounts to a tidy-sized 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Finally, only 103.7 inches stand between its front and rear wheels - all a good start for one-upping the competition in nimbleness and efficiency. But not a good finish. Whoever was in charge of the suspension passed on the opportunity to utilize the natural advantages at hand, instead fitting the Compass with the kind of shocks that let the bumpers almost kiss the pavement with every brush of the gas or brake. Body lean is so pronounced that even a series of city-speed turns brings the onset of queasiness This Jeep's no joyride in the twisties, either. Mean-looking Firestones of size P215/55R18 and the potential benefits of four driven wheels demonstrate little impact on the average tire grip or moderate understeer, and the steering remains languid no matter what's going on below. Likewise, the brakes are both mushy and grabby despite their all-disc antilock nature, though they stop the Compass in a decent distance. With a suspension consisting of the common strut-front, rear-multilink layout, you'd expect obvious benefits somewhere - say, the ride. Those who seek softness will find it in the Compass, which usually deals with bumps in the manner of a comfort-oriented car. But even here, a fair amount of quick jolts and side-to-side rocking keep true resiliency out of reach. It's not so easy on the ears, either, with a thunderstorm of tire noise, a hurricane of wind, and a motor that moans all morning long. Yet relatively speaking, at least, the Compass's powertrain is still its bright spot. The engine's auditory audaciousness is partly due to the Compass's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), which lets it zing to the ideal point in the rev range instantly and helps kick the Compass to 60 MPH in a tolerable 9.5 seconds. The CVT also offers its own version of AutoStick, giving its driver six preset ratios to play with. Now, assigning gears to a gearless automatic ain't much higher on the philosophical ladder than a solar-powered flashlight (it's a double-whammy in terms of efficiency), but anyone who enjoys stick-shifting an automatic will love this CVT, which responds with almost mind-reading quickness and never overrides a command. And if you can turn a deaf ear to the engine, it's a pretty good one. 22 MPG in mostly highway driving is near the expected average (even if the tiny 13.5-gallon tank forces a fill-up every 240 miles), it's vibration-free, and its two cams, 16 valves, and variable valve timing on both ends bless its all-aluminum block with 172 horsepower and 165 pounds-feet of torque - a few more ponies and pounds than Honda and Toyota could fit in their 2.4-liter 4-bangers. The throttle responds gradually (maybe too gradually), and it has one of those European-style throttles with a firm detent at the end of its travel. Press up against it and the engine stays steady at just over 5,000 RPM; bury your foot and watch it zing to 6,000 for full thrust. It's a nice touch. Oh yeah, this is a Jeep, so let's not forget off-roading. Obviously, the absence of a full frame, live axles, and locking differentials leaves the Compass's 8.1 inches of ground clearance as its only asset. But Jeep does got one thing its peers don't got: a "4WD Lock" switch that can be freely flipped at any speed, forcing the electronic coupling to send about half the power to the rear wheels. It'll have to do. |
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