June 16, 2006
 
ON THE ROAD: Compass Takes Jeep in a New Direction
 
By Richard Williamson
Scripps Howard News Service
 

The Compass, Jeep's new entry-level vehicle, performs well beyond its price range, even in a mountain range. (SHNS photo courtesy Jeep) Click to Enlarge

Without encouragement, I might never have gone surfing in a new Jeep Compass. But the guide riding shotgun suggested taking the test drive beyond dry land off the Oregon coast.
 
"If you want to play in the water, go ahead," she said, noting my hesitancy to take liberties with a Jeep that still had that new-car smell. "This is a pre-production vehicle. After the press introduction, it's going to be scrapped."
 
So, I drove the Compass into the Pacific Ocean, spraying surf high overhead as saltwater slammed hard into the floorboard. Emerging from the sea after dipping wheel-well deep, the Compass was none the worse for wear, with the brakes working perfectly and no sign of water in the interior.
 
And, to think, this is a vehicle that is not expected to pull a lot of off-road duty.
 
By the time we arrived at the shore that beckoned Lewis and Clark, the Compass convoy had already driven nearly 100 miles from Portland, through the green roller coaster of State Highway 6, up a gravel logging road and into the clouds that drape the fir-covered Cascades, up, down and across several towering dunes at Sandlake Recreation Center and, oh, yes, in Portland's rather intense rush-hour traffic.
 
After all that, I can say that Jeep's new entry-level vehicle performs well beyond its price range, even in a mountain range.
 
With prices beginning at $15,985 for the front-drive version and $17,585 for the 4-wheel-drive model, Compass is the Jeep platform mate of the new Dodge Caliber. Sales begin in September with Compass offered in two trim levels, Sport and Limited. The well-equipped Limited trim is priced at $20,140 for front-drive and $21,740 for 4-wheel-drive.
 
With Compass and its compact companion, the Patriot, arriving in the fall, Jeep will have an unprecedented number of offerings in the sport utility vehicle and crossover market. With Jeep's customer base split into two camps -- traditional and modern -- the Compass is expected to appeal to buyers who want modern styling, while Patriot will appeal to traditionalists, said John Plecha, director of Jeep marketing and global communications.
 
"Both vehicles resonated with different customers," he said. "So, we're bringing both to market."
 
Still in the fleet is the compact Liberty and the iconic Wrangler. Although Compass shares the Belvidere, Ill., assembly line with the Caliber, the styling is distinctly Jeep, with the trademark seven-slot vertical grille, square shoulders and trapezoidal wheel cutouts.
 
The Jeep gets a stronger base engine than the Caliber, a 2.4-liter, 172-horsepower, double overhead cam, 4-cylinder. A five-speed stick is standard in the Sport, but buyers can opt up for an impressive continuously variable automatic that climbed and descended mountains with little sign of strain or gear hunting. The CVT automatic on the Limited can be upgraded with AutoStick, a mode of operation that allows you to shift manually without a clutch. That feature proved invaluable in mountain driving.
 
With fuel prices remaining stubbornly high, you can expect to hear a lot about the efficiency of the 4-cylinder engine and the 4-wheel-drive system.
 
The traction system operates only the front wheels in routine driving but splits the torque between front and rear when loose or slippery surfaces are detected.
 
Plowing up a sand dune at an extremely challenging angle, the Compass never lost traction, even as its driver began to lose confidence.
 
With the manual transmission, a 4-wheel-drive Compass is expected to cover 25 city and 29 highway miles per gallon. The automatic transmission trims the mileage to 23/26 mpg.
 
"Arguably, the market has come to Compass with all the talk about fuel economy," said Larry Lyons, vice president of the front-wheel-drive product team at Jeep. "Compass has the highest fuel efficiency of any 4-wheel-drive vehicle in its class at nearly 30 highway miles per gallon."
 
Compass' youth appeal will be enhanced by options such as the drop-down speakers mounted on the liftgate. When the gate is open, the speakers flip down, creating an outdoor concert hall. It's perfect for the beach.
 
Another innovation is the durable vinyl cargo floor that is removable and washable. After a day exploring the coastline, cleaning out sand is easy.
 
Front bucket seats are comfortable, with a sliding center armrest mounted at the right height. The armrest sits atop the center console. In the twisting roads that wind through the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the seats provided excellent support, keeping the passengers from sliding side-to-side.
 
The Limited version of the Compass is especially well equipped, with air conditioning, heated leather seats, power accessories and AM/FM/CD stereo. But there's one feature that Jeep failed to make standard on the Compass.
 
That feature is a compass.
 
As Homer Simpson might say: "Doh!"
 
WHAT'S NEW: All-new vehicle.
 
PLUSES: Price, power, versatility, styling.
 
MINUSES: Notchy manual transmission.
 
BOTTOM LINE: A cool Jeep more can afford.
 
Richard Williamson writes about automobiles for Scripps Howard News Service.