With the recent passing of FCA boss Sergio Marchionne, it is likely many of us have been giving some thought to his contributions to Chrysler (FCA). Some professional automotive journalists have named him Chrysler’s “Savior.” Is such a designation fair, accurate?
As luck would have it, Budget car rental at Philadelphia International airport recently handed me the key to an important product in Sergio’s lineup; a 2018 Jeep Compass, with the top 4WD Trail Hawk trim package. My family was on vacation, and my wife reserved a “midsize suv” for travel to visit family in Pennington, NJ, a wedding at Wildwood Crest on the Jersey Shore, and a multi-day excursion up to Quebec City…then back to Philly. It would be 1500 miles over 10 days. When I got into the driver seat, the odometer read 3006. This Compass was nearly new.
Compass occupies a “sweet spot” in the US automotive marketplace. It is a 5 passenger unibody SUV. Whether it is officially a “compact suv” or “midsize suv” is open to interpretation–industry mavens have differing ideas about this. Well optioned, it can be purchased for around $35,000. These attributes exactly describe what the “average” US shopper is seeking today. Compass slots between the cute, smaller Italian-built Renegade, and the larger Cherokee.
What would 10 days and 1500 miles with the Compass tell me about FCA, about Sergio? Will we be oogling a Compass as a desirable classic when parked alongside a Eugene, OR curb in 30 years?
Exterior
It is a true fact that Jeep is one of the most storied and valuable brands in the automotive space. Say “Jeep” and even the most ignorant human being alive will know exactly what you are talking about.
Clearly the designers of this Jeep branded FCA product wanted to imbue its exterior with the same sense of rugged sturdiness that we all associate with the Jeep brand. I think they succeeded. While the nose is rounded and the windshield raked for reduced drag, Compass retains a certain upright butch boxiness, very much in keeping with the Jeep heritage. Perhaps “boxiness” is the essence of Jeep design language. Compass also has a 7-slot grille, the other essential element of Jeep-iness. The body cladding along the rockers and around the wheel arches perfectly captures the rugged Jeep aesthetic.
As the top trim level, the exterior was adorned with two tone paint, matte black hood treatment, and some red contrasting elements—like the tow hooks and highlights on the front door “Compass” emblems. The hood is made of plastic, but the side doors have a good solid steely heft about them. The doors shut with a solid thunk. Not quite as satisfying as the Teutonic door thunk from my old Mercedes W124, but still plenty good.
The tires/wheels are sized just right to compliment the overall rugged, Jeep look. That said, I found the only slightly chunky Falken WildPeak H/T tires to make enough noise and vibration to be a bit annoying at highway speeds. More than once I wondered if the Compass had a bad wheel bearing. Maybe it was a bad bearing…?
All in all, I consider the exterior appearance of this Compass Trail Hawk to be a Grand Slam. It very much “Looks like a Jeep” while also appearing contemporary and stylish. Great Job, team Sergio!
Interior
The Trail Hawk trimmed interior looks great.
The manually adjusting front seats have contrasting red stitching and Trail Hawk script. While most of the seat is black leatherette, the center of the cushions are high-quality cloth. I like this feature—it reduces perspiration and improves comfort. With regard to seat ergonomics however, I must assign a grade of C-. While I am no bantam weight (I am 6ft and 220lbs), I am not a fat-ass either. My butt, and especially my thighs, were NOT comfortable in these good looking seats. The flat portion of the seat is too narrow, the side bolsters too tall. The bolsters cut into my upper thigh, and after as few as 50 miles, I found the need to shift position to take pressure off my thighs. Not good!
I found the back seat to be remarkably spacious and comfortable. Great head, leg, and shoulder room, and the flat bottom seat cushions did not dig into my thighs like the front seats. Entry/egress was great through the large door openings. I consider the back seat spaciousness to be one of the best attributes of Compass.
The rear storage area is decently tall, and deep. Vacation luggage for four fit well. Even a tall “rollerboard” (the size larger than what is acceptable for carry-on luggage) fit in its upright orientation. This is a great feature for an airport rental! Curiously, Compass does NOT have power tailgate closing, even on this top trim version.
This Compass has FCA’s well respected infotainment system with both iPhone and Android interfaces…all the good stuff. That system has been well reviewed elsewhere, so I won’t get into that here.
A few Niggles regarding the Interior
The tiny cubby directly in front of the gear lever console appears designed to hold a smart phone. The cubby is very shallow and means the phone will not stand up properly, so it tends to flop around in motion and contacts the gear stick when it is shifted into Park. A bumpy road would likely throw the phone to the floor. The cubby is especially inadequate for larger phones like the iPhone Plus series. This is a MAJOR oversight as contemporary drivers will ALWAYS want a place to stash a phone, and this Jeep does not provide such a place.
Compass has no dedicated cubby/holder for sunglasses. Both the Mazdas I own have a nice drop down sunglass holder in the overhead center map/dome light console. That this Compass does not have such a thing is silly. I ended up placing my sunglasses on a little flat area on the bottom of the speedometer binnacle. Long term usage of this sort would likely end up scratching the plastic instrument panel lens and my glasses.
The door and center console cup holders are too small in diameter to accommodate what I call my “Swigger”—a de-labelled Powerade bottle I refill with water and carry with me all the time. Another unforced error by the Interior design crew at headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI!
The center armrest has a nice little storage compartment under the cushion. This would be a good place to store charger cords, some Taco Bell El Scorcho! salsa packets, bullets (Texas only) or whatever. The actual arm/elbow rest cushion however, is TOO EFFING SMALL. My wife and I were continually bumping elbows on that damn thing. It’s a small issue, granted, but I have driven many cars with my wife riding shotgun, and we seldom experience this problem—except in B class subcompact cars.
The plastic housing on the steering column was very cheap looking. Where the top and bottom halves of the cover come together around the ignition switch tells the whole story.
Powertrain
All Compass trims have a single engine option—a 180 horsepower 2.4 liter inline 4 cylinder. A six speed manual gearbox is standard for the lower trim level, but my experience tells me you will never find one. The 9-speed automatic is what mine had. Mine was also equipped with 4 wheel drive, but I never engaged that system, so cannot offer any impressions.
My grade for the powertrain? D. Seriously. The first few miles with Compass found me stuck in bumper to bumper Philly traffic. I saw an opening to my right, with an F150 closing fast, so I put my foot down and steered into the gap. Bog…bog…bog…this engine was not able to produce enough power/torque off the line to move Compass with very much authority at all. It reminded me of my old Pinto. The F150 driver honked in anger!
Once underway, the underpowered nature of Compass never disappeared. When I had cruise control set at around 70 mph on Interstate 87, it was a bit too slow for traffic. When I pressed the “Set +” button on the steering wheel to accelerate, the engine bogged…bogged, then downshifted…bogged…downshifted again…roared! In short, to pick up a bit of speed, roll-on from 70 mph to about 75 mph using cruise control, the transmission shifted from 9th to 8th and to 7th. The engine, of course, made noticeable racket and vibes in 7th as most 4 bangers do when revved.
The onboard computer showed Compass was returning 26.1 mpg on my highway cruising, but when I did the math upon fill up, my calculations revealed a solid 29 mpg, pretty darn close to the EPA highway rating of 30mpg. Fitment of the weakish 2.4 liter engine yielded exactly zero driving pleasure, but it did return very decent fuel economy on the highway.
Regarding contemporary 8, 9, and 10 speed automatics, I understand they are a response to modern CVT’s….trying to keep engines in the sweet spot, efficiency wise, as much as possible. These automatics use real shift points to eliminate the “rubber band” effect many drivers complain about with CVT’s. In the case of this Compass however, the effort failed. Gear hunting and multiple downshifts to accomplish even modest speed increases is just as frustrating as a rubber-band-y CVT.
I pity the drivetrain calibration engineers in Auburn Hills who must weigh the benefits of a satisfying driving experience with the demands of fuel economy and emissions compliance. That would suck! Clearly, market and regulatory reality necessitates calibration for low emissions and economy, so throttle responsiveness and aggressive shift points got left behind….far, far behind. The manual gearbox would likely bring a VERY different personality to this vehicle, but we all know about as many people want manuals as want a colonoscopy. Pity.
Also pitiful is the stop/start feature at stop lights. I cycled through the dash driving computer screens a few times, and the infotainment settings, but could not easily find the menu option to disable the annoying stop/ start feature. I lived with it, reluctantly.
On the Road
I am not the kind of person who corners with gusto. I am not even a particularly fast driver on the straights, so I cannot comment on the outer limits of dynamic performance potential for Compass. What I can say however, is that my family found the ride to be comfortable, not Lexus soft, but not trucky-rough either. A good compromise.
The brakes were grabby, with too much initial bite. They are powerful, and engage at the very top of pedal travel. The steering is electrically assisted, and while turning is easy, there is a distinct lack of feel—the numbness that electric assist is well known for. Once I had about 100 miles of experience driving Compass, I became accustomed to the steering, but developing a lighter touch for the brake pedal took much, much longer. The shoulder restraint belts all got a workout as I was adapting….
Cabin noise was on par with other contemporary mass-market vehicles I have driven. I did notice some wind buffeting sounds around the B pillar, but it wasn’t terrible. The air conditioning system was just okay—there were times I wanted more direct airflow to my upper body and to my legs; the vents just didn’t shoot the cool air where I wanted it.
Quality
I was expecting this FCA product to suffer from what has ailed many Chrysler products over the decades; sub-par build and materials quality. Compass, in keeping with FCA reputation, did provide some points to ponder regarding product quality. Sergio, it appears, was a traditionalist!
When loading luggage into the rear storage area at the airport, I found two such telltale signs of “good enough” build quality. I noticed a cylindrically shaped rubber bumper thingy sitting on top of another rubber bumper thingy in the lower left jamb of the hatch. Some looking around indicated that the cylindrical thingy was supposed to be mounted on the hatch door itself. A simple “insert and twist” motion had it installed.
Also in the rear cargo area, I found a black plastic cargo net clip in the cubby on the floor on the right side. It had fallen out of its mounting hole immediately above. That too was an “insert and twist” installation. Why had both fallen out within 3000 miles? Were they ever installed? Some other interior pieces were clearly built to a price, such as the plastic A and B pillar trim. The hard plastic kick panels at the bottom of the doors were already showing scuffing. The black plastic sill covers were VERY thin and flimsy looking.
Serviceability
I do nearly all my own vehicle maintenance and repair, so ease of service is a buying consideration for me. Under the hood I found lots of space, and it seemed all fluid reservoirs were easily inspected and accessible. The serpentine belt was accessible too. The airbox location was wide open, but screws were fitted instead of clips, as on most other vehicles, to hold the two halves together. The top engine cover required a screwdriver to remove as well. Why require a tool to access a common service component when tool-free access is easily achievable?
Lastly, this engine has an internally lubricated timing chain, NOT a rubber timing belt, so that is one service item a Compass owner need not worry about. All told, underhood serviceability appears quite good. 0W-20 synthetic engine oil is specified, so no, you will not be doing $20 oil changes.
Wrap-Up
Jeep Compass is a uniquely Jeep-y looking 5 passenger SUV. It is priced at the precise average transaction price of US new vehicle purchases, around $35k. It has a roomy back seat and luggage area, and gets good fuel economy on the highway.
The engine and transmission performance are severely hampered by the priority for fuel economy.
The interior has some issues—the front seats are uncomfortable and too close together. The cell phone cubby, cup (bottle) holders, and center arm rest are all too small.
After my 1500 miles with Compass, I had fond feelings for it. My family and I had a great vacation in it. I really like the appearance of it—in and out. This of course, all makes sense, Compass is the contemporary family station wagon—it was made to do precisely what I just used it for!
Trouble is, once we got back to LAX, and got into our 2011 Mazda CX-9, the Compass’ faults were starkly illustrated. While not directly comparable vehicles, the Mazda’s front seats are soooo much more comfortable, and the drivetrain with the Ford sourced 3.7L V6 and 6-speed automatic are infinitely more satisfying to drive, even with a 7 mpg or so fuel economy disadvantage. In the Mazda, I have great places to put my phone and sunglasses. The overall materials quality and fit and finish of my Mazda is head and shoulders above Compass.
The Final Word
Did Sergio “save” Chrysler? It appears in the short term, he did. For that, his memory deserves deep respect. As for longer term, time will tell. Will I gasp when I see one of these parked on the street in 2048? I doubt it.
Clearly, Sergio Marchionne effectively worked to capitalize on one of FCA’s greatest assets, the Jeep brand. He cultivated a full line of competitive SUV’s—Renegade, Compass, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and crucially, the wildly popular Wrangler. Sergio recognized that the path to profitability was right up Jeep’s dirt road. Jeeps are selling strongly, and from what I understand, keeping the whole FCA enterprise afloat, along with RAM trucks of course.
Was Sergio able to slay the Chrysler dragon; did he fix quality? No, FCA problems with build and materials quality clearly persist to some extent. Perhaps Mike Manley, the guy who has run point on the Jeep brand since 2009 and Sergio’s successor, will be able to take FCA quality to that next level.
When Sergio took over the reins in Auburn Hills in 2009, the situation was desperate, and from what I understand, the troops were demoralized. At the moment of Sergio’s death this past month, FCA was making good profits on its Jeep brand, and FCA is healthy enough to fight another day…
The size of the interior is a product of the overall dimensions of the vehicle. You can’t have wider seats and a wider console at the same time given the constraints of the overall width of the inside without increasing the outside width of the vehicle or making the inside wider somehow.
Excellent piece.
Your criticism of the drivetrain is echoed in reviews of the Jeep lineup. The 9-Speed Automatic in particular has never been considered good. My father’s friend rented a Cherokee with the same powertrain as this car. Said it had no power, and the transmission couldn’t decide what gear it wanted to be in. I remember a review of the Renegade from a few years back where the biggest complaint was the lack of power and the transmission.
I cannot really say much about your criticism of the seats beyond that I never really think about seats until there is a bad seat under me. I can question the necessity of such agressive bolsters in a car like the Compass, which does not really have sporting pretensions. Maybe it’s just a sign of the times, like a landau top in the Brougham Era.
I agree with you regarding the multi speed auto transmisssion, it has its hands tided with the needs of not shifting too soon for higher fuel economy and the need for fast lane changes. My first expereience with one was a 4 speed in my fathers Chevy, like you said, there was an interminable few moments of no acceleration, just the trans thinking about it, then ROAR as it downshifted. My wifes Chrysler mini van is the same, though the Honda mini van that we tested had a much better multi speed trans, there was no lag. Yes, the m/t version must be a very different beast. I’ve always driven sticks. They may not be as popular today, but I’m always in the right gear.
An auto that behaved like that would be an absolute deal-breaker for me. If you floor it, it’s because you want full power immediately if not sooner, and economy be damned.
Great review with all the right details. I like the looks of this Compass far better than its predecessor, though I’ll be honest if I say that I usually have to look hard to tell it apart from its larger Cherokee sibling.
I can agree with most of your points on the interior, especially with regards to storage compartments (or lack of) and armrests. As far as seats go, I prefer thicker side bolstering and oddly enough, if there are cloth inserts I prefer them to be on the bolsters rather than the seat bottom and back.
Apparently Chrysler will never be able to truly escape its fit and finish gremlins though. And “swigger”… I love it!
Four years ago, I actually talked my sister and brother-in-law into considering an American branded automobile (they’re very hip, DINK, northeastern liberals and almost totally drive European brands). They bought one of these, with the then-new nine speed automatic.
I’m still embarrassed at making the suggestion. The only car they’ve ever owned as bad was the Austin Marina Don had while dating Beth. And it was all about the transmission. Within fourteen month they’d traded it in on a Kia Sorento (? the big SUV) whicch they’re quite satisfied with.
And it was totally about that damned transmission.
I have regretted more than one “Buy” recommendation myself. I don’t do that anymore.
These were introduced less than a year and a half ago. Perhaps you recommended the Cherokee instead? It had the same 9-speed issues.
R Henry, this is a comprehensively detailed review and I very much enjoyed reading it.
I love the exterior design of these, as I do the Renegade and Cherokee. The Compass is the most elegant of these similarly-sized SUVs, however. When I heard they were replacing the Patriot and Compass with just the new Compass, I was initially disappointed as I loved the exterior design of the Patriot. But this new Compass is much classier than the previous generation.
Jeep has a 2.0 turbo diesel available in other markets, including Australia, with an extra 90 (!) pound-feet of torque. In fact, here the Trailhawk is only available with the diesel. Reviews indicate it’s a much more suitable engine for the car. Still, diesel isn’t for everyone… but Jeep does have a new 2.0 turbo petrol that would make a good addition to the Compass line. I know not everyone wants/needs that much power but it sounds like it would hugely improve drivability in this Jeep.
I have no want or need for off-road ability but if I was buying a new Jeep, the Compass and Cherokee Trailhawks really catch my eye… The Trailhawk modifications really enhance the appearance.
When did Falken become an OEM tire brand? This is the 2nd review I’ve read recently where that “off-brand” of tire was mentioned as factory fitment. What’s next, Kelly Springfield tires on new cars?!?
Perhaps I’m behind the times, but I still feel the same way when I see Kumhos as OEM tires on US-built vehicles.
Those of us in the tire industry were surprised, too. To my knolwedge, it’s just the Compass and Renegade, and only on the Trailhawk versions (other trims get Continentals or Kumhos). No other brand or manufacturer uses Falken to my knowledge.
I’ve seen NEXEN on some new cars too, and that’s another brand that I regard as bargain-basement junk that a dealer would throw on a used car.
I’ve stopped being surprised by some of these recent OEM tires (though I did raise my eyebrows when I first saw Nexens on a new domestic truck). I fitted Kumhos to one of our cars that came from the factory with Michelin’s, and was pleased by the wear/price/traction balance. After all, those of us of a certain generation were shocked when high performance European brands like Porsche and Ferrari started using Bridgestones, formerly considered a mere “rim protector”.
I would agree with your observation on the Kumhos. I’ve put two sets of Kumhos on my daily driver Pontiac, they’ve been absolutely excellent, year round. For Z speed rated tires (150+ MPH), they’re no harsher than the S and H rated tires I had on before. The increase in cornering and stopping rates are wonderful. Sadly, the model I’ve been buying has been discontinued, so now I will have to start all over again.
Just because you consider it a bargain basement brand doesn’t make it so. Falken has been around a long time and it’s actually a very good tire.
This is a great review and an enjoyable read, especially so for me in that I rented a Compass last week but it was a “Limited” version. However some of my experiences were very different, showing again that two people can have very different opinions and experiences. I went into it considering if a Compass could be a decent vehicle for my child to drive instead of my Wrangler that we discussed yesterday.
For example, while I too ultimately found the driver’s seat uncomfortable, it was for completely different reasons. I found the bottom to be well fitted (I’m slightly taller and heavier than R Henry) but found the back and headrest excruciating in that at the headrest’s highest position the bottom portion of the headrest seemed to dig in to my shoulder line below my neck even after trying every possible adjustment from sitting bolt upright to full “Detroit Lean” mode.
In addition, mine happened to be a FWD model and I found the power and transmission to be very well suited for the location I was in, the Dallas metro area.
Also, in the FWD version (maybe all non-Trackhawk versions?) the cubby in front of the gearshift is larger, my iPhone 8plus fit with no issues whatsoever as it didn’t have the terrain selection knob in that area.
I’d driven a Compass Trackhawk very briefly at a media event when it was introduced and didn’t have an overwhelmingly positive impression of it at that time but (besides the seat) thought my rental non-Trackhawk version was far better than this review would indicate. This isn’t criticism of this review at all (it was great) but an indication that reviews of many things can be very subjective. (And that different models/trims can have very different features resulting in different results)
Every time I read about a car that drives like this I think it’s 1981 all over again. I can see no reason for a 9 gear transmission except to wheedle that last elusive half-mile per gallon. Back then it was too-tall axle ratios, now it is too many transmission gears.
And about that 0w20 oil – is there some property of that extra lightweight oil that improves lubrication for this engine design or is this another sacrifice to the CAFE gods?
My Kia minivan has a nice torquey V6 and a 6 speed auto which is smooth and completely unobtrusive. I am starting to dread its eventual replacement. Will I be like that long-ago guy who traded a lovely 4 bbl 383/Torqueflite from 1971 on a dog-slow Lean Burn 318 with a 2:23 axle and a lockup torque converter? I hope not.
The difference is that even with these frustrating transmissions overall performance has continued to improve significantly.
This 9 speed is not great but it is leaps and bounds better than the 6 speed in our Town & Country. Ford’s new 10-speed in the F-150 seems to be getting good reviews as well, though I have yet to drive one. So progress is being made.
I’m not sure if all these gears are just to squeeze out every bit of economy or a marketing ploy. I suspect a bit of both.
I have generally found myself happier with even number of gears than an odd number of gears in a transmission with the exception of the old reliable 3-speed autos.
Confusing the issue further is that many modern automatics are supposed to “learn” how the driver drives (aggressively or focused on smoothness or economy focus) but that would make the transmission terrible for a rental car where there’s a different butt in the seat every day or two.
We’ll see where my next new car purchase takes me but currently I’m in the EIGHT IS ENOUGH category when it comes to transmissions.
What I find really funny is that when I chose my Kia the Chrysler 3.6 was still brand new. I expected the transmission to be pleasant (if somewhat weak in terms of durability, as had been the tradition) but was really suspicious of the brand new engine design (given Chrysler’s then-recent history).
Time has proved that I had it backwards. The engine has turned out to be fabulous (probably the equal of the 3.5 in my Kia) but it was that 6 speed auto that made it miserable to drive. I learned this in a rental experience. I simply could not wait to get back into my Sedona after the rental Grand Caravan a few years ago. It is amazing how two different 6 speed automatics can be like night and day in terms of the way they operate. I read the review to mean that the 9 speed continue’s Chrysler’s undistinguished transmission programming. Your experience indicates that the new 9 speed is an improvement. Good to know.
All the -20 weight oils are about CAFE. The 0- part is somewhat about CAFE and somewhat about an engine designed with such a convoluted oil path to the top of the oiling system that 5- takes too long to get there on a cold start.
-20 is not about engine life as it is more likely than not cause more wear than a -30 oil.
JP: You’ll just have to wait until someone makes an electric minivan. Instant torque at all speeds! Right up your alley! 🙂
My Kia minivan has a nice torquey V6 and a 6 speed auto which is smooth and completely unobtrusive. I am starting to dread its eventual replacement.
Fear not, Kia will provide. On my visit to Oshkosh last month, my ride between the airport and hotel was the shotgun seat of a new Kia minivan rented from Enterprise, with a career Navy pilot at the tiller. I don’t know what engine it had in it, but there was plenty of thrust available, with 7 plus luggage aboard, for fencing with the traffic. Randy’s only negative comment was the front wheels liked to follow the rain grooves in the highway, but my VW does that too, with both the original Bridgestones and the new Michelins.
Good write-up! I’m going to admit to being a Jeep snob- a Cherokee is the smallest I’d consider in that brand.
Hyundai will improve the quality of these vehicles when they buy FCA.
What Sergio succeeded in doing, IMO, is strengthening Chrysler’s position to be sold. They have done a great job updating the Wrangler, Ram, and Pacifica, all very competitive or best in class. Meanwhile the 200 and Dart are gone and the 300 is on its last legs. What is left is a product line that is attractive to potential buyers like Hyundai because there are strong products that sell well which would complement their offerings without too much overlap.
The Compass is obviously on the budget end of the spectrum, and considering this I think you are being a bit melodramatic in perceived quality issues. Complaining about things like the plastic used in the a-pillars to me is kind of indicative of today’s form over function society that has brought us things like glass-backed cell phones and that massive d-pillar. But in the end the material quality is a reflection of the street price which on these is always heavily discounted in the traditional Detroit manner. You get what you pay for, for better and worse.
I also don’t like a lot of these new transmissions, it seems a lot if not most of them just don’t drive very well compared to the older 4 and 5 speeds.
The Compass line starts at a $21,000 price point, before any incentives etc. The Trailhawk version can be optioned quite a bit higher than that price but based on that higher price could make some of the material choices seem like less of a good value.
At the base price though the plastic on the A-pillars is a tough, durable material and will be impervious to the deep mud and dirt from heavy offroading that the Trailhawk model will supposedly be subect to 🙂 Hose it out!
What’s nice about the Compass is that you can order a 6-speed manual 4×4 model with “cold weather package” and get one cheap and cheerful for about $25K – for those whose lives demand 4×4 for one reason or another. (Especially since Wranglers have gotten so expensive.)
Sadly, I made an error with regard to that $35,000 number I cited.
While a fully optioned Compass can be that spendy when sales tax is included, the Compass I drove would likely sticker for around $31,000.
A quick search in my area shows most Compasses are listed at about $4-6K under sticker. And that’s prior to negotiation. Here’s a Trailhawk for $25,271:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/734612879/overview/
It becomes a much more attractive option at that price IMO.
Indeed!
That said, I don’t think I could live with that 9-speed, even with it’s good highway economy.
I will give Marchionne credit for rescuing Chrysler. The alternative (I suspect) would have been at best another milk-the-name-till-it-dies owner like Cyberus, or possibly “The Volvo Solution” of a Chinese company building Jeeps aimed at the Chinese market. As it is, FCA is very much alive and if not healthy, at least not seriously ill.
I would like to believe that Marchionne has left Manley an FCA strong enough to survive some changes. My belief is that there have been too many ‘FIAT’/European market engineers involved in the American market products. Thus we get the focus on the Fiat 500 line, which I believe are too small to be anything but bit players in the U.S. We also get engines that while suitable for European conditions are too small (not torquey enough) for American driving conditions even though turbo-charged. Quality…I won’t comment as a I am not sure that is a function of Italian design, despite all the historical evidence to the contrary.
My hope is that having been personally responsible for the successful revival of JEEP, Mr. Manley will be immersed in the ruggedness ethos of JEEP and will transfer that across the Chrysler/Ram/ (Fiat too?) lineup. He is, after all, an engineer by training.
I do recognize of course that it will probably be at least three years before he can have much actual influence on the assortment and design of vehicles offered. I have no idea what he will do with Alfa Romeo, which although I personally love it, obviously has to be seen financially as a Peich-like vanity brand.
So, wandering back to the point, I see this rental review as a pretty good analogue for the FCA that Manley inherits. Alive, but with some problems, specifically too much Italian-ite focus on elegant engineering and design with flair. It has always been a truism that Americans don’t read the technical specs when they buy cars. They want torque, comfort, and knobs that don’t fall off. They don’t give a damn how you provide them. Sure sounds like the car a JEEP engineer would build it you gave him control of the company, so here’s hoping it happens.
I think it is inarguable that Marchionne saved Chrysler. It was a goner had he not been there willing and able to take it over. I agree on the Fiat 500, but I think that was of some necessity as the government needed some kind of committment to offer small cars in the US and that was the only realistic possiblity. Unfortunately, but the time they had it ready to bring over the small car moment in the US had largely passed (again).
I also agree that they have done a good job fielding competitive vehicles – in the segments where they have chosen to compete. The Dodge Journey is really the only product from the company’s darkest days that is still in showrooms (the 300/Charger is older but was always considered a much higher quality product from the very beginning.)
I am amazed that FCA has been able to build Ram into a perrennial legitimate contender for the truck buyer’s dollar. But they seem to have done so. The other thing they seem to have been able to do is to energize the Mopar faithful with performance cars and aftermarket parts (including a crate engine program they are trying to grow.) The Challenger has been amazingly successful over a long time, given the modest size of that market.
If one wants the once ubiquitous “four round eyes in the grille” look, the Challenger is the sole remaining example worldwide.
You raise some good points, but I think that you, like many others, feel that the Fiat influence was felt quite a bit more than it actually was, at least in engineering. For the most part, Chrysler left their cars alone, using the old Daimler era platforms underpinning, with Mopar engines that go back to Renault era and Mitsubishi designs. The Dart/200 was an old Alfa platform, stretched to “Fat American” size, and never took off. The Tigershark engine is not bad, but it seems that it is used in about anything, and it was based on a Hyundai design. There really wasn’t much Italian in any designs. The closest is the Renegade, which is built in Italy and is essentially a rebodied Fiat 500X. It seems that Sergio (and Manley, as head of Jeep) understood and threw the hemi into damned near anything to create a torque and horsepower beast in the Trailhawk, but put the small engine in as base to help CAFE numbers. To my eyes, FCA kept the US side pretty much status quo, with minimal changes using Italian sources.
AS mentioned earlier, Marchionne really just wanted to get FCA in shape to be attractive to a merger partner. It looks as if Hyundai may be the suiter of the moment, but that is based on a lot of speculation at this point. I don’t see it going fully to the Chinese, as they don’t want or need anything but Jeep, and Hyundai may be able to integrate the lines in more successfully. It does portend the death of the Chrysler and Dodge brands, but perhaps they will soldier on for quite a while longer.
Hyundai is having its own problems; pretty serious ones. Its current market cap is the same or lower than FCA’s. I don’t see them being able to pull off an acquisition of FCA.
That fact makes it automatically the leader for just such a merger. It seems that, with the exception of the ‘merger of equals” with Daimler, it has always been a company down on their luck that purchases whoever is holding Jeep.
I agree that Hyundai is probably not in any shape for the transaction, but it is the company getting the most mentions from the rumor mills. However, it is the last major brand over here that does not have a truck line, something FCA does have, and Jeep is always the prize. The rest can be spun off, sold, or closed if they do not fill the gaps of the buyer.
However, it is the last major brand over here that does not have a truck line,
I guess VW doesn’t count, eh? I suspect they’d be quite happy to have the Ram truck line, as well as Jeep.
And I guess Honda doesn’t count either. But then acquisitions/mergers are not quite their thing.
While not sold in North America, Volkswagen at least has the successful Amarok mid-size pickup. Honda persists with the North American-only Ridgeline. Hyundai is much further behind in the pickup stakes: they’re considering a production version of the unibody Santa Cruz concept but I don’t think anything’s confirmed yet.
Of course, none of these automakers have a full-size pickup. And Chrysler would be tempting to Volkswagen which, although successful in the Chinese market and elsewhere, struggles in the North American market. You’re right, they’d probably love to get their hands on Ram and Jeep.
I don’t think Honda would ever buy them, but I would sure love to see Ram’s designers have some influence on the Ridgeline. Ridgeline continues to be a great idea with mass market potential but Honda keeps flubbing the details truck buyers look for and sales continue to suffer for it.
Don’t forget Marchionne rescued FIAT before he rescued Chrysler.
Not only that, but he unleashed an incredible amount of value from the various FIAT related holdings by spinning them off. The amount of wealth he created for his stock holders is truly remarkable. FCA is just one of several examples.
I own a 2018 Compass Limited with every possible option except for the towing package/hitch. This is my first Jeep vehicle (and my first SUV) and I REALLY like it. I’m even a fan of the interior, and find the seats to be perfectly comfortable (I’m 5’8″ and 180 lbs). Contrary to what you’ve stated in your review, it does, in fact, have a power lift gate. I don’t know where you got your information, but a simple visit to Jeep’s website would have told you this. I also must admit that I’m a bit surprised that you would review a 4×4 Jeep (especially the Trailhawk) without testing out its AWD and off-road capabilities. After all, off-roading is, perhaps, what Jeeps are best known for.
Coming from a 2015 Chrysler 200 with AWD and the 3.6L Pentastar (just shy of 300 HP), yes, the Compass feels pretty sluggish. However, using the “auto stick” to compensate, by taking control of gearing and shift points, can significantly improve the driving experience. That being said, here’s to hoping that it won’t be long before the Compass gets the 2.0L turbo option that was recently introduced in the 2019 Cherokee! That would make the Compass a REAL winner.
” Contrary to what you’ve stated in your review, it does, in fact, have a power lift gate.”
–Regrets. Indeed the power hatch is optional, but was not present on my rental. I should have said it was not “Standard” as part of the Trail Hawk trim package. I typically think of top trim levels as having this kind of option included, and I was wrong. Thanks!
It’s an option on the “Limited” trim as well. I have to say I kind of like the fact that it IS an option. It worked well on the one I rented last week (review/counterpoint to come soon!) but the one on our Highlander I don’t like as much and would perhaps have saved the money given the choice.
I acknowledge it can be difficult to test offroad capabilities of a rental (though I found a nice open area criss-crossed by rutted tracks near Bradley Field in Connecticut, when I rented a Grand Cherokee there about 20 years ago). However it’s a shame not to have tested the Trailhawk’s features, as they seem to be head and shoulders above other crossovers’ gearing, traction-aid , and ground clearance specs according to everything I’ve read. This applies to the Renegade as well. A power tailgate is not really part of that package’s remit, though it would be more useful for an airport rental.
It’s hilarious how priorities have changed. Like many vehicles of its era, the original Dick Teague-styled ’84-96 XJ Cherokee had as many ashtrays as cupholders (even then, cupholders were actually a removable tray that was undoubtedly an afterthought). That being said, there is a depression in the center console directly below the ashtray and in front of the (manual) shifter that perfectly secures my smartphone while it’s plugged into the cigarette lighter.
Nice review, thanks for sharing. My sister bought one of these last year and is generally pleased. A failed power window is the extent of her issues, no biggie. I’ve ridden in it at low speeds around town and didn’t notice anything weird with the transmission, which I was expected with all of the moaning and groaning online about it. It shifts a lot but does it smoothly.
I’m getting used to the 8 speed automatic in my new Toyota Highlander. As expected, it does shift a lot since I’m in the foothills of Appalachia and nothing is flat. That being said it does it smoothly and is only noticeable if looking for it. Toyota employs a faux Atkinson cycle along with direct and port injection with this engine so that may contribute to the frequent shifting. It does not hesitate at all to downshift 1 or more gears as necessary. I’m getting 21 to 22 mpg in my stop and go 17 mile workaday roundtrip commute so whatever is going on with the fuel injection, regular/Atkinson cycle, transmission is working, which I suppose is the point. For point of reference, this would yield 28-30 mpg in my previous VW Golf with the 1.8 TSI engine, with temperature being the biggest contributor to the variability. 95+ degrees dropped mileage as much as below freezing (20’s) commutes. That the Highlander is returning 21 to 22 mpg with an absolutely magnificent air conditioning system is impressive to me. My 2003 Ford Explorer produced 17 mpg in the same commute as I recall.
Sorry this is getting a bit off-topic, but is that Highlander a 4 or V6? My Tacoma with “faux Atkinson” (I love that!) 3.5 V6 and 6 speed auto will get around 17 mpg on a 25 mile round trip to a nearby town, with cold start from home and a few miles of town before hitting a 55mph two-lane. Even on the highway, the trans will shift 20 times in the short distance. Our 1.8 TSI Golf consistent returns 38-40 mpg on the same loop. And, once its 5 speed manual is in 5th on that route, it stays there with no “lugging” or noticeable lack of power on the few short grades. Based on my experience with the 6 speed Tacoma trans, I can’t imagine 8/9/10 speeds and 30 to 70% more shifting opportunities.
The current 4 and the current V6 in the Highlander return pretty much the same mileage likely due to the 4 being slightly overtaxed. Our 2016 XLE AWD V6 (older version of the V6) with the 6-speed is averaging just over 19 with the majority being city. On a long highway run with 75-80mph speeds low-20’s are achievable.
It’s the V6 and yes it shifts a lot. My previous Golf had the 6 speed automatic that I came to hate. It would go to 6th gear by 40 mph and the engine would then moan and groan all the time near lugging at normal suburban speeds. There is no vibration or moaning and groaning from the Toyota. It happy chugs along at 1000 to 1200 rpm as much as possible with downshifts as necessary but no NVH issues so I don’t mind. I ride a Giant folding bike with a 7 speed setup and I shift all the time too since nothing is flat where I live. It’s just part of the deal with hills. Serious question, do automatic transmissions last longer in flat areas?
The 7-slot grille on the Compass is cosmetic. There are no actual openings.
Chrysler did this before with the 1995-2000 Sebring coupe.
Surprised the automatic isn’t at least a LITTLE better in these. Supposedly some re-mapping of the software has cured a lot of the ills. Ive had 2 2.4L/9spd loaners and neither stood out as particularly awful…at least considering they ARE 4 bangers saddled with slushboxes. That combo is never going to be good. I do know that mechanically, the 9 speed is similar to the TF-8 which is excellent. But nothing using the 9speed really has much sporting pretensions so they’re tuned for economy. Not so, the 8 speed. I still say that sacrificing everything in favor of emissions/mpgs is pandering to the wrong ‘customer’. Regulators and beauracrats like to throw their weight around but last I checked, they aren’t buying the cars. That’s a clear cut case of step up and tell these idiots where to shove their regulations.
He saved Chrysler but killed FIAT through total neglect. Of course it made sense to invest the limited capital into brands with far bigger profit margin. The outcome is that these days FIAT is almost dead in Europe.
I just found some 1963 Jeep Wagoneer “nostalgia” on a film site…innocent times!
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TD3gBN4hXso/WtB160HW0dI/AAAAAAAAdNU/kGF_1KpHjjQ50j7aNH0fu3ikmQKhj4y-wCEwYBhgL/s1600/aaaphotos2y.jpg
No, but you also won’t be changing oil anywhere near so often as in the “good” old days—not if you base your oil change interval on need rather than on marketeering—so the cost over the period of ownership isn’t necessarily going to be higher and might well be lower than cheap 10W30 changed oftener.
And no, despite ignorant babble and silly conspiracy theories amplified in internet forum echo chambers by those pretending to be petrochemists and tribologists, today’s favoured oil grades like 0W20 and 5W20 do not give inferior antiwear performance in any practical sense compared to yesterday’s 5W30 and 10W30 (you know, the oil grades that were specified back when 100,000 miles was considered a great big major milestone for an engine to reach without overhaul…).
I change my engine oil at factory recommended intervals. Nice and simple that way.
I am not aware of any cars/light trucks built within the past 10 years that specify a 3000 mile drain interval—but such “marketeering” keeps the quick-lube places in business. There are efforts afoot in my home of Kalifornistan to penalize such service outlets for advocating for more-frequent-than-recommended intervals, but I am uncertain how those efforts will play out.
Factory recommended interval is the right way to do it while the warranty’s in effect, for sure.
After that: oil analysis. My ’07 Accord specifies a 6,000-mile change interval. Oil analysis says that’s far too often, a real waste of money and resources. I changed at 10k, and the analysis still came back showing plenty of useful life still left in the oil. We’ll see what the next analysis looks like once I’ve gone 20k since the last change.
“Kalifornistan”, eh? Sounds like you don’t like it there.
Interesting my diesel Citroen has recommended oil and filter every 30,000kms and a new timing belt every 160,000kms 5w30 synthetic is the flavour 285,000 clocked up so and it runs fine.
The latest Compass looks a lot better than its Dodge Caliber based predecessor although it appears to still be second tier behind the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Escape. At least they are trying harder than the pre-bankruptcy, pre-Fiat organization that produced the Caliber, 200 and gen 1 Compass.
One of my co-workers has a 5 speed Caliber and he likes it. The interior materials look awful but seem to be rugged. He also owns two good size dogs so no matter what the interior will be covered in hair, doggie slobber and doggie mud. The Caliber has a certain utilitarian charm.
Re: Caliber, I think FCA would have done better to have retained the Caliber-based Patriot, rather than canceling it ILO the new Compass. The old Patriot was actually selling quite well in its final year. Yeah, it was at least a decade behind current CUVs, but the low price of entry made up for that. Not to mention that it had a classic look very reminiscent of the original 1983 Jeep Cherokee. Frankly, I thought the old-school look of the Patriot fit in very nicely with the Wrangler.
The new Compass, while somewhat improved and still in the lower price end of the class, doesn’t seem to be all that much better than the old, cheaper Patriot.
I thought it was unfortunate they discontinued the cute XJ-esque Patriot and only kept the Compass but if you like the boxy look and want a compact Jeep, there’s the Renegade.
I’m afraid I have to agree on the Patriot-to-Renegade transition. The Fiat 500-based Renegade is smaller and more expensive, but I have no doubt there’s also a much better profit margin than the Patriot. The Renegade does a very good job of being new and different, yet still maintaining much of the traditional Jeep design ethos. It’s not my particular cup of tea, but I can’t fault FCA’s logic.
And I can certainly see many potential buyers (mainly younger females) who wouldn’t give the Patriot even a cursory look, but immediately falling in love with the Renegade. It goes a very long way to being a fine introduction to the outdoors’ lifestyle as ‘baby’s first Jeep’ without having many of the driveability foibles of the Wrangler. In fact, those same young females that want a rugged Wrangler would be great candidates to talk into a much more livable Renegade, instead.
I’ve never understood auto manufacturers’ insistence on expanding their lineups when their existing products suffer from poor reliability. It just seems to me that they would be better off perfecting and refining their existing products before they spend R & D money on developing new products.
I remember riding in the passenger seat of a brand-new 2005 (E60) BMW 545i, and being similarly appalled at the crevasse in the steering column. You could pretty much see the shaft of the steering column! Who failed to notice that in a $70K car?
Maybe an idea for a QOTD – “What’s the worst fit and finish you’ve seen on a new car?”
With the passing of the stick-shift Forester, the Compass is now the only larger-than-subcompact CUV that offers a manual–with FWD or AWD. And except for the Renegade, the few subcompact CUVs that have manuals are FWD-only, IIRC.
Great review. The Compass is indisputably compact. It’s the Cherokee that teeters between compact and midsize, depending upon who you ask.
The only reason you got told it was a midsize is because you booked it a rental agency. These are the same people who would try to claim the Fiat 500 is a family car.
Although, to their credit, Enterprise did once book my dad in a Chevy Spark; then, when the lady at the counter got a look at the size of him (defensive linebacker build), they got him an Impala, instead.
It’s been our experience (I work for a major Fleet Management company) that these Compasses point straight to the repair shop.
30mpg is very decent highway mileage? A modern European car with a decent turbo diesel will do twice that.
And why would anyone turn off a start-stop system?
Isn’t European fuel economy measured in imperial gallons? According to the EPA, even a 2015 Golf SportWagen TDi only gets 43 mpg highway.
As for the stop-start thing, I personally don’t mind ’em. Some are more unrefined than others, for example the Chevy Malibu’s stop-start was seamless while the Benz C-Class I drove was more noticeable and I hear BMW’s can be surprisingly abrupt. There are also people that believe it causes wear on engine components. But I’m happy to be reducing idle emissions. One thing I liked about the C-Class was you could configure it so stop-start was on when driving in normal mode but could be turned off if you wanted to switch to a sportier driving mode. That’s the perfect set-up for me.