Hello 96 zj,

1) It's certainly a point of personal perception what segment the Jeep Compass falls into.  Officially, it is looked upon as a crossover vehicle, an amalgam of a car and an SUV. 

2) Now, as far as the Neon is concerned, this vehicle unfortunately, came accross far too many snags to maintain its target sales and at times, the image of the vehicle was marred by some lag points in its overall quality (recurring recalls, mechanical problems etc.). 

3) You're completely right.  Jeep is perhaps the American cornerstone of off-roading ability, however the quality of the vehicle is not a point of debate; it's understood.  With that in mind, the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass is ahead of the pack and this implied notion will certainly help to dishevel any "new vehicle, questionable quality" ideas that many new buyers have.  As far as the off-roading capability of the vehicle, as you can certainly tell, this vehicle was developed with more of a city driving frame of mind.  However, it still possesses the capability to off-road.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the off-roading will not be to the degree of a Rubicon, but will still be respectable in its own right.

4) Lastly, the evolution of Jeep has arrived.  And by evolution I do not, by any means, allude to an emasculation of its existing models, but rather to a widening of the Jeep model spectrum.  A step toward a more complete - which is difficult to acheive as market trends and demands constantly shift - brand from DCX. 

Again, thank you for the feedback.  It's certainly appreciated.

Cheers,

Miguel M.

In case none of us remember, AMC/Jeep, tried this once before.  It was called Eagle.  While they were indeed ahead of thier time in offereing AWD wangons and sporty (somewhat) AWD cars (The Talon TSI Turbo after the merger.)  They were solid made vehicles.  My grandmother has an AMC Eagle AWD wagon that has over 160000 miles on the odometer. 

The point is, it has been done.  It bombed.  They never sold well, and even with a different name, it still sullied the image somewhat. 

DCX, please, please, think about what you're doing.  Yes, I agree the small crossover is a profitable car, and probably more off road/all weather capabale than most Americans need.  But cars and crossovers are what Chyrsler is supposed to sell.  Gladaitors, Wrangler's, Cherokee's, Rescue's...those are Jeep's.  Niche, yes, but mondo profitable. Hell, I'd trade my O5 Rubi for a new Galdiator in a second!

As far as quality goes, sheesh.  Do you really think it will be able to compete with the likes of Subaru, Toyota and Honda?? I bought my wife an Element.  Its a great vehicle and have never had a minute of trouble with it.  Now I love my Jeeps, but I wouldnt trade it for a Caliber/Compass for anything. 

I honestly think you guys are barking up the wrong tree.  You're going to kill kill our beloved brand.

JeepEnka,

ANSI/AGRSS certified Automotice Glass Tech

ASE certified mechanic

All I can say is, if I were in the market for a CAR, I'd buy a Compass.  It's not a bad-looking car.  However, I'm not in the market for a car.  And if I want to hit the trail, I want to be able to hit a serious trail and not have to switch vehicles to do it.  I can't use a car.  But that's just me...  

O.K. does anyone remember when porshe came out with the Cayenne?
basicly porsche looked at what porsche owners "other" car was...
and they found people were putting "suv's" in there garage beside there 911/boxter whathaveyou. so....
they made there own "suv" to get some market share, and it worked. plus the cayenne hauls ass.
now Jeep is doin the same thing only in reverse...
thats my take on the cars from jeep... oh ya and jeep was amc/eagle aka cars and jeeps.

I think we've heard quite enough....this thread is dead.  

Well guys,

As I believe the major points for the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass have been stated, I would like to extend a thank you to all of you who provided feedback.  It is certainly a pleasure to read from such loyal Jeep enthusiasts.  Again, if you guys happen to have any questions regarding the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass, feel free to post. 

I'll be around.

Miguel M.

I do not think the Compass will kill off or diminish the brand, but I do think it is a mistake. I think Jeep realizes that this is a very risky move, and I think that the soon to be released Patriot is the evidence. At least the Patriot LOOKS like a Jeep. Another bit of evidence is that the two cars are the same vehicle, just different looks. I would never consider the Compass, but the Patriot may be a good replacement for my 2000 2 wheel drive Cherokee. I just wish it had an available V6.

I really think the bosses Daimler/Chrysler approved the Compass then someone At Jeep convinced them it was a bad idea so they redesigned the sheeymetal and dubbed it Patriot. The Compass was probably too far along to cancel the project so they got the Patriot in works to put all the development cost to good use.

It's a theory.

Hello smithtj,

Thank you for your reply.  We certainly appreciate the feedback.  Essentially, the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass has been manufactured to fill a separate market segment than the all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot.  Although both models have been constructed on the same platform, their target markets are slightly different.  In a broad sense, the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass is, to a degree or another, geared toward young, recent college graduates (or anyone within this financial bracket) who would like a utilitarian model that will more than likely be used as a daily driver.  Whereas the all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot seems to be geared more toward the small family segment.  Taking this in to consideration, you can well understand the differing marketing functions of these two new models from Jeep.

Cheers,

Miguel M.

Will a V6 be offered in the Patriot like in the Caliber?  

Hello again smithtj,

The all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot will only have one standard engine: the 2.4L I-4 engine.  In regards to your knowledge pertaining to the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber, this particular vehicle does not have an available V6 engine either.  The following I-4 engines are available for the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber:

1.8L World Engine

2.0L World Engine

2.4L World Engine

If you happen to have any other questions regarding the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass or the all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot, feel free to post.  I would be more than happy to be of assistance.

Cheers,

Miguel M.

I think the market will weed out the losers.  The customer know what they are looking for in a Jeep.

Customer 1 wants what we want - a real offroader.

Customer 2 wants to let others think they have a real offroading Jeep.

Women.  

High school kids with well-to-do parents that are afraid of real Jeeps.  

Men with significant others that won't let them buy a real Jeep cause it's not a kid - shopping bag - pottery barn hauler. (See the KJ/Kia Jeep)

There is a large market for Customer 2 and I hope that does not eclipse Customer 1 or dilute the brand name and hard earned rep.

Thank you. I did go and test drive the Compass. The power is adequate and surprising. The CVT is a bit odd to drive with but most people that drive it will not notice anything significant. It is quite the competent little vehicle. A true Jeep, no, but still a good little car. The Patriot is high on my list to replace my aging Cherokee, but after driving the 2007 Wrangler unlimited, I may just go with the 2 wheel drive Unlimited. The price if a few bucks over $20k is too good to ignore.

Those out there that have reservations about the new wrangler being too big or underpowered should go drive one. The size difference is NOT noticeable, and the V6 is smoother and feels just as strong as the 4.0.

As I mentioned in one of my initial posts, Jeep, in its past and present state, has always been somewhat of a niche brand.  However, a purely niche-oriented brand, in the long run, will almost invariably suffer.  Please refer to my previous posts regarding brand dilution.  Have you had a chance to test drive this new model from Jeep? 

Well, if you happen to have any other comments/questions, feel free to post.

I'll be around.

Miguel M.

I have a few questions/comments for you Miguel.

Direct quote taken from the main 2006 Wrangler page - "The 4.0L I-6 develops nearly 85 percent of its useable torque at idle making it a supreme choice for four-wheel-drive situations."

Now on the new Wrangler page it only mentions the numbers the engine puts out, not the fact that it puts those numbers out at higher rpm's.

Now I realize that change will eventually happen, no matter how stubborn Jeepers are. But the engine choice I certainly do not understand. You said there is an outcry for better fuel economy. I personally do not see that outcry anywhere even remotely close to SUV's, big trucks, sports cars and other off-roading vehicles. We see these demands in small econo-box vehicles from overseas. I love the I-6. It's extremely easy to work on, it is an excellent motor under stress and it lasts a very long time. My XJ is now over 200,000 miles over extreme punishment and the I-6 shows no signs backing down. Why change the motor? I realize that Jeep wanted to put out higher numbers with better fuel economy, but why sacrifice the low end grunt that defines how many enthusiasts wheel? I personally love the fact that i can tap the gas over large boulders and grunt around while other vehicles screaming at 3000-4000 rpm's. Is there ever a chance of the straight six coming back?

I also read that Jeep designed the new Wrangler with the "after-market in mind.". If this is true then why did you replace most of the joints with CV joints which are going to have to be replaced in order to properly lift the vehicle without burning up the joins?

My last question. What happened to the Cherokee? It was the perfect combination between passenger and cargo room and off-road compatability. I own an XJ and a YJ. I use them both for off-roading all the time. But the XJ offers lots of cargo room, and a spacious interior. Now I know that you will probably say that the new Wrangler takes care of those things, but there is a definite difference between Wranglers and Cherokees and I find it sad that Cherokees were killed off. They are still making them overseas, so why not here?

My final point, I guess I am concerned that this new year of Wrangler will actually put off some people, at least for a few years. Working on a new engine, having to produce a whole new lineup of after-market parts, and changing joints just so that you can lift it doesn't seem very after-market friendly. Don't get me wrong I've read a lot of good things about the new Wrangler, but I think that Jeep forgot what truly made Wranglers and Cherokees awesome: Accessability. I can grab motor parts from the past 10+ years for my straight six and fix it. Now there is limited access to replacement parts. It wil take a while to filter parts down into junkyards and places of that sort. Maybe Jeep has forgotten than Wrangler owners often don't have a ton of money to spend on parts from the dealership. That is why the old Wrangler and the Cherokee were so awesome. Everything was cheap to fix and easy to work on.

Thanks

MLG

Go drive one. It will be quite evident why they went with the V6. Much smoother with a broader power range. Also, it is MUCH cheaper to have 1 engine assembly line than two, since the Jeep now shares an engine with something else.  Plus, the v6 has more horsepower and tourque. I have driven a 2007 unlimited and was VERY impressed! Much better performance than my TJ. Also, the 4.0 wasn't exactly a clean burning engine.