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First Drive: 2011 Jeep Compass

Rex Roy — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Jeep, First Drives, Off-Road

What A Difference A New Face Makes

2011 Jeep Compass Limited - Click above for high-res image gallery

The needle is finally pointed in the right direction.

The original 2007 Jeep Compass was the first production Jeep that wasn't. Beyond its "Jeep" badge and trademark seven-bar grille, the Compass was a compact crossover derived from the front-wheel-drive Dodge Caliber, a product that lacked the hardware and personality to provide the foundation for a genuine Jeep.

Hampered by ungainly styling, modest power and no transfer case, the Compass never achieved much success on trails or in showrooms. Compass sales always lagged behind the Caliber and its closer platform relative, the Jeep Patriot. In short, the Compass didn't accomplish its mission of being an attractive entry-level Jeep for shoppers who aspired to own a Grand Cherokee but couldn't afford a real Jeep.

Chrysler improved the Compass's interior for 2009, but given the national economic climate and the company's bankruptcy, it's likely that even more substantial product changes wouldn't have moved the sales needle. Things should be a bit different for the 2011 model year.

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Gallery: 2011 Jeep Compass Limited: First Drive

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Jeep Compass

First Drive: 2011 Jeep Compass originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: 2011 Jeep Compass to get big price increase, Trail Rated model

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Jeep, Rumormill

2011 Jeep Compass spy shots - Click above for high-res image gallery

Thanks to the efforts of some wily spy shooters, we've already peered upon the vastly improved styling of the redesigned 2011 Jeep Compass. If a report from the usually well-informed Allpar.com is correct, it would seem Jeep will be positioning its 2011 Compass a few rungs up the ladder than the platform-sharing Patriot.

If reports are correct, buyers will also need to fork over significantly more cash for the Compass in 2011. According to Allpar, the Compass will start at $19,995 in front-wheel drive guise and $21,695 when powering all four wheels - the 2010 model starts at just $15,365. More interesting, though, is word that the new Compass will be Trail Rated for the first time, something we suspected from the rather familiar-looking round fender badges on the silver vehicle in our spy shot gallery.

Presumably using the same off-road bits and pieces as the Trail Rated Patriot - Freedom Drive II with a CVT and dedicated low-range gearing - the Compass is rumored to feature repositioned rebound springs cribbed à la Grand Cherokee, along with an increase in ride height by one inch.

After looking at the pictures, we had an inkling that the new Compass may in fact be a more desirable overall package than the 2011 Patriot, which starts at $15,995, and this report would appear to confirm that hunch.

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2011 Jeep Compass

[Source: Allpar.com | Images: Chris Doane/Brenda Priddy & Company]

Rumormill: 2011 Jeep Compass to get big price increase, Trail Rated model originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee tackles Rubicon looking to become Trail Rated

Chris Shunk — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Chrysler, Jeep

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee tackles Rubicon Trail - Click above for gallery

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is creeping back into the news at a steady rate, meaning that Team Pentastar must be fairly close to releasing its first all-new product in some time (read: forever). Just yesterday, we received what appears to be an early peek into Grand Cherokee pricing, and now we have access to a cornucopia of pics of a pair of Jeep's finest traversing the fabled Rubicon Trail.

According to the Jeep Jamboree Facebook page, the 2011 Grand Cherokees were being driven by a group of Jeep engineers testing the vehicle before they go on sale later this year. Since the Grand Cherokee is supposed to be the chief of the Jeep lineup, we're guessing that the rough-and-ready SUVs need to absolutely ace the Rubicon to earn the all-important Trail Rated badge. Click on the gallery below to check out the two Grand Cherokees as they crawl up and over some inhospitable rocks, and head over to Jeep Jamboree's Facebook page to see even more pics.

Gallery: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee tackles the Rubicon

[Source: Facebook]

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee tackles Rubicon looking to become Trail Rated originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit Auto Show: Jeep Trailhawk offers open-air off-roading for four

Eric Bryant — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:42:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, SUV, Contests, Green, Jeep

click image above to view all the new live shots in our high-resolution photo gallery

Calling it a crossbreed between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Jeep today took the covers off the Bluetec diesel-powered Trailhawk concept. The Trail Rated off-roader is intended to provide a means for transporting four people off-road, and the three-panel removable glass roof allows the rock-crawling to commence with the open sky above. A chopped roofline and fat fender flares almost give it a low-slung appearance, and the interior shows off some clever touches such as rear-mounted speakers that dismount to provide portable audio.

This concept would probably make more sense if Jeep hadn't just released the Wrangler Unlimited, a user-friendly way (at least when compared to previous Wranglers) to accomplish the same task.

Check out the new updated gallery with all of today's live shots.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Jeep Trailhawk offers open-air off-roading for four

Detroit Auto Show: Jeep Trailhawk offers open-air off-roading for four originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeep announces production ready Patriot

John Neff — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 01:42:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, New York Auto Show, Coupe, SUV, Jeep

This is the kind of sub-$20k SUV we expect from Jeep, rather than the Compass that's barely trail rated to cross the street let alone a rocky fjord. The Patriot, however, will share much of its mechanicals with the Compass, including the 2.4L World Engine four-cylinder that produces 172 hp and 165 ft-lbs. of torque and your choice of either a standard five-speed or CVT transmission. The Patriot can be had in mild mannered FWD trim or with two other more capable off-road packages that do a passable job of impersonating a real Jeep.

The first is called Freedom Drive I and features available full-time, active four-wheel drive with a trick Lock mode that acts like full-time four-wheel drive. The Freedome Drive II package jacks the Patriot up an inch and comes with a second-gen CVT that's got a "low range" mode, skid plates, tow hooks, a full-size spare and such electronic off-road nannies as Hill-Descent Control, Off-Road Brake Traction Control and ESP.

The Patriot will go on sale in the third quarter of 2006 and will be built by the prodigal employees of the Belvidere assembly plant.

There's lots more details on the Patriot in Jeep's full press release after the jump, as well as a full gallery of pics.

[Source: Jeep]

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Jeep announces production ready Patriot originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Apr 2006 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DaimlerChrysler announces pricing for new Jeep Compass

Stuart Waterman — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:03:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Crossover, Daimler, Jeep

Jeep's controversial new compact SUV will tap your wallet for $15,985 (MSRP, including destination charges). Arriving in U.S. and international dealerships in the fall, Jeep's first-ever road-biased crossover is targeted squarely at young, first-time Jeep buyers (ages 25-35, with a predicted 60-percent female 'take' rate).

According to Chrysler, 368,000 compact SUVs were sold in the U.S. in 2005, a 24-percent uptick from 2004. The company expects the segment to continue to grow, nearly tripling in size over the next ten years.

The base model ships with FWD, powered by Chrysler's 172 hp, 2.4-liter World Engine through a five-speed manual transaxle. Customers can step up to a full-time 4x4 "Freedom Drive I"-equipped Compass at an MSRP of $17,585. Those with a bit more scratch will have the choice of going for the Compass Limited (FWD) at $20,140, or the full-boat Compass Limited 4x4 at $21,740.

[Source: Chrysler Group]

DaimlerChrysler announces pricing for new Jeep Compass originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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