seriously, they shouldve just dropped this and put more work into getting the patriot on the market… at least that one LOOKS like a jeep…

but hey its trail rated….right?

Sorry tino, it’s NOT trailrated. Its a big expensive mistake, like the Pontiac Aztec.

then what is the point of it…isn’t the point of jeep is having all trail rated cars…i mean the srt8 jeep is ok, but what is the point of this…why even try to make it look like it can go off-roading…i bet an idiot will try going off and destroy his suv-ute bumpers/tires

“but hey its trail rated….right?”

nope. the patriot IS trail rated because of its available low range.

“Its a big expensive mistake”
The break even point on this platform is 100K. Doesn’t matter how the 100k is met, just 100k. That means, with 70k calibers already sold this year, DCX only has to sell 30k compass and patriot to meet the break even for teh platform. with this being on the flexible manufacturing line, DCX can drop the compass altogether and as long as either the patriot or the caliber fills the hole in production, this is not expensive, and dcx stays in the black for this platform.

MKBruin
Thanks for input.

but hey i would not go off roading with those low profile tires…

its a risk, not a mistake—yet. we all know nobody really takes there suv’s offroading. While Rav4’s and CRV’s sell like nuts, it doesnt hurt jeep to test the waters, epecially since they can back out of it with the flex plant, as MKBruin mentioned.

I loathe both of them. The Caliber looks ok but poorly executed (the interior is ugly) and the Compass has me scratching my head.

I just wish that they had keep the production Compass like the concept vehicle. I was basically a modern interpretation of the Wrangler, and it still had all of the ruggedness and capability. Jeep could have had the Compass be a more comfortable alternative to the Wrangler for those who want the trail rated ability and suv-like comfort. Instead we essentially get a Jeep car based off of a Dodge car. Need I metion Willys Aero?

I am not one bit suprised by this at all, what does suprise me is the fact DaimlerChrysler ever felt the need to actually build this! I mean I remember the concept car named Compass….it was a 2 door, rugged offroad vehicle….I heard they were going to build one and I was like wow, then I saw it and was like WOW, how horrid, how so unlike the concept. DTO made the comment how RAV4s and CRVs are selling well, how maybe Jeep should try, problem with this is the RAV4 and CRV are not based of CIvics or Corollas….like the Compass here that IS based off a compact CAR, it does not have a dedicated off road ability like RAV4, CRV ….hell even Jeep didn’t give it the TRAIL RATED seal of approval….I agree also with the eariler comment….Jeep’s Aztec….wait and see….

At least the Aztec was cool… I’d take one of those before I’d buy some POS jeep that you can’t take offroad

Just a reminder… He doesn’t exist.

They both suck. The Caliber…”anything but cute”… No ****, it’s ugly. I guess the stupid commercials that tell you it’s cool actually make it cool?
Same mistake for the Compass. Just a couple of rebodied Neons. Like the PT Cruiser. What ever happened to real designers? The ones who designed WITH passion, not that try to design passion. Pretty soon everything will look like either a Prius or a Jetta. Nothing to look forward to, that’s for sure.

I disagree with the article. How can the recommned the Caliber and not recommend the Compass when they are basically the same thing. I’ve seen the Compass and honestly I don’t think it is as ugly as the Caliber. The profile of the Compass is much more attractive and I like the front end better. Now lets see how many people rip on me for that!!

The lines (despite not being the most pleasing) work on the Caliber to a far greater degree than they do on the Compass … it is, as has been written, Jeep’s Aztec.

The Caliber, as brutish as it looks, works visually for what it is. The Compass, visually, just doesn’t work.

I sort of like the look of the Caliber, but the Compass does not work for me either. I should point out though, that the RAV4 is indeed based on a car platform, the Camry. Not sure what the CR-V platform is based on, but it’s not a truck. The idea of a car based crossover SUV is nothing new, and I had high hopes for the Compass, but it’s not for me. The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 is another matter! That’s a Jeep that even a car guy could love. I generally loathe SUVs, but that one has lots of appeal.

So obviouly if that woman says the compass sounds like a dying zebra when you crank it, that must mean the caliber does too. They are the SAME car (excluding the exterior), right?

Dave, according to Car & Driver Magazine online the say
“A setup with front drive and the engine mounted transversely—four-wheel drive is optional—implies carry-over car guts, but Toyota insists the new RAV4 has an essentially unique platform not shared with any other vehicle (and not designed to accept a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, says Toyota, so don’t wait around for one).” Car&Driver….
So obvioulsy the RAV4 is its own platform….coming from the maker…

I think more of the Jeep buyers will prefer the look the Patriot as opposed to the Compass. I believe after the Patriot comes out the Compass may eventually be dropped if it doesn’t go over. They designed all three vehicles to accomodate all wheel drive. They probably came out with the Compass use up their excess all wheel dive hardware since the majority of Caliber buyers so far are opting for the less expensive, better fuel milage, front wheel drive versions.

at least you can get the 2.4 l engine with the 5-speed in a compass…..you can’t in the caliber

I was a focus group participant when DCX was showing early prototypes of what would become the Compass and Patriot. The (now) Compass was universally liked by all of the female panel members in my group – although none of them seemed to realize, or for that matter cared, that it was supposed to be a “Jeep”. Don’t blame me though. I didn’t like the “Compass” concept then, and I don’t like the production version now.

The other concept (now the Patriot) in it’s early form, at least for my tastes, looked a little too much like a Element with a Jeep fascia tacked on, so I’m glad they went with the 5/8 scale Cherokee design route.

It is stupid looking.

The Compass is not Jeep’s Aztec, it is much worse than that. It and its twin under the skin Patriot are daggers in the very heart of the brand. Most people don’t buy Jeeps to go off-road. They buy Jeeps because they know that they could take them off-road if they wanted to. Be it the most rugged Wrangler, the most luxurious Grand Cherokee, the most humble Liberty, or any other vehicle that ever carried the Jeep name–this was the iconic American offroad vehicle. No more. A Jeep is not necessarily a “Jeep” anymore.

What is worse than the corruption of the Jeep brand, there is a cynicism at the core of this move. Daimler-Chrysler claimed that it could extract more value from the brand by building cars featuring Jeep styling cues and the word “Jeep” stamped on them. Who did it expect to fall for that? Taken in isolation, this decision could be dismissed as just stupid. The cynical nature of the move is made clear by other decisions. The Compass features plastic diamond plate. Plastic diamond plate! Plastic is considered to be a necessary evil. However, there is nothing necessary about plastic diamond plate.

There is nothing necessary about the Compass.

if it’s not trail rated then what’s the point? nobody wants another Aztek–and it looks fat with that bulgy body.

Both are crap if you ask me..

the compass is sapposed to appeal to mostly women…..why shouldn’t jeep try to take a piece of the pie that the crv and rav4 have been owning in the small suv segment.if you don’t like it don’t buy it.i don’t know what the big deal is.geeze the patriot has the traditional styling and is trail rated for off-road ability.more choices isn’t going to hurt…..they offer other choices for off road fans….wrangler,grand cherokee,commander…it’s not like they are replacing a trail rated jeep with something else.people are so damn negative.

The compass was a mistake for jeep. I understand the reasoning in claiming that car based crossover SUVs are becoming popular justifys jeep having the compass is like saying ferrari needs a crossover, its simply not what people expect, nor want from a brand that as built their repuatation on off road ruggedness.

but if they’re still recommending the caliber you know something is still wrong.

You can now get the 2.4L 4cyl with the 5 speed in the Caliber now. At first they were only making the R/T,s with AWD and CVT’s but now they can take orders for just the FWD R/T with a five speed. Hopefully for Dodge the performance will be a little better with that combination. I’m interested in seeing what kind of fuel economy ratings the 2.4L with the 5 speed will have.

rod, It is not about negativity. What Daimler-Chrysler is doing to Jeep is what General Motors has been accused of doing for years. General Motors has multiple brands, many of which have duplicate offerings. Many feel that the General could dramatically improve its bottom line by offering only a limited number of well-defined cars under each brand. In fact, GM has tried to do this several times, but corporate politics from division management, dealers, and others keeps getting in the way.

The Chrysler Group does not have GM’s vast empire with accompanying provincial politics to deal with. It can keep its divisional product lines clean, well-defined, and profitable. Jeep has an image and reputation that has been developed over the last 60 years. There are a lot of SUVs on the market, but only one Jeep.

If Daimler-Chrysler corrupts the Jeep name, it will have lost much more than it can possibly recoup by shifting sales from Dodge or Chrysler to Jeep.

I agree, this is not what I was expecting out of Jeep.

Both are ****, I would reccommend the Rabbit over the Caliber and a Yugo over the Compass

Jeep is an embarrassment to itself. Compass and Patriot and Liberty are complete ****. Commander is too big and too ugly, and Grand Cherokee is way off the pace.
I don’t know where The Detroit news found these 10 Caliber lovers because I have yet to meet 1

Both are **** but I actually think the Compass looks much better than the homely Caliber. I bet the Compass just didn’t get enough “hype”…..I didn’t even know about this car until a month ago.

Was everyone afraid to speak up during the Compass design review meetings?

It may not be Trail Rated, but it should be fun to take that thing rally racing, it may not be the Grand Cherokee; it’ll do for now.