The Jeep Compass is a

compact crossover SUV Compact crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between subcompact crossover SUV and mid-size crossover SUV. By late 2010s, the segment ...

introduced for the 2007

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

, and is currently in its second generation. The first generation Compass and

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

, its rebadged variant, were among

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

's first crossover SUVs. The second-generation Compass debuted in September 2016 in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and at the

Los Angeles International Auto Show The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit ...

in November 2016, sharing a modified platform with the

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *''Command ...

. It is positioned between the smaller Renegade and the larger

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

globally or the

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in South America.

Concept

Four years prior to the introduction of the production Jeep Compass, a

concept vehicle A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

with the same name had its world premiere in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

at the 2002 North American International Auto Show. It featured a two-door body,

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...

and a 3.7-liter

V6 engine A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabr ...

. The 3.7 L Power-Tech

from the

Jeep Liberty The Jeep Liberty is a four door unibody compact SUV four-door manufactured and marketed by Jeep for model years 2002–2012 over two generations, internally designed the KJ (2002-2007) and KK (2008-2012), respectively. Both generations were marke ...

was not available in the new Compass for 2007, though the production model Compass kept the concept car's styling cues and some of its features. The production model Compass also had four doors instead of the two doors on the concept car.

First generation (MK49; 2007)

Jeep debuted the production version of the Compass at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January. The first Compass was assembled on 30 May 2006, in

Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in Boone County, settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois, United States. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations throughout the North and South State Street hist ...

, where the

Dodge Neon Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Ply ...

was produced. The Compass did not carry the "Trail Rated" badge found on other SUVs in the Jeep family for the 2007-2010 model years, but received the "Trail Rated" badge for the 2011 model year. The Compass targets first-time Jeep buyers and those who drive primarily on paved roads. The Compass and Patriot are both based on the

DaimlerChrysler The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...

/ Mitsubishi GS platform. These vehicles are differentiated by their styling and marketing: The Patriot is a traditionally styled 4-door Jeep

wagon A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

, while the Compass has a softer

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

look, similar to the

Dodge Caliber The Dodge Caliber is a compact hatchback manufactured and marketed by Chrysler's Dodge division from model years 2007 to 2012, replacing the Dodge Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser. Following the Caliber concept which debuted at the 2005 Geneva M ...

. File:2008 Jeep Compass (MK MY08) Limited 2.4 wagon (2015-11-11) 02.jpg, Rear view File:Jeep Compass Limited interior.jpg, Interior

2011 facelift

For 2011, Jeep redesigned the Compass to more closely resemble the

Grand Cherokee The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody chassis from the s ...

, while keeping its own identity. The 2011 Jeep Compass also receives a revised suspension for better handling, a revised interior with more standard equipment, and more option packages including a Freedom Drive II Off-Road Package which includes a continuously variable transmission fitted with a low-range setting, all-terrain tires inside 17-inch aluminum wheels, skid plates, a four-wheel-drive system, and an increase ground clearance of a full inch. A special edition Compass model commemorated Jeep's 70th anniversary in 2011, and included various upgrades, special interiors, badges, wheels, and was available in only three exterior colors: Bronze Star, Bright Silver, and Black.

Powertrain

The Compass uses a 2.4 L ''

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

'' I4 gasoline engine. The 2.0 L

engine is available on the 4X2 Sport model with . A 2.0 L l-R4 TDi

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

-designed

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

was available for the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n markets, replaced in 2011 by the 2.2 L

Mercedes-Benz OM651 The OM651 is a family of inline-four cylinder automobile diesel engines introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 2008. Design The main goal was to create a common engine design that maximized the parts commonality between the engines manufactured by par ...

. The Compass also features two electronically controlled

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

systems.

Freedom Drive I Jeep uses a variety of four-wheel drive systems on their vehicles. These range from basic part-time systems that require the driver to move a control lever to send power to four wheels, to permanent four-wheel systems that monitor and sense trac ...

and Freedom Drive II, Freedom Drive I is a full-time four-wheel drive system with locking capabilities; Freedom Drive II is based on Freedom Drive I but by using the vehicle's CVT transmission it is capable of a 19:1 gear reduction simulating a low-range usually found in vehicles with dedicated transfer cases. The base model version has

front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

(FWD). The Trail Rated version of the Compass has passed the same testing of off-road ability as other Jeep vehicles in terms of traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording.

Models

The three basic models of Compass in the U.S. are Sport, Latitude, and Limited. The Sport serves as the base model. It includes features such as seventeen-inch alloy wheels, an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player and four speakers, a heater, cloth seating surfaces, and manual, roll-up windows and manual door locks. Features such as power windows and door locks, a seven-speaker

Boston Acoustics Boston Acoustics was an American manufacturer of home and mobile audio equipment founded in 1979. The company produced speakers for home, custom/architectural, and car audio. History Advent veterans Andy Kotsatos (known as Andy Pettit) and Frank ...

premium sound system with a 368-watt external amplifier, and air conditioning are options. The 2014-2016 Jeep Compass Sport and Sport SE, The Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) does not come as standard equipment. An EVIC gives the user information such as gas mileage, number of miles to empty, service intervals, tire pressure, etc. The Latitude is the midrange model. It added features onto the Sport, such as air conditioning,

keyless entry A remote keyless system (RKS), also known as keyless entry or remote central locking, is an electronic lock that controls access to a building or vehicle by using an electronic remote control (activated by a handheld device or automatically b ...

, a security system, and power windows and door locks. The EVIC comes as an optional component with the security and cargo convenience package. This option comes with an alarm, tonneau cover, tire pressure monitoring display, garage door opener, and an electronic vehicle information center. The model became available in 2011. The Limited is the top-of-the-line model. It added features such as leather-trimmed seats, had an available sunroof, and

remote starter A remote starter is a radio controlled device, which is installed in a vehicle by the factory or an aftermarket installer to preheat or cool the vehicle before the owner gets into it. Once activated, by pushing a button on a special key chain re ...

. A 70th Anniversary Edition was based on the Sport model. It added air conditioning, unique leather-trimmed seats, unique alloy wheels, a sunroof, side-impact airbags, a seven-speaker Boston Acoustics premium sound system with a 368-watt external amplifier, power windows and door locks, keyless entry, and a security alarm. This special edition model was only offered in 2011 to celebrate Jeep's 70th anniversary. All Jeep models for 2011 only offered a 70th Anniversary Edition model (Compass, Patriot, Wrangler, Wrangler Unlimited, Liberty, and the Grand Cherokee). An Altitude Edition model was made available in 2012. It was based upon the Latitude model and added black-painted alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats, a sunroof, and a Boston Acoustics premium sound system with a 368-watt external amplifier. The Altitude package was available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee only at first, but then was available on the Compass, Patriot, Wrangler, and Wrangler Unlimited as well. All models except the Jeep Grand Cherokee dropped this model (the Grand Cherokee model continued to offer this model for the 2013 model year). The Altitude name was chosen in a contest to name a Grand Cherokee concept car. Because of the Altitude's popularity, Jeep decided to offer it on all models except for the Jeep Liberty, which had been discontinued. The Jeep Patriot and first generation Jeep Compass were phased out during the 2016 model year, replaced by a single redesigned Compass SUV that FCA debuted in late 2016.

Safety

The Compass was safety tested by Euro NCAP in 2012 and earned a two-star rating.

Second generation (MP/552; 2017)

The second-generation of Jeep Compass debuted on 27 September 2016 in

and at the

in November 2016, replacing the

Jeep Patriot The Jeep Patriot (MK74) is a front-engine five-door compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Jeep, having debuted with the Jeep Compass in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show for the 2007 model year. Both cars, as well as Dodge Calibe ...

and first generation Compass. Production for North American-market Compass models was moved to

Toluca, Mexico Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city fo ...

, while

Jeep Cherokee (KL) The Jeep Cherokee (KL) is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by the Jeep marque of Stellantis North America. Introduced for model year 2014 at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, sales began in November 2013. It occupie ...

production will move from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...

, where the first-generation Compass and

were both assembled. Using a stretched version of the same platform as the

, the Compass is available in four distinct trim levels: the base Sport, the mid-level Latitude, the higher-end Limited, and the off-road-focused Trailhawk. All trim levels are available with either

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

, with the exception of the Trailhawk, which is only available in a 4WD configuration. In the United States, the Compass comes equipped with a 2.4 L '' Tigershark'' four-cylinder engine. More than 65 percent of the upper body structure and the frame is made of high-strength steel. Styling of the second-generation Compass is inspired by two of its larger siblings, the

and

Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK2) The fourth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK2) is a mid-size SUV. It was introduced in 2010 for the 2011 model year by Jeep. The unveiling took place at the 2009 New York Auto Show. The new version was very well received as it garnered 30 aw ...

. Styling elements taken from the Grand Cherokee include headlamps integrated into the front grille and a narrow front grille with a black finish, while the Cherokee lends some of its rear end styling elements, basic interior design, and 2.4 L ''Tigershark'' inline four-cylinder (I4) gasoline engine and ZF-sourced nine-speed 948TE automatic transmission to the overall design of the Compass. Available features include FCA's UConnect 4C 8.4 and 8.4N touch-screen infotainment systems, a Beats Premium Audio System with a 506-watt digital amplifier, eighteen-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Jeep's Command-View panoramic sunroof, LED front headlamps, Forward Collision Warning, a ParkView rear-view backup camera system, front and rear parking sensors, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), and Jeep's

Selec-Terrain Jeep uses a variety of four-wheel drive systems on their vehicles. These range from basic part-time systems that require the driver to move a control lever to send power to four wheels, to permanent four-wheel systems that monitor and sense tract ...

full-time four-wheel-drive system (standard on the Trailhawk model).

Production

The Compass is assembled at plants in Italy, Mexico, Brazil, China, and India. North American and European models are manufactured in Melfi, Italy (designation: BU/520) and

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city ...

, Mexico (designation: MP/522); moved from

. In Brazil, the second-generation Jeep Compass start production the 26 September 2016 at FCA new

Goiana Goiana is a city in Brazil in the northeast of the state of Pernambuco, roughly 65 km north of the city of Recife, 51 km from the capital of Paraíba and 2,187 km from Brasília. Its historic center was declared a National Histo ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the ...

Assembly Plant (designation: M1/551). Chinese models were produced by the GAC Fiat Chrysler joint venture (designation: M4/553) Production of the first-generation Compass and Patriot ended early 2017, with production of the second generation Compass beginning in spring of 2017 for North American models. Assembled at

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...

's facility in

Ranjangaon Ranjangaon is a village located at a distance of about 50 km from Pune. Located there is the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Industrial area and a shrine to Mahaganapati. The MIDC in Ranjangoan is a five star ind ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

, it is Jeep's first model assembled in India (designation: M6/566). The right-hand drive version is solely produced at the Indian plant.

India

The Compass was unveiled in India on 12 April 2017 and assembled in the FCA India Pune plant since 1 July 2017. In addition to manufacturing for the Indian market, Jeep also exports the Indian-made Compass to many right-hand drive markets such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal, and Thailand. The India-spec model is available with two engine options - a 1.4-liter I4, turbocharged ''MultiAir'' petrol, and a 2.0-liter I4, turbocharged ''Multijet II'' diesel engine. In 2017 Jeep sold about 10,000 Compasses in India from the day of release until the middle of December. In 2017, the vehicle contains over 65% Indian parts.

Facelift

In 2020, a facelift for the model was first launched in China, with slight visual changes to the exterior of the vehicle, and a completely redesigned interior. In January 2021, the Compass facelift was released in India. It gets a revised front profile, a larger grille, a new front bumper with a larger air dam, slimmer headlights with Integrated LED DRLs, LED fog lights, and new alloy wheels. The 2022 US model includes over-the-air updates and includes collision warning with

automatic braking A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...

, lane-keep assist, pedestrian/

cycle detection In computer science, cycle detection or cycle finding is the algorithmic problem of finding a cycle in a sequence of iterated function values. For any function that maps a finite set to itself, and any initial value in , the sequence of iter ...

, active lane management,

blind-spot monitor The blind spot monitor or blind-spot monitoring is a vehicle-based sensor device that detects other vehicles located to the driver’s side and rear. Warnings can be visual, audible, vibrating, or Touch, tactile. Vehicle blind spot, Blind spot ...

, and rear cross-traffic alert. It also includes a semi-autonomous assist system called Highway Assist that allows for hand-on-wheel and eyes-on-road automated driving. The 2022 Compass lineup consists of existing Sport, Latitude, Trailhawk, Limited, and High Altitude models, although a new Latitude Lux model, slotting between the mid-range Latitude and luxury-oriented Limited trims, becomes available. A limited-edition (RED) Edition model is also available, based on the Limited trim. The sole engine remains the naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder gasoline engine producing 177 horsepower and 172 lb. ft. of torque (down 3 horsepower and 3 lb. ft. of torque, from 180 and 175, respectively). All four-wheel drive models receive the nine-speed 948TE automatic ZF 9HP transmission as standard equipment, while front wheel drive models receive the six-speed Aisin automatic transmission as standard. Sport and Latitude models are available with front-wheel-drive with optional all-wheel-drive, while all other models now include standard all-wheel-drive. File:Jeep Compass (MP) Facelift IMG 5813.jpg, 2021 Jeep Compass (Germany, facelift) File:Jeep Compass (MP) PHEV Facelift 1X7A0139.jpg, Jeep Compass 4xe (Germany, facelift) File:2022 Jeep Compass interior.jpg, Interior (facelift)

Special editions

In addition to the standard trim levels, Altitude and High Altitude Special Editions are available for the Latitude and Limited trim levels respectively and added "blacked-out" exterior accents, black alloy wheels, as well as other features to their respective trim levels. The Upland Special Edition model is also available for the base Sport trim level and adds black alloy wheels, blue accent trim for the exterior badging, Trailhawk-inspired exterior styling elements, and blue stitching on the interior. It is only available with four-wheel-drive (4WD), the 2.4 L I4 engine, and an automatic transmission. An 80th Anniversary Edition version of the Latitude trim level, that adds unique exterior accents and a few extra features, is available for the 2021 model year. For 2022, Jeep unveiled a line of vehicles in partnership with

Product Red Product Red, stylized as (PRODUCT) or (PRODUCT)RED, is a licensed brand by the company Red, stylized as (RED), that seeks to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in eight African countries, namely E ...

, with each brand releasing a special-edition vehicle with (RED) branding. The

Compass is based on the Limited trim level, and is available exclusively in Redline 3-Coat Pearl Metallic paired with a Black perforated leather-trimmed interior with red interior stitching. In addition, the Compass (RED) Edition includes special exterior badging, and wheels from the Limited-based High Altitude Edition. In addition to a special-edition vehicle,

will also release branded (RED) merchandise that will be available for purchase. Proceeds from each sale of a (RED)-branded vehicle will be donated to the

Foundation.

Safety

Euro NCAP

IIHS

=2017

=2022

= The 2022 Compass was tested by the

IIHS The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a U.S. nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies, established in 1959 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle traffic collisio ...

and its top trim earned a ''Top Safety Pick'' award:

Sales

Notes

References

External links

Official website
* {{Jeep car timeline

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

Cars introduced in 2006 2010s cars 2020s cars Compact sport utility vehicles Crossover sport utility vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Euro NCAP small off-road Vehicles with CVT transmission