Jeep: Why You Should Buy a Jeep Compass

Despite the Jeep Compass signature features such as the seven-slot grille, round lights and four wheel drive, this Jeep is also making quite a noise at the lower end of the SUV market. Designed to attract young car buyers with age ranging from mid 20s to late 30s, the Compass is quite smaller in size compared to the other existing model in the line-up and is made to compete with the likes of Toyota's RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

At close inspection one can tell that the Compass styling is a mixture of slinky curves and chiseled angles that need to be seen in order to be appreciated. Although the Jeep Compass may be considered quite eccentric as compared to other SUVs but there is something endearing about the Compass?styling.

Jeep by the way preferred to call their Jeep Compass URV short for urban recreational vehicle. The Compass is more like its cousin the Dodge's Caliber in the sense that the two share the same foundation plus some other parts and accessories like Jeep door handle cover taken from the DaimlerChrysler parts bin. But despite the similarities the Caliber and the Compass have ended distinct from each other.

The Compass?interior is also a maze of hard plastics which includes the aluminum-look surround used for the centre console. The cabin was also made tolerable with the use of the nifty two-toned leather seats that has made the dark interior more subtle. The seats were very comfortable except for the steering column beating down on your knee caps whenever any footwork is required.

If you not used to lounging behind the steering wheel then you're in for a surprise with the Boston Acoustics sound system at full tilt lolling will somehow makes sense. There is also a set of speakers mounted on the tailgate and can be unclipped once you want to take the party out the car.

The Compass provides a load space of up to 170 cm3 of space with all the seats folded down. The luggage area is covered with a hardy nylon floor cover that can be removed and washed any time.

All of the Compass Limited models are equipped with heated leather seats, power windows, power heated side mirrors, six-disc MP3 compatible CD changer, adjustable steering and a hard sliding armrest located at the top of the center console.

In terms of safety equipment the Compass is equipped with dual front airbags and side curtain airbags, ABS complete with off-road calibration, ESP with yaw sensors, traction control with brake assist and electronic roll mitigation. All of the 18 inch alloys are connected to a standard tire pressure monitor. The Compass will also have the MacPherson strut and multi link arrangement that is a first for any Jeep vehicle.

Jeep Compass will also feature the Freedom Drive all-wheel drive system which cab be manually engaged at any speed by using a bright chrome lever placed just above the hand brake lever. Another first for Jeep is the 2.4 liter World Engine which was developed in partnership with Hyundai and Mitsubishi is also offered in the Compass. The 16-valve four cylinder delivers 125 kW at 6000 r/min and 220 Nm at 4500 r/min.

The prices for the Compass are as follows:

?Compass 2.4 5-speed manual R224,900
?Compass 2.4 CVT R254,900
?Compass 2.0 CRD R279,900

All of Compass?models are covered by the three-year/100,000 km warranty and maintenance plan of DaimlerChrysler.

Lisa Ziegler is a 29-year old native of Waldport, Oregon and is currently working as a senior research analyst in a top Automotive Research Consultancy firm.

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Jeep: Why You Should Buy a Jeep Compass

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