Kinda like a Corolla with a ground effects package … it would have been far more impressive to have made a sincere commitment to the Compass' identity with a 300 HP turbo and rally suspension. That would have been a statement! Instead chrome and tinsel prevails in a sad ploy to revitalize sales at the cost of further marginalizing this vehicle.

The Rallye front facia does help improve the looks of the Compass, but then that's not saying much (something about lipstick on a pig comes to mind). Interestingly it makes it look more like the concept car we were teased with.

I'm not surprised at all that it's merely an appearance package though. Jeep's target market for the Compass is girls/women (they've admitted this on several occasions), most of which [broad generalization]are more concerned with a car's looks than with its performance[/generalization]. Despite the rally-inspired styling of the concept and it's marketing images, when the real specs were released it became quite clear that Jeep was going after the Scion segment, not Suby.

IMHO DCX really should have left the 'car' segment to the Dodge Caliber which is far better styled and equipped to go up against the import crowd, and the rally crowd if they so-chose. But the Dodge brand as a whole has little appeal to the female market, and Chrysler wouldn't really appeal to younger buyers, so all that was left was Jeep and DCX just had to have a "chick car" off the Caliber platform...

I kind of like the looks of it.

OK, everybody just relax and take it down a notch. I'm about to open up the age-old argument that we've all heard before. You (we, whatever) are all hard-core Jeepers and enthusiasts, which make up exactly 0% of the target market for this vehicle. Keep in mind that the Compass was made (and to a lesser extent, the Patriot) to draw in NEW Jeep drivers, not keep existing ones. This is the same crowd that is looking at the Scion, Escape, CR-V, etc., and NOT the Subaru line. Anything that appears to draw on off-road heritage (whether it REALLY does or not) gives this otherwise questionable "Jeep" validity in a person's mind who has little to no experience with the brand and thinks that all Jeeps are just off-road trucks. These people have mostly, up to this point, questioned how the Compass fit into the Jeep lineup and therefore didn't want to buy one that wasn't a "true Jeep" for fear of looking like a poseur (which is suicide in this crowd). This kind of package, which is EXACTLY like the previous Sahara/Orvis/Overland/Pioneer/Country/Renegade (I could go on....) packages, has NOTHING to do with true off-road performance, obviously, but the "appearance" of such a thing.

Now, would an SRT variant of the Compass with a powerful engine and AWD really breathe some life into this car? Absolutely.

Also, I do agree that the Compass, and perhaps the Patriot, should have somehow incorperated the Eagle nameplate. Not only does it fit in with Jeep's current "national pride" nameline (Liberty, Patriot, etc.) but believe it or not the Eagle name still has a lot of equity with buyers, especially the parents of the kids that are now 16-19 and are looking at these entry vehicles for their kids. But alas, this did not happen, and won't (Jeep has more or less said that the Eagle name won't be used, and the last thing DCX needs to do right now is open another brand).

As long as Jeep continues to make the Wrangler (and a few other solid off-road performers), I really don't care too much about what else they put out, so long as these things SELL and keep the brand going.

>stepping down off soapbox<

~XJameson

To all U skeptics: yuk it up while U can!

I agree with Josephus. Jeep should immediately introduce an SRT version of the Compass, similar to the 300HP SRT4 Caliber. They share the same platform (as does the Patriot) with the "new world" engine drivetrain. It's only a matter of time. With AWD & 300HP & these ground effects, the 20-somethings will be drooling, and the WRX will have a real challenger and a legit "Rallye car".

I just wish Jeep jumped in with both feet & offered the 300HP Compass right away, instead of "gauging" the public's reaction to a "special appearance package". Hopefully the snickers don't scare 'em away from proceeding with the next logical iteration.

I think this is kinda sad.
A Rallye version is supposed to be the embodiment of performance mated to All-Wheel drive. It would have been the sole justification for creating the Compass, and yet the bean counters still won't let the SRT group execute it correctly. It's a fancy trim package - that's all.
No Turbo or twin-chargers, no increased wheel travel, no performance bump = no interest. Leave the Rallye stuff to Suburu and Mitsubishi.
It's a shame, because with Jeep's established off-road prowess they could have easily parlaid that into Rallye cred.
Maybe the hanging tailgate speakers and flashlight will attract buyers.

YES! This is exactly what this car needed to distinguish itself from the Caliber and draw on off-road heritage (yes, yes I know that Jeep doesn't have the "heritage" in rallye that it does in off-roading, but its better than nothing!). What are the drivetrain choices? This thing would be sweet with a turbocharged 4 or 6 and AWD...