July 11, 200619 yr driving around saw one on a truck. tracked it down to the dealer right be my house. Wanted to check it out, but the lizards were outside. Didn't want to get pounced on. looked ok, but femmy from a distance. Now, I think I want a JEEP PATRIOT anyways. I'll try to check it out up close tomorrow. Edited July 11, 200619 yr by regfootball
July 11, 200619 yr Saw one going down the freeway, pretty fast, but it looked like a blob of turd doing 60 (I was on the MAXLightrail coming home from Portland going in the opposite direction) I must say, it doesn't look as bad in real life as it does in the pictures. But still... why JEEP???
July 11, 200619 yr The Caliber and Compass just show that DCX cannot get with the program. The standard side airbags are nice, but why no standard AC/PW/PL? At this price point, they're going up against Scions, Cobalts, whatever Hyundai and Kia sell, all with more standard crap.
July 11, 200619 yr Sadly for manly Jeep enthusiasts I think this will sell well... to some of the same people that drive Libertys...
July 11, 200619 yr Author Its brilliant thinking now that I think of it. If you are stuck getting a cheap car and a small car, would you rather it be a Saturn (vue), a pontiac (vibe), or a toyota (Matrix) or outlander etc. when you could have a JEEP which is a cool brand? here's the kicker. the caliber is way cool, but they squashed the roof on purpose for rakish looks. The jeep is the way to get the utility + of the caliber and have a taller roofline. In the process, its more fun to get a Jeep than a Vibe, for example. and, big kicker....it brings NEW/MORE buyers into the brand to move them up to better Jeep products later on. Someone who thought they were stuck with a Matrix, now can get a Jeep and some brand equity. With toyota you get no status. Edited July 11, 200619 yr by regfootball
July 12, 200619 yr Add in the fact that they have the Patriot coming out behind it to please the more manly Jeep buyers and you pretty much hit the nail on the head... I saw some pictures of the Compass in white (loaded out with Chrome wheels and everything else too) and it actually didn't look THAT bad... Then again I don't think I am the target audience - I think I will like the Patriot more...
July 13, 200619 yr Author i think that compass was sold, i didn't see it on the lot. it did look better than in pictures except i didn't like the headlights. the hidden door handle in back is actually a nice trick in person. Edited July 13, 200619 yr by regfootball
July 13, 200619 yr i don't know what the compass is.... is it this? saw this on Woodward 166438[/snapback] That looks pretty cool but I have no clue what that is. Is Jeep also releasing a 4-door Wrangler or is that a mod?
July 13, 200619 yr There's a place around here that's the self-professed 'Home of the 4-Door Wrangler.' I'll take some pics next time I drive by.
July 13, 200619 yr That looks like the 4 door Wrangler.. Has the manufacturer plate so it is not a mod one!
July 14, 200619 yr There's a place around here that's the self-professed 'Home of the 4-Door Wrangler.' I'll take some pics next time I drive by. 166459[/snapback] here is the other shot check the roof out
July 14, 200619 yr i don't know what the compass is.... is it this? saw this on Woodward 166438[/snapback] No, this awful thing is:
July 14, 200619 yr Unless they've seriously upgraded the engine in the Wrangler, that 4-door will be a SLUG. On vacation in Florida, Chas and I rented an extended Wrangler. Even with the 6, acceleration was barely adequate.
July 14, 200619 yr The Caliber and Compass just show that DCX cannot get with the program. The standard side airbags are nice, but why no standard AC/PW/PL? At this price point, they're going up against Scions, Cobalts, whatever Hyundai and Kia sell, all with more standard crap. 165379[/snapback] True but forget all that... how about how freekin' ugly all these new Mopars are. & then there's the V6 in the Wrangler which just makes me sick.
July 14, 200619 yr Which gutless wonder will it be? None of Chrysler's V6s are all that spectacular on low end torque.....
July 14, 200619 yr Which gutless wonder will it be? None of Chrysler's V6s are all that spectacular on low end torque..... 166771[/snapback] Actually, Chrysler's V6 engines are pretty torquey. The trouble is that, in most applications, they are hooked up to power-sapping, ancient and woefully unreliable 4-Speed Automatic transmissions.
July 15, 200619 yr The Caliber and Compass just show that DCX cannot get with the program. The standard side airbags are nice, but why no standard AC/PW/PL? At this price point, they're going up against Scions, Cobalts, whatever Hyundai and Kia sell, all with more standard crap. 165379[/snapback] Apparently this isn't the case...I read an article somewhere (sorry that I don't have a source) saying that the average turnaround on the Caliber is 10 days. Dodge lots are just flying through them! This seems obvious but I'm just comfirming it...Caliber marketed to men, Compass to women? I was really surprised when DCX axed the Neon (big female car) for the "macho" Caliber, but if they think women are going to buy the Caliber, then it makes sense, I guess.
July 17, 200619 yr The 4 door Wrangler unlimited can be seen here... http://www.jeep.com/en/07wranglerunlimited/ That thing(Wrangler 4 door) is kickass!! As far as the other crap coming out, the Compass and the Patriot...terrible absolutley terrible!! Stop trying to please everybody is what I say and stick to your roots. The Compass's are all over in Michigan and they look worse in person.
July 17, 200619 yr The Wrangler and the 4-door Unlimited are getting the 3.8l OHV V6 from the minivans, which is more powerful than the outgoing AMC-based 4l I6 workhorse. They should be plenty powerful now, but I imagine it won't be long before they also get the enlarged 4l V6.
July 18, 200619 yr The only problems I have heard with the next generation of Wranglers, and this is from the diehards I know, is the cheapning of the drivetrain components. A lot of these people are worried. They say its a case of D/C pushing down manufacturing costs and making the Jeep brand bigger, so hence the cost push. The Germans don't always seem to get it when it comes to a niche vehicle like the Wrangler.
July 23, 200619 yr I went on my usual Sunday morning drive through the car lots to see what's new and saw my first Compass at the Jeep dealer. It was top leve model, 4x4, black with gray interior. It definitely looks better in person and bigger than I expected. I know it's taller than the Caliber, I'm not sure about the length. The proportions look better on this vehicle. I'm not sure about the lighter colors, but the black one looked good. It's not the vehicle for me, but now having seen it in person, I think these are going to sell very well.
July 24, 200619 yr It's the new 4-door Wrangler, or here in Canada... the TJ. The TJ is gone, now it's just Wrangler. . . GM droped the trademark. Ive seen about 10 of these 4 door Jeeps around the DCX R&D centre. Back to topic. . I got really sick when I saw the Compass in real life, it's sad to see Jeep destroying there "Trail Rated" image with this useless model. hopefully it's short lived and the caliber can have all the market to itself. Wasnt it like 2 years ago that automakers agreed that badge engineering was killing the auto industry. . . haha . . . so much for thought.
July 24, 200619 yr Saw a white CompASS earlier this week. GAWD that thing is damn ugly. 166746[/snapback] Saw one over at Freedom Dodge...and I have to echo the same thoughts. It's Jeep's underdone version of an Aztek. And least it knows what it wants to be, I'll give it that, unlike it's brother the Caliber.
July 27, 200619 yr It is one of the ugliest things Chrysler has ever produced, aside from, umm, the Charger, the new Sebring, and even technically the Caliber too. Ugh.
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