The all-new Jeep Compass will be unveiled later today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and we've got the photos and details of the new compact CUV for you. After lacklustre sales and reviews of the outgoing model, Jeep is hoping that the completely redesigned crossover will point in the right direction this time.
The new Compass rides on the same platform as the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X, but it's been made a little bit bigger than those. It lives a class up from its siblings, competing with the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. The new body is very much a shrunken Grand Cherokee, but the proportions still look good on the smaller body. The Jeep slotted grille is more conventional than the Cherokee's, and the pronounced body crease and bulging fenders add some flair to the rest of the shape.
Inside, the gauge cluster gets a 3.5-inch info display or, on higher trims, a full digital dash. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available, with touchscreens coming in 5.0-, 7.0-, and 8.4-inch flavours, all with UConnect. Notably, there is a return to a good old-fashioned console shift lever, moving away from the dials and stub shifters that haven't exactly caught on with consumers. There will also be a huge dual-pane glass roof available to let the wind, sun or stars into the cabin.
While there will be 17 powertrain choices globally, we will only get one engine, FCA's 2.4L Tigershark four-cylinder. That engine offers 180 hp and 175 lb-ft of torque. Uniquely in the segment, there will be a six-speed manual offered on two- and four-wheel-drive models. Front-wheel-drive Compasses get a six-speed automatic and four-wheel drive models get a nine-speed. The four-wheel-drive system gets a 20:1 low ratio for rock-crawling on the Trailhawk, and the system can send up to 100 percent of torque to just one wheel if necessary to get traction.
That off-road-based, Trail-Rated Trailhawk model joining the lineup comes with unique bumpers and a 25 mm suspension lift. Underneath, it also has skid plates and tow hooks. Further improvements to off-road capabilities come from hill descent control and a Rock mode in the Selec-Terrain system. Jeep claims the Trailhawk will be able to ford up to 483 mm of water.
Production of the new Compass has already started for other markets, and production for North America is expected to start early next year.
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