Jeep Compass test drive since 2006 crossover
Without changing traditions
For several generations of motorists, the word jeep was a synonym for the word SUV. And suddenly - the Jeep Compass SUV, the closest relative of the front -wheel drive hatchback of the Dodge Caliber golf class ... Supporting the brand renom, so far, Jeep has not been exchanged for little things: uncompromising frames Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, legendary Wrangler, the new full -size SUMMANDER SUV - all these off -road cars are capable of miracles, for which they enjoyed well -deserved respect among a not very wide, but true circle buyers - conquerors of sand and dirt.
But times are changing. Caste of professional off -road fighters is reduced. They are replaced by crossovers - cars with all -wheel drive and large clearance, intended for urban residents, who sometimes make sorties to nature.
The choice of SUVs (both professional and parquet) is extremely wide. According to Jeep experts, in 2007, 54 models will be presented in the SUV class in the SUV class. It is not easy to stand out in this series.
What qualities does the non -standard Jeep Compass have, what highlight is laid in its design? In fact, it turned out that the brand values \u200b\u200bremained unchanged in the parquet version.
Combat coloring For whom did Daimlerchrysler decide to give up the principles of the brand? The concern marketers describe the target audience of the novelty as young (25-45 years) professionals oriented to family life and at the same time appreciate freedom. The basis of their independence is also the income above average.
When performing a radical step towards a new group of customers, the leadership of Daimlerchrysler set a difficult task for its designers: to make a serious frivolous SUV. The first version of Compass as a prototype was presented at the 2002 Detroit car dealership and somewhat reminiscent of amphibians. The serial car received a less exotic, but still quite shocking appearance. The relevance of the appearance of Compass is achieved due to the new -fangled elements of the exterior: triangular rear side glasses, like the Mazda 3 hatchback, integrated into the rear window of the door opening pens - this solution was first used on the elegant alfa romeo 156, and now on the futuristic Honda Civic of the last generation . Of course, there is in the guise of a new Jeep and original stylistic solutions. Take the same bamper sides that can be compared with the infants of the American Stormfordshire Terrier. And the traditions of the brand in Compass are traced thanks to the family features of Jeep: a radiator grille with seven slots, round headlights and a trapezoid wheel arches.
Despite the rather large wheelbase (2635 mm), on the Compass road it takes almost the same room as Dodge Caliber. Compactness is achieved thanks to the short front and rear overhangs that do not interfere with parking in urban crowds, as well as a small trunk, the space of which is a full -size reserve. Only 436 liters remain for the lug - the volume of a good refrigerator, but not an SUV. As planned by designers, to compensate for the lack of useful space in the cargo compartment should the convenience of its use: for example, the luggage gender is a light but strong removed panel with a practical vinyl coating. Compass cannot boast of a large trunk, but it is convenient to rear passengers. Three men in standard complexion will be placed in the second row with comfort. The backs of the rear seats can be tilted to an angle to 12. They can also be folded. In this case, a flat surface of the luggage compartment is formed.
I liked the algorithm for the transformation of the front passenger seat: it turns into a table with a light movement of the hand, on which the laptop can be placed and bite. In city traffic jams, any driver will appreciate a high landing - 5.1 cm higher than that of Caliber.
The list of options has a lot of offers designed to attract young and active users. For example, the Acoustic Acoustics acoustic system, located on the inner panel of the fifth door, can be turned on the hinged supports so that with the trunk open, the sound will not be directed to the interior, but in the opposite direction. You won’t surprise anyone with a radio with a mp3-file reading function, but using a special adapter (in the list of additional equipment), an iPod player can be connected to acoustics. And a very unusual option: a ceiling is built into the luggage of the luggage compartment, which can be removed and used as a portable flashlight. And against the background of these options, cheap plastic of internal panels, contrasting with leather seats of top modification, looks out of place. I’m not sure that the chopped interior design will appeal to Russian representatives of the fair sex, preferring SUVs. Compass, of course, is far from unisex. However, for many buyers of crossovers, this is a dignity, not a disadvantage.
Fighting character In urban conditions or on the highway, a purely civilian jeep differs little from a regular hatchback: up to 90% of torque is transmitted to the front wheels, and Compass behaves as a typical front -wheel drive car. Small rolls in corners do not spoil the impression of the car control. The steering wheel is informative, with an adequate reactive effect and optimal effort. The rear axle is automatically connected when slipping the front wheels or forcibly - for this, it is enough to pull up the chrome on the enforcement block of the enforcement of the center differential located next to the handbrake. In this case, the engine power is redistributed between the axes in equal proportions. But the features of the car on the broken countryside hidden when moving along the asphalt are especially clearly manifested.
The vast majority of SUVs would have floundered before the tractor arrived in the puddle where the organizers of the test drive decided to demonstrate to us the off-road capabilities of Compass. Mud in the middle of the booty of fishing boots, and Jeep on asphalt tires (without any hint of soil -bearing) unknown to freedom. Thanks to the big clearance (200 mm) and the verified work of the center differential. For slopes, climbing on Compass is also not scary thanks to short overhangs.
And on the bumpy country road, Compass surprised even more. The energy intensity of the suspension is amazing: at a speed of 80 km/h, the car easily straightens out with hillocks and pits. Real jeep! Fortunately, the Compass designers did not completely abandon the traditional frame and partially integrated it into the body. As conceived, the average arithmetic between the frame SUV and the car with a load -bearing body should provide the case of the machine with a relatively small weight with high rigidity. It turned out that such a power structure copes well with longitudinal and transverse buildup, inevitable on country roads. The energy -intensive independent suspension of all the wheels - both on the lane and on the roads lined with uneven concrete slabs at a speed of 100 km/h, she did not allow a single breakdown to this.
The standard compass includes partially disconnected ESP system. On a slippery road, the SUV is clearly predisposed to demolish the front axle, but as soon as the car begins to dangerously slide out, even the electronics turned off reduces the engine speed and brakes the wheels. The standard equipment also includes ABS and track control.
Unusual machine Two engines are intended for Compass: a 2-liter 140-horsepower Volkswagen production turbodiesel and a 2.4-liter 172-horsepower gasoline 2.4-liter engine assembled in Michigan. With the first Compass, it consumes an average of less than 7 liters of fuel per 100 km - for the first time, the Jeep car can boast of such efficiency (the supply of these cars will begin in 2007). We got acquainted with a version equipped with a gasoline engine. According to the press release, the dynamics this engine provides quite acceptable: to accelerate from a place up to 100 km/h Compass with a 5-speed manual transmission, 10.7 s is required, and with a stray variator-0.6 C. However, in reality, it seemed to us that the variator lubricates the sensation of acceleration (there were cars with a bearing transmission on the test).
By the way, the installation of a variator on an SUV is a rather rare practice: until recently, it was believed that such a transmission could not transfer a large torque to wheels. A pleasant difference from mechanics and traditional automatic transmissions is the best smoothness and invisible points of gear. The reverse side of the medal - the variator, as it were, moves the driver from driving, not allowing to predict the moment of gear shift and, as a result, feel the moment of the beginning of acceleration. Compass with the variator is absolutely not explosive.
What direction does Compass ask? I think true. Despite some compromises, this is still a real jeep. You simply forget about some of its shortcomings by learning the price of the basic configuration: 24900 euros. And especially fanatical fans of the style, perhaps, will reassure the assurances of the representatives of Daimlerchrysler that the Caliber golf-class hatchback was made on the basis of the Compass SUV, and not vice versa ...
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Technical characteristics Jeep Compass 2.4 CVT II
Dimensions, mm 4405x1810x1630/1740
Base, mm 2635
Engine type gasoline in a row 4-cylinder
Working volume, cubic meter. cm 2359
Max. Power, L.S./rpm 172/6000
Max. moment, nm/rpm 220/4000
Transmission of a stranded variator
Max. Speed, km/h 185
Tires 215/60 R17
Acceleration time 0-100 km, from 11.3
Fuel consumption (average), l/100 km 9.5
Tank volume, l 51.5
Pavel Sukhov
Photo of the manufacturer
A source: Avtopanorama magazine
