One of only two front-wheel-drive Jeeps, the 2012 Compass is built on a car-based platform for a smoother ride and better fuel economy. This five-seat crossover keeps the characteristic Jeep styling, though.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.
Chrysler is recalling 1,689 model-year 2012 versions of the Jeep Compass and Patriot compact crossovers due to problems with their fuel tanks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The affected vehicles were manufactured from Dec. 17, 2011, through Jan. 2, 2012, and have a fuel tank with a faulty rollover valve. In the event of a rollover or other crash, fuel could leak, increasing the risk of a fire. You can find your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.
Chrysler will notify owners starting in June, and dealers will replace the fuel tank free of charge. Owners can call Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.
The blacked-out, menacing-looking Jeep Grand Cherokee that debuted at the Houston Auto Show earlier this year now has a name, as well as a few new siblings. Jeep launched the “Name My Ride” contest to christen the production-intent model and picked “Altitude” from more than 100,000 entries.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude -- with its black-gloss 20-inch aluminum wheels, platinum-chrome front-end trim and mesh grille, black headlamp bezels and black liftgate light bar -- will be joined in showrooms by Altitude versions of Jeep’s Compass and Patriot.
Chrysler celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Mopar accessories division by bringing four custom vehicles to the Chicago Auto Show: a 2012 Chrysler 300C, 2013 Dodge Dart, 2012 Fiat 500 and 2012 Jeep Compass. The Mopar-accessorized, rear-wheel-drive 300C will be available from the factory this summer for around $49,000 -- about $3,000 more than a loaded rear-drive 300C. The others are available with assorted parts from Mopar’s catalog, and I checked out all four.
More 2012 Chicago Auto Show Coverage
True to its factory-rollout status, the Mopar 300C looks like the sleeper of the bunch, with subtle blue stripes and matching wheels. Pop the hood, and Chrysler's 5.7-liter V-8 has blue etching. Thanks to a 3.91 rear axle ratio -- compared with 3.06 for the standard 300C -- the Mopar car should hit 60 mph in close to 5 seconds, Chrysler says. The automaker doesn't cite an exact zero-to-60 time on the regular 300C, except to say it’s "under 6 seconds." The tradeoff is the engine running at higher, mileage-killing rpm on the interstate, but I doubt any Mopar owner will care. I'm not as wild about the custom interior. It gets a cool, palm-sized automatic shifter but trades the 300's upscale Nappa leather for blue-accented Katzkin leather seats. They feel like too much aftermarket cowhide: shiny and, well, cheap.
The 2013 Dodge Dart is the first compact sedan from Chrysler in nearly seven years. That in itself is a milestone, but the car also looks competitive against the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze.
Chrysler's compact car plans are thanks to its new partner, Fiat. In the Dart we get the first real-world example of what to expect from upcoming replacement vehicles for the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler 200 and others in the future.
Chrysler has stated that the Dart's underpinnings are based off a new basic platform originally used to design and produce the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in Europe. Chrysler says the Dart platform — called Compact U.S. Wide — will also underpin most of its upcoming midsize and large sedans, crossovers, SUVs and minivans. The exceptions are the Jeep Wrangler, which will remain body-on-frame, Ram's trucks and the 2013 SRT Viper.
As the least Jeep-like Jeep, the entry-level Compass has never gotten much respect. When it debuted in 2007, the awkwardly styled compact SUV was overshadowed by the significantly more Jeep-like Patriot. Aside from the looks, the two were otherwise identical.
Much to our surprise, the game has changed with the face-lifted 2011 Compass. New interest has revved up its sales, as the 2011 is outselling the original Compass during its inaugural year. July 2011 saw the Compass’ sales grow 240 percent compared with July 2010, up from 1,302 units to 4,430. The 2011 Patriot saw a modest increase of 7 percent, but it outsold the Compass by just 168 units.
We unanimously deemed the 2011 Compass a Loser in our Winners and Losers list when the SUV was revealed at the 2011 Detroit auto show. So what’s going on?
Chrysler Group is recalling 11,351 vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands over an incorrectly installed steering column, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Listed in the recall are 2011 models of the Chrysler 200, Chrysler 200 convertible, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Grand Caravan, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. The affected vehicles were built between April 13 and May 6.
In some of the vehicles, the steering column may have been improperly installed, with either a missing or incorrectly installed steering column pivot rivet. On vehicles where the rivet is out of sorts, the steering column can cause more physical harm to passengers in the event of a frontal crash.
Chrysler dealers will inspect the rivet and the alignment of the steering column and make repairs if necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.
Chrysler has shifted around some of its incentives for the month of April, deemphasizing trucks but placing more cash on the hood of more models from Chrysler and Dodge.
Chrysler has decided to bring back its 60-day guarantee program for the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2011 Chrysler Town & Country for April. The “Minivan Pledge” works the same way it has in the past — you can return your van back to the automaker within 60-days, no questions asked. While the program may alleviate some buyer’s remorse — few people ended up changing their minds during past promotions — the pledge doesn’t really offer much in terms of cash back or financing incentives compared with March. 2.9% financing for 60 months is the same as last month. Last month Chrysler offered $2,000 — $4,000 in lease bonus cash on its minivan pair, which helps to reduce the capitalized cost of the lease. Those lease deals might turn out to be a better compared with current lease offerings, depending on your credit worthiness.
The new 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible gets its first suit of incentives, just in time for the winter’s thaw. Chrysler is offering $1,500 cash back or $750 back and 2.9% financing for 60 months with Ally Financial on the drop top. The all-new 2011 Dodge Durango now has some retail customer cash on the hood: $1,000 on the base Express trim.
Continue reading below for all the highlighted deals available for April. Most deals expire on May 2nd.
Chrysler has added a few cash-back incentives to its new 2011 model lineup, including more cash on the hood for high-output V-8 Ram trucks. More importantly, this time around Chrysler is offering some attractive lease deals. However, most of the cash incentives on the 2010 models are gone with the lone exception of the 2010 Dodge Challenger, which has $2,000 cash back.
The 2011 Dodge Nitro gets another $500 tacked onto its cash-back plan, which now totals $3,000. There’s another $1,000 added on the Caliber, so buyers can get up to $2,500 cash back on that model. Most of the redesigned models like the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango and the Chrysler minivans don’t have any cash incentives, but they do have fairly attractive financing deals.
If you want to get a better deal on one of Chrysler’s newer models, there are lease deals to be had such as $199 a month for the Dodge Avenger or Chrysler 200 or $359 a month for the new 2011 Dodge Charger R/T.
Most of the incentives below expire Feb. 28.
The final model affected by the Jeep’s plan to revamp its entire lineup, the Compass sports a new nose that emulates the redesigned Grand Cherokee. Behind the front fenders, little is different from before. Deep-pocketed owners of the prior Compass might even be able to fashion their own replica, given an open-minded aftermarket shop. Theirs will look as ungainly, but so does the factory version.
More details and photos of the 2011 Jeep Compass
View the Compass from any angle but head-on, and the similarities to the Grand Cherokee disappear.
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