So much hate on the FP...

"and 100 more" (nth256) 09/02/2015 at 17:16 • Filed to: None

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I know better than to go there...

I’m not saying the Compass is great. It’s not; it’s amazingly mediocre. But the review of it wasn’t exactly fair, nor was it remotely complete.

But damn, the bandwagoning gets heavy when someone decides to shit on something less-than-stellar. I have a hard time believing that the Compass has aroused so much ire in these people. It’s not a great car, fine; I think they’re all being a tad dramatic about it, though.

For what it’s worth, here’s some pics of a Compass, built by a forum-mate of mine, who probably has more right than anyone to hate on the Compass for its shortcomings, and yet he loves it. He is aware of it’s limitations, and has done the research and fabrication work to overcome as much as he can, and his compass is truly impressive offroad.

^^^ Winch getting installed. It gets used, but mostly to unstick other rigs.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 17:26

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That particular Compass looks great. I kind of like the Compass because it's really cheap and comes with a stick, but it's kind of been replaced in that aspect by the Renegade.

HammerheadFistpunch > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 17:37

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no offense, but why didn’t he get a patriot?

and 100 more > HammerheadFistpunch 09/02/2015 at 17:44

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He used to have a green Patriot, traded it in on this. The only difference if i recall correctly is that the Compass had the better offroad package that he originally wanted, and the facelifted exterior and interior. Otherwise, mechanically the same as the Patriot, minus come cargo space in the rear.

HammerheadFistpunch > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 17:47

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I’d wager that his winch mount and spacer are rocky road.

and 100 more > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/02/2015 at 17:48

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The Renegade is superior on paper, admittedly. The 4WD system is FAR superior to the one in even the high-end Compass. But I guess the Renegades have been plagued with quality issues from Day One.

Which is not to say that they’re ALL bad; its just a far leap to say that the Renegade is a better vehicle when it hasn’t even been on the market a full year.

and 100 more > HammerheadFistpunch 09/02/2015 at 17:52

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Yup yup! There’s not much aftermarket for the Jeep twins outside of Rocky Road...

There is an Aussie company that makes a coil lift kit, but the guy has been super flaky in the last few months. So RRO is about the only game in town for lift kits on this platform anymore.

jkm7680 > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 17:55

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If only he has waited a couple more years until the Cherokee came out......

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 17:57

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How long the vehicle has been on the market doesn’t matter, and you can’t really assume a car is going to have quality issues.

That said, the Renegade is pretty much the only reason I wouldn't want a Compass if I needed an SUV under $20k with a stick.

JR1 > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 18:00

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Cool Compass. Never totally understood the hate for the vehicle. But then again I know very little about the Compass

HammerheadFistpunch > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 18:06

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They are not far from me, I got my sliders (boo) and my lift kit (yeah) from them. I wouldn’t say they are a great shop, but they do know their niche market.

and 100 more > JR1 09/02/2015 at 18:06

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Look at it this way: how amazed are people to see a Subaru Forester being taken up a powerline trail and crawling across streams and gravel roads? Because the expectation is that of a car, people see this as “pretty impressive for a car”. But because the Compass wears a Jeep badge, people assume it should be a weekend rock-crawler and mid-week urban-assault vehicle right out of the dealership. It’s a FWD-based tall-wagon, which also does quite well offroad... for a FWD-based tall-wagon.

and 100 more > HammerheadFistpunch 09/02/2015 at 18:08

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Not a fan of the sliders? I’ve hear nothing but praise from other Patriot/Compass owners about theirs. What’s your experience with them?

What kinda rig do you have them installed on?

HammerheadFistpunch > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 18:09

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They are on my 80 series. They are too wimpy, too short and they actually wanted me to drill into my rocker panels to install them (I didn’t) plus their QC is poor, they weren’t jigged properly.

and 100 more > jkm7680 09/02/2015 at 18:11

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LOL! His wife has one. :) He absolutely loves it, except for the poor clearance, lack of articulation, and dismal outlook for lift kits in the future.

hike > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/02/2015 at 18:12

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Oddly, the Renegade doesn’t replace the Compass. There will be another car replacing the Compass and Patriot in one. I haven’t figured out why, but I prefer the mini Grand Cherokee look to the look of the Renegade.

and 100 more > HammerheadFistpunch 09/02/2015 at 18:13

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Lame! Again, I’ve heard nothing but praise for their products, but then again, they’re about the only aftermarket business around for our platform...

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > hike 09/02/2015 at 18:18

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I know that, but Jeep basically has three vehicles filling the same niche (Renegade and ComPatriot twins). Of the three, the Renegade is the best.

hike > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/02/2015 at 18:19

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It really doesn’t make any sense. But the Compatriot just keeps selling so they just keep building it. I don’t know why it sells so well, but whatever floats their boat!

Textured Soy Protein > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 18:39

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I have an ‘05 Grand Cherokee Limited Hemi with Quadra-Drive on General Grabber AT2s that I use for driving on snow-covered Wisconsin roads while my BMW is in winter storage, and burning up inordinate amounts of gas.

So on the one hand I turn my nose up at the Compass, but on the other hand this one goes farther off road than my “real” Jeep.

JR1 > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 19:00

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Don’t say it like that. It makes me hate the Compass. Jeeps should never be FWD in my opinion. But they sell so I can live with it.

jkm7680 > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 19:30

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Haha, nobody should rag on him about what he's passionate about. Power to him!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 20:11

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I’ve always thought the Patriot/Compass siblings weren’t half bad. Sure they don’t totally have the off-road capabilities from the factory as say a GC or Wrangler, but that’d be like bitching that your 320i isn’t as fast or handle as well as an M3. I’d totally rock a Patriot as a commuter. You know, like probably 85% of Jeeps are used for anyway regardless of off road ability.

and 100 more > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 09/02/2015 at 21:45

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Ohmygawd, yes on every point you just made.

and 100 more > jkm7680 09/02/2015 at 21:48

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Seriously, he’s one of the biggest proponents of the MK platform. And just a good dude besides.

and 100 more > JR1 09/02/2015 at 21:53

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Fuck yes they sell. The Patriot is set to outsell the Honda Pilot next year, even though Jeep originally planned to kill it in 2013.

The 4wd system is NOT gonna be a match for a true RWD 4x4 setup, but it’s still damn good.

It does quite well despite its FWD underpinnings.

and 100 more > Textured Soy Protein 09/02/2015 at 22:00

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Your honesty is refreshing, that’s not a statement you’ll hear often in the Jeep community.

Seriously, this dude is in the dirt at least once a week. He lives in Canada, so very often that time is spent in the snow and mud. He is definitely getting his money’s worth out of that Compass, much respect to him.

Textured Soy Protein > and 100 more 09/02/2015 at 23:41

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Might be because I’m not really a Jeep guy per se. I like performance cars, and felt like getting something completely overkill for my winter “beater” that’s really not a beater.

It goes like hell in the snow though!

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > and 100 more 09/11/2015 at 12:14

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Your friend’s feelings=kind of my feelings on my truck. I know its interior is several light years below stellar, I know its looks are polarizing (but I’m one of the ones who think it looks good, fuck you. I’m driving this for me, not you.), I know the weaknesses. And for me, it has enough good points to make up for them.

I don't know about the interior/mechanics of the Compass, but this facelifted one looks awesome. it's enough to be the deal maker for me, especially considering the old one.