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www.ADandP.media AD&P; ∕ APRIL 2017 JEEP COMPASS Mike Manley, head of Jeep Brand and Ram Brand, FCA-Global, says that back in 2010—and remember, this was a time when the economy was crawling its way out of the Great Recession and Chrysler had gotten a new owner in the form of Fiat (and initially, in 2009, the United Auto Workers and the U.S. and Canadian governments)—they said that they would be refreshing the Jeep lineup. Which, of course, caused some eyes to roll. "This is the last of them," he says with pride underscored with what has to be a touch of relief. He's talking about the 2017 Jeep Compass, an all-new compact SUV. The Compass was originally introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle. At the time, Chrysler was part of DaimlerChrysler. And when the Compass was released, so was the Jeep Patriot, with both vehicles riding on the same platform (GS). The 2007 Compass was stylish where the 2007 Patriot was boxy. The story is that the then-German management was split when they saw the still-being-developed Jeep in the studio: rather than choosing one style over the other, the decision was made to do both. Mark Allen, head of Design for Jeep, says that there are—and were when the Compass and Patriot were being originally conceived—two design poles for the brand. One is the Grand Cherokee. The other is the Wrangler. So the Compass was inspired by the Grand Cherokee and the Patriot was an heir of the Wrangler. Since then, there have been changes to the lineup, the over- hauling that Manley refers to. For example, they've added the Jeep Renegade, which is Wrangler-inspired, as well as the Jeep Cherokee, which is more in the vein of the Grand Cherokee, although its form language isn't one that lines up chapter and verse with the Grand Cherokee. The question was which direction the Compass should take. There were a couple of key factors that were considered. One was that there would no longer be a fraternal twin: there would be no new Patriot. This means that one vehicle would have to carry the load of two, in some regards. Another important factor is that the new Compass would be a global vehicle. Whereas the original Compass (and Patriot) was built in the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, the new 2017 Compass is being built in four plants around the world: Brazil, China, India and Toluca, Mexico (with Toluca being the source of the vehicles for the NAFTA market). Allen and his team opted for an appearance that closely resembles the Grand Cherokee. When asked about some of the key design features of the Compass, Allen ticks off a number: • Strong character in the stance • Premium appearance in a small package • Shark-fin shape on the D-pillar • Tight proportions • A bright chrome molding around the DLO The 2017 Jeep Compass was designed and engineered in the U.S. It is being produced in four plants around the world and will be made available in some 100 countries. 37