We already took a look at MOPAR's first concept due to be displayed at the Paris Motor Show next week, and it turns out that it has a twin. This one is based on the unloved Compass mini 'ute and reuses the Overland moniker that's been popular with the Jeep brand, once owned by Willys-Overland. It's painted in a classically-Jeep dark green color that covers almost the entire exterior, minus some silver accent panels on the sides (why?) and a mesh grille that's actually kind of cool. On the inside, it's been tarted-up with new sill plates and seats with stitched-in Overland logos. The last (and least?) vehicle Chrysler is set to show off in Paris is a 25th Anniversary Chrysler Grand Voyager, which has French-stitched leather seating surfaces and "Blackwood accents." Outside are 17-inch rims, chrome trim and special badges. All in all, pretty mundane stuff. Oddly, nobody ever asks us for our opinions. If they did, we'd tell them they could leave these two at home. Chrysler has issued a press release detailing everything it's bringing to Paris, see it after the break.
We weren't really sure what direction Jeep was heading when it introduced the Compass in 2007. Built on a shared platform with the Dodge Caliber, the Compass goes against what we normally think a Jeep should be – rugged, tough, capable, and... well... square. The departure from classic Jeep styling hasn't received rave reviews, and the interior has been a source of complaints, as well. Does the Compass deserve the criticism it's been receiving? We weren't sure what color our Compass would be, but we sure weren't expecting Sunburst Orange Pearl. The color is new for 2008, and while we don't think it'll be checked off very often on options list, it did start to grow on us after a few days. Other upgrades for the 2008 model year include chromed lock knobs, interior door handles, and radio knobs, as well as a tire pressure monitoring system, available navigation system on the Limited model, and the AutoStick feature now comes with the CVT2 transmission. Our particular Compass was optioned with the Group "E" package ($2,115) that adds premium cloth bucket seats, remote keyless entry, carpeted floor mats, illuminated entry, and more. The Security and Convenience package, CVTII transmission, and all terrain tires brought the total MSRP to $22,265.
Chrysler has taken a beating from both consumers and the media regarding the poor quality and materials inside the majority of its products, particularly the Jeep Patriot and Compass. Recognizing the problem, Chrysler made the announcement earlier this year that it would be seriously revamping both model's interiors in short order, and judging by these leaked images from the 2009 Mopar Accessory brochure, they weren't lying.
Looking at the pictures from the brochure, the model with the gray and black interior is the refreshed version, while the beige picture (with heated seats!) seems to be the new '09 dash with the pre-2009 door panels. The dash is all new and looks to be a step-up, while the leather seats have been revised and look more upscale than before. Perhaps the greatest difference will be the door panels, which featured hard plastics, chintzy buttons and switches that were directly in the way of where your arm should go. The new 2009 interior puts these items in recesses, which was sorely needed. We'll reserve final judgment until we get to see and feel the updates in person.
The Chrysler Pacifica Advance Design Center, first opened in 1983, is credited with penning the Plymouth Prowler concept (pictured above), Dodge Challenger concept, Jeep Compass, and Dodge Intrepid concepts. Unfortunately, the Design Center closed earlier this year as Chrysler streamlined operations. Now, Mercedes-Benz will bring it back to life as they move their design studio from its current 13,000 square foot location in Irvine, to the larger 35,000 square foot former Chrysler location in Carlsbad, California. While both parties have confirmed the pending sale, terms and move-in dates have not been released.
It's no secret that Chrysler has some overlapping models in its lineup. Case(s)-in-point: it's hard to make a rational argument that Jeep should be offering both the Compass and Patriot (not to mention Dodge selling the Patriot's platform sibling, the Caliber) or the Grand Cherokee and the Commander. The Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango barely pretend to be different vehicles and there's no reason to sell both the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro when they're basically the same machine. This revelation is as obvious to Chrysler's new management as it is to us, and Chrysler President Jim Press, says as much. "We're going to stop overlapping, we're going to bring everything under one roof. By doing that we will have more products in the markets we are not covering."
Also marked as redundant by Press are the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan minivans, but as easy as it may be to pinpoint overlapping models, fixing that problem may prove more difficult. Dealers will need to begin offering the whole Chrysler line of vehicles if this strategy of "bringing everything under one roof" is to succeed. Expect to see drastic changes taking place in the next four to five years.
While everyone's waiting for Chrysler to fix the interiors of the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, Cerberus has made a surprise decision to spruce up the Jeep side of the house first. Both the Compass and Patriot are getting freshened interiors, and not a moment too soon. While we haven't driven the Compass (which would benefit from a flamethrower to the exterior as well), we've spent some time with the Patriot, which shares its sibling's exceptionally unexceptional cabin appointments. Hard, cheap-looking, plastic abounds, and attention to detail is uneven at best. For example, there's all kinds of flash left on trim elements like the individual slats in the HVAC vents, and apparently, Chrysler expects the front seat occupants to supply their own padding for the granite-hard armrests. Overall, it's a resounding disappointment inside, which is unfortunate because the Patriot's boxy exterior style is solid, handsome, traditional Jeep. While it wasn't the most refined vehicle, it made for a solid little 4WD commuter (especially with the manual transmission). Almost everyone who saw it was immediately taken with its outward appearance. Open the door, however, and you get the impression that the passenger seat is coated in truth serum, and not just the bland-looking YES Essentials fabric that's standard in the Patriot Sport. Discussions frequently went something like this:
Passenger: "What the... It's like a total economy car inside."
Me: 'Well, that's because it's based on an economy car."
Passenger: "Ugh. Not good. I don't know if I could look at this every day."
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The jeep unlimited Wrangler, the compass, and the patriot help Chrysler defend his share of market in an environment in fall of sales. Between these new models and incentives on vehicles of turning and Chrysler, Chrysler managed to remain 0.1% in front of the fall of the year-on-year of the market in the sales. Unlimited Wrangler proves a remarkable advantage, helping of the sales of Wrangler of elevator of year-with-top-year of 71%. Steve Landry, the EVP of Chrysler of the said North-American sales, “the four-door one really created an effect of halation for the mark of jeep, introducing people into the showrooms of jeep and it improved our sales of two-carries. ”
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