I recently drove the Compass at a DCX open day, and came away liking it. Sure, it's not a 'real' Jeep, but it's not meant to be. For what it is, though - a versatile 5-door AWD hatchback - it's fine. It's a contender in the same arena as Subaru's currently in, a market Jeep has traditionally not occupied. My attitude is that if they can sway someone away from a Forester or Outback, so much the better: DCX is apparently getting close to having some serious financial issues, and there are rumours that Mercedes may be looking to bail out of the merger.
Re: the Patriot: to clarify, it's on the same platform as the Compass (Dodge Caliber), but gains additional ground clearance and a low range in the transfer case. The new KK Liberty is on the Dodge Nitro platform; from driving it, I thought the Nitro was a heap of crap. At least the KJ rides and handles fairly well for what it is whereas the Nitro's like a dinghy in a gale.
It just perplexes me that everyone screams about how these vehicles are diluting the Jeep name, etc. but at the same time don't want to acknowledge that not every Jeep ever made has been the ultimate off-road device. If Jeep can successfully move into new territory with these vehicles and gain market share with them while remaining truthful about their capabilities (which so far they appear to have done) then I'm all for it. Me, I'll take a Rubicon Unlimited in a few years' time.
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