New car launches are often shrouded in secrecy, but things don’t always go according to plan. Information and photos can end up on the internet ahead of time, taking some steam out of an official reveal. These are official-looking allegedly leaked photos of the next-generation Jeep Compass seemingly unearthed by Brazilian outlet Quatrorodas, and they seem like a perfect match for the silhouette Jeep teased months ago.
The Jeep Compass is one of the most important Jeeps in America right now, yet it’s also in the most precarious spot of any Jeep model. See, 2024 wasn’t a great year for Jeep from a sales perspective. Wrangler sales were down, Grand Cherokee sales were down, the Wagoneer barely outsold the niche Wrangler-based Gladiator pickup truck, but Compass sales were up 16 percent to 111,697 despite the model’s age, making it the second-most-popular Jeep by a significant margin.
At the same time, preparations for building the next-generation Compass is Stellantis’ Brampton plant have been put on ice, likely for a variety of reasons. With a variety of powertrains planned, it’s possible Stellantis wanted to launch the new Compass in America as a battery electric vehicle first, but uncertainty around the future of electric vehicle tax credits may have led to a shift in priorities. Alternatively, it’s possible that the threat of tariffs on cars made outside of the U.S. may have influenced Stellantis to hit pause. Regardless, a European debut is still on schedule, and these official-looking photos could be our best look at the new Jeep Compass yet.
Looking at it in profile, everything seems to line up with what we saw in the official teaser. The slight pinch in the greenhouse at the quarter window, the front bumper corner trim, the beveled character lines and the angular wheel arches. It all adds up to a rather handsome silhouette that’s significantly more upright and squared-off than the current rotund Compass.
Up front, we’re looking at an interesting interpretation of Jeep’s seven-slot grille, in that it’s not really a grille but instead just seven chiclets. Given the appearance of what seem to be active shutters in the lower grille, that aperture should give this thing all the cooling it needs, while the solid plastic faux upper grille seems like a good place to hide sensors.
In this photo of the rear end, note the conspicuous absence of exhaust tips. Indeed, this seems to be an electric Compass variant, employing some interesting tricks in the pursuit of efficiency. Those unusual bumper corners look to act like wind deflectors, possibly creating a virtual long tail. In addition, check out the extensive underbody panelling to guide air underneath the vehicle.
Inside, these leaked Compass photos certainly depict a Jeep interior. The rotary knobs and console toggle switch should look familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a new Grand Cherokee, while what looks like a shelf in the dashboard seems like a promising storage solution. Also, check out that huge panoramic sunroof, one of those features compact crossover buyers love.
At this point in time, we still don’t know much about powertrain details, but we do know that the next Jeep Compass rides on the same STLA Medium platform as the Opel Grandland, meaning it should accept electric, plug-in hybrid, and pure combustion powertrains. Given that these appear to be studio shots as part of a promotional set, don’t be surprised if we learn a whole lot more about the new Compass shortly.
Top graphic image: Stellantis
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Bringing the sensors up high on the front makes so much sense (pun intended). The cars that have them in the lower valance always look like a recipe for expensive damage. In this case, being a ‘rugged, outdoorsy, off road’ vehicle, the sensors should be able to survive a few parking lot speed bumps.
The whole painting the top half of the car black trend is incredibly fugly. In less than perfect lighting they look like they’ve already been sent through a car crusher.
If it wasn’t for the separations of the grille, it’d look like a Kia.
Never thought there was anything wrong with the current Compass styling- which was a quantum leap forward from previous generations.
The issue with the current model isn’t the aesthetics, it is that Stellantis build it.
They also designed all the bits on the inside, too.
Even worse…
I like the look, as I like the look of the current Compass (which is probably one of the all-time great 2nd gen transformations), but it absolutely MUST have legit offroad cred. It needs to be at least on the same level as the top offroad trim of the Bronco Sport.
no it doesnt. The vast majority of these will be used for commuting and grocery shopping with a few road trips on the weekend.
You could say the same about most other offroad vehicles. I’d wager only a single-digit percentage of 4Runner owners take them anywhere near offroad.
If Subaru and Ford offer small SUV’s with some genuine offroad capability, Jeep might as well set out to compete.
theres a reason so many actual off road trails say “no subarus”
the crappy AWD they put in these crossovers has no business rock crawling, and anything else can drive up the gravel road to the hiking trail parking lot full of 15 year old sedans
If it can land all in – taxes, fees and charges wise under 30k they should move.
I look forward to the upcoming special edition Gumpass.
Available colors:
It looks fine, and yes, a little nicer than the last Compass, but I don’t think aesthetics is ever Jeep’s main problem. The Wrangler looks like a Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee looks huge, bechromed, and ridiculous (which I assume is exactly what they were going for) and most of their other stuff just look like butched-up crossovers, probably because that’s what potential buyers are cross-shopping.
Jeep’s actual issue is and has always been reliability. Even back when I was a kid and Jeeps were truly cool, owning one (most models, for most years) was a trade-off: sure, a Jeep could go places that cars can’t, but a Jeep product insists on higher and more frequent maintenance/repair costs vs. a car, even a malaise-era domestic shitbox seemingly designed specifically to bleed its owner dry financially.
I don’t think I’ve seen ANY reliability/cost of ownership automotive survey EVER that didn’t have Jeep down near the bottom. Dedicated Jeep people might be willing to accept this as a part of the ownership experience, but regular drivers usually won’t. And let’s be real: like 1% (probably less) of drivers ever go offroad in the way that requires an actual Wrangler, let alone a lifted one with portal axles and angry eyes. I like Jeeps and am glad they exist, though I’ve never owned one and probably never will, mainly because a) I don’t need one, and b) their abysmal reputation, earned over decades, leaves a lot to be desired.
Only semi-related: I know that it’s just a trend that will probably soon pass and leave these cars looking dated, just like metallic teal cars from the 90s and metallic orange cars from the 2000s, but I really dig the metallic yellow on this Jeep. I’ve been seeing metallic yellow on cars more and more for the past couple of years, and given the mostly monochrome miasma that is contemporary autodom, ANY color is welcome, but metallic yellow is great! 🙂
I saw a metallic yellow/gold Chevy Trax last night, and while I liked the look, I had the thought that it’s a color that will not age well. Like you said, just like that metallic orange that was so popular in the early ’00’s, I loved it then but can’t stand it now. I’ll disagree with the teal though, I thought it was cool in the 90’s when I was a kid, and today I see teal Jeep Wranglers occasionally and they always make me do a double take and smile.
Incidentally, when I was a kid, I had a 73 Chevy K10 as my first vehicle, and the original color of that was almost teal.
I love the occasional metallic copper Nissan I see here and there – more OEMs should offer something like that!
You know, in a non-Nissan ????
I remember a time when it seemed like every other Murano and 350Z was that color.
Can confirm on the reliability ALWAYS being an issue. Even their most legendary, longest lasting platforms still pitch a bunch of shit. I have a 77 SJ Cherokee, which was (is) prone to rust, with a terrible malaise interior, but overall has a stout drivetrain. My sister has a 2000 XJ Cherokee, which, while also having a particularly stout drivetrain has all sorts of obnoxious shit go wrong, like power windows, sensors, plastic bits, cooling system, etc etc. Why they are beloved, and why people still want them is their capability. What is the point of a Jeep that has no capability?
My 1973 SJ Jeep Wagoneer is still kicking with most of its original parts. The only rust is inside the tops of the doors where no metal coating was applied. Otherwise it’s nearly rust free. I agree with the plastic bits; Plastic parts are prone to breaking. However none of this matters because today’s “Jeeps” have no connection to the ones from decades back.
OTOH I know a few people who owned the old XJs and they just ran forever. One with over 500,000 miles. Sure, the interior fell apart. But it just kept running despite the person who owned it abusing the absolute hell out of it.
Coming soon to an Enterprise parking deck near you.
Definitely took this a Star Trek reference at first read.
Meh. I’m sure I’ll eventually see a lot of these in mid tier trim for a few years. Then they’ll disappear as the leases run out and Stellantis “quality” takes hold.
Coming Soon to 2 feet off your back bumper while you’re doing 20 over the speed limit….
…at least it looks decent.
theyre tailgating you because you refuse to tailgate the person in front of you
my favorite thing is to let them by and watch them slam on the brakes after they get as far as they can. its the only real form of karma
It looks good, but other than being a little cutesy the styling was never an issue to me for the current Compass. Well, the older interior was, but it was more just the corporate look most 2010s FCA models and was wearing thin by the time the Compass showed up, the updated interior was a healthy improvement.
It’s other factors like pricing and quality that were an issue…
Honestly I think it looks great and very Jeep-like. Jeep was way, way ahead of the curve on the soft roader craze. In retrospect things like the Liberty and Renegade were way ahead of their time. Unfortunately Jeep has let those products wither on the vine for years and it’s been a long time since they were competitive.
If this manages to be up to the standards of its class or even close enough (the Jeep name will do the rest in that case) I think they’ll sell a ton. I’ll be interested to see what the powertrain options will be.
“Jeep was way, way ahead of the curve on the soft roader craze. In retrospect things like the Liberty and Renegade were way ahead of their time.”
No. The XJ was ahead of the curve, the Liberty was a cheap and cheesy sequel no one watched. The Renegade was in direct response to the Crosstrek.
Jeep was 100% not ahead of the curve on the softroader market unless you are talking about the XJ.
I’m talking about soft roading crossovers and market trends. I’m not saying they’re good cars or TRUE JEEEEEEEEPS, don’t worry.
no, I know. Im saying Jeep was late to the market trend. The KL cherokee was their first effort to that market since the Cherokee line and it was rushed.
Calling it the “Cherokee” like seems a bit disingenious and it allows you to group together the ZJ, and WJ to further discredit Jeep being ahead of the curve when it comes to soft roaders.
Not really, I was pretty clear that the XJ was ahead of the curve, even if it was still not really a softroader. A good SUV, and maybe the first crossover, but not really a softroader. Yes, the ZJ, WJ and to a lesser extend the WKI/II were extension of the XJ, but by then the soft road was defined and it wasn’t build on what the XJ started.
In terms of modern softroaders like we know them, Jeep didn’t produce a softroader until the Patriot/compass in 2006 (and the less said about them the better). The RAV4 was on its 3rd generation by then. CR-V, Highlander, RX300, Outback, Forester…these were all well developed and in their 2nd or 3rd generations by then.
My whole point is that the ZJ and WJ are perfect examples of softroaders, and yet you continue to basically ignore them as valid examples of Jeep being ahead of the curve. I’m trying to say they weren’t built upon the XJ any more than sharing the “Cherokee” nameplate.
You’re basically saying Jeep wasn’t ahead of the curve, but ignoring all the vehicles that Jeep made that were ahead of the curve.
XJ came out in ’84. The ZJ in ’93. Those are both before the RAV4, CRV, Highlander, RX300, Outback or Forester even existed.
What about the Jeepster? 1948….
The Jeepster was not unibody construction.
XJ/ZJ/WJ were all off-road SUV’s. Splitting hairs? Maybe, but no one would call them soft roaders.
Soft roaders are vehicles that are largely based on road car platforms with mild off-roading credentials, high level of road manners are are largely car-like in their construction and use. i.e. Soft. Roads. Not off-road.
I try not to put hard labels on things like this, but if the scale of SUV went from left (the weakest-ass legally defined crossover you can think of. GLA, HHR, etc) to the right where easily defined off-roaders live (Wrangler, Bronco, Land Cruiser, Grenadier, etc) then all vehicles in the SUV category are in the middle and where they land in the market is sort of a sliding scale instead of a firm line.
That being said, the left half of that scale is definitely shaded in the colors of the soft-roader and the right in the colors of the off-roader. Jeeps of the XJ lineage (zj/wj/wk/kj,kk,etc) are all right of center. Renegade, Compass, Patriot, etc left of center. The KL tried to sit in the middle.
Jeep has always been a player on the right side of that centerline, but was never in front of the curve for soft-roaders and they have been playing catchup for the last 20 years.
TLDR?
We have different ideas of what a soft-roader is. If the crossover is a blend of car and truck. The soft-roader is further refined as a blend of car and crossover. Watered down essence of SUV. Jeep was ahead of the game for crossovers, but failed to move with the market in the soft-road segment
I call them softroaders, because they represented attempts by Jeep to offer something far more civilized than what they had made before it. While yes, an upper trim SJ (Grand Wagoneer) was very fancy, it was still very much a “truck”. The XJ and ZJ were clear attempts to be more road friendly.
Also, I think part of your argument ignores that Jeep was the “offroad” division of Chrysler; so of course all their offerings were going to be offroad capable. Anything that would have been less so, would have been been put out under a Chrysler or Dodge badge.
The real argument should have been how Chrysler (the company as a whole, not just the brand) has somewhat fumbled the CUV segment.
(Editor’s note: I can’t wait to find one of these in a barn with no brake lines, mice living in cylinder 3, and underbody rust! – DT)
So like, a couple years from now?
(/s in case anyone needs to see it)
As carmakers “butch” up their crossovers, this seems perfectly timed to take advantage of that trend. And the interior looks pretty sharp.
Good. Now Jeep has their RAV4, can they get back to building an actual XJ replacement? I don’t mean to suggest such a thing as the XJ is even possible, but a small, cheap, off-road focused Jeep sure would be nice…cause it aint the Wrangler anymore.
Is that a 4E badge on the rear left corner?
I thought rotary shifters were going away? Maybe just hoping as more cars getting the column shifter stalks. Other than that a big step up from my 2010 one, though I miss the fun round headlights.
the Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer both feature rotary shifters, so it makes sense the new Compass would use the same type of switchgear.
Are those sub-woofers in the front grill?
This is almost as big a glow-up as Chevy Trax got.
Actually a very good parallel. The Trax was a homely turd that became something that people genuinely seem to like. The current Compass isn’t quite as bad as the previous Trax, but boy does that thing lack a shred of joy in it’s design. It’s like the anti-Jeep, with a Jeep badge plastered onto it.
This Compass at least gives me the impression that someone involved in it cared that someone might actively want one.
They don’t wanna build them in the True North, so they’ll attempt to build them in the MAGAnetic North.
Don’t forget to also adjust for declination: Decline Asians.
Don’t forget the decline in quality control!
That’s really nice looking. If I didn’t have a big trailer to tow I would consider one.
I know it’s futile to type, but I hope Jeep gets the quality up so they can sell more of these.