Jeep's China Made Compass SUV Has A Downgraded Engine But An Upmarket Price

The new Jeep Compass has been launched on the Chinese car market and the first cars have just arrived in Jeep dealerships throughout the country. China is only the second country in the world to get the Compass, after Brazil where sales started last November. But though identical in name, China's Jeep Compass will be markedly different than Brazil's in a few key ways.
First, some specs. The Compass sits between the Renegade and the Cherokee in the Jeep line-up. In China, it competes with cars like the Ford Kuga, the Honda CR-V, Peugeot 4008, and the Toyota RAV4. The new Jeep is made locally at Guangzhou-FCA, a joint venture between Fiat Chrysler Automobile and the Guangzhou Automobile Corporation (GAC). The joint venture also makes the Jeep Renegade and the Cherokee, and the Fiat Viaggio and Ottimo, a compact sedan and a hatchback based on the same platform as the Dodge Dart.

Jeep sales rep in camouflage jacket listening to a customer. By Tycho de Feijter.

The Compass is also manufactured in Brazil and will furthermore be manufactured in Mexico and India. It is based on an enlarged variant of the FCA Small-Wide 4×4 platform that also underpins the Jeep Renegade, the Fiat 500X and the Fiat 500L.
Jeep offers two variants of the Compass for the Chinese market: the 200T and the far more pricy 200TS Trailhawk. Price for the 200T starts at 159,800 yuan and ends at 199,800 yuan ($23,000 – 28,700), while the 200TS Trailhawk costs 241,800 yuan ($34,800).






The Trailhawk is so much more expensive because it's supposed to be a real off-road ready vehicle. It therefore has extra ground clearance, sturdier bumpers, bigger wheels, and, somewhat oddly, a partially black hood.
But there is much more that's odd under that hood. An off-road ready vehicle needs a lot of power, and especially low-end torque, to conquer mountains and streams. The China-spec 200TS Trailhawk however doesn’t have any of that.

Jeep Compass, by Tycho de Feijter.

Let’s have a look at the specifications:
The 200T is powered by a 1.4 liter turbo four with 165hp and 250nm, mated to a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT, sending horses to the front wheels.
The 200TS Trailhawk is powered by a 2.4 liter four with 175hp and… 228nm. It has 22nm torque less than the 200T! It is mated to a nine-speed automatic sending horses to all four wheels.
It gets even worse if we look at peak-torque levels. Ideally, the peak lies as low as possible. The torque of the 200T peaks at 5500 rpm, which is acceptable for a school run. Torque of the "off-road" Trailhawk however peaks at a hefty... 6450 rpm! Conquering mountains is going to be very hard with this Jeep.
The 2.4 is just a very odd engine for the 200TS. The Brazilian Compass is available with a 2.0 turbo with 170hp and 350nm, which would have been a more sensible choice. When it comes to capabilities the Chinese Trailhawk simply isn’t worth the extra money.
But then again, most people will buy the Trailhawk because it looks cool and because it has a rough-riding image, not because of what it can or cannot do.

GuangzQi FeiKei, the Chinese name of the joint venture. By Tycho de Feijter.

China loves Jeep in any form, and I fully expect the Compass to be another smash hit for the brand. The Cherokee is selling like crazy, just over 10,000 units in November, followed by the Renegade with 3,800 units, but that one is just coming to full steam so expect sales to climb fast. The Compass is estimated to sell at least 5,000 a month initially, and it seems it will reach that number with ease. The dealer in Beijing told me they had 200 orders already, just over half of them for the incapable 200TS Trailhawk...

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