Consumers like Caliber, loathe Compass

An impressive ten out of ten consumers on a Detroit News panel said they would recommend the Dodge Caliber to their families and friends, and six out of ten said they'd consider buying one themeless. But things weren't as good for the Caliber's stablemate, the Jeep Compass. Only two out of 10 said they would recommend the five-passenger Compass to their families and friends. "Jeep, to me, no longer can justify having that 'rugged' reputation attached to its brand name," wrote Michael Lysaght. "That thing is ugly," said bus driver Julian Franklin Jr. "It really is. It just didn't do anything for you." And consumers don't seem as oblivious to badge engineering as one might think. "The whole time I was driving it, I kept saying to myself, 'This is all psychological,'"," said Amy Bowman. "'It's the same as the Caliber.'" The Compass "sounds like a dying zebra when you turn the ignition," wrote panelist Paul Tassi. "It needs a lot more power for how heavy it is."