Jeep. Offroading. Mopar. After-market customization. Are there any words more thrilling to the human soul? Maybe, but maybe the naysayers were not in the windy city of Chicago yesterday to witness the unveiling of the Mopar Jeep Compass “True North” at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.
This machine, while it may be useless as an all terrain vehicle in the vast flat Midwest(unless one finds oneself in a high speed chase through a corn field), Phoenix Valley auto enthusiasts and outdoor adventure lovers should take notice.
The True North features a two-inch suspension lift from Rocky Road Suspensions and 16-inch matte black wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich All Terrain tires. To be perfectly honest, aside from the lift and the tires, the True North is a customization that is primarily about exterior styling and interior luxury. Like all Trail Rated Jeep models, the Jeep Compass is already a capable off-road machine. But so is a mule, so once the initial engineering bugs are worked out, the question really comes down to a matter of style and comfort. With the Mopar Jeep Compass “True North” model, Mopar further improves its off-road form and function.
The exterior features a matte black finish on the roof, wheel flares, lower fascia, door cladding and black grille with body color inserts. Other exterior touches include black-headlamp and fog-lamp surrounds, rear fog lights, custom front and rear brush bars and custom rock rails. Matte black 16-inch alloy wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain tires and a 2-inch lift kit from Rocky Road Suspensions add some additional off-road go.
The interior received lots of attention from Mopar and renowned audio component manufacturer Kicker. The entire audio system, including front and rear speakers, amplifier, sub-woofer and lift gate speakers are provided by Kicker, and transform Jeep Compass into a rolling high-end sound studio. A custom center stack gauge pod that houses pitch and roll inclinometer gauges, add to the vehicle’s off-road credentials. A Mopar bright pedal kit, door-sill guards, rear-cargo tray, shift knob and neoprene seats complement each other while enhancing the quality feel of the cabin.
Interested Phoenix Valley auto enthusiasts can contact Mopar directly(should they be so bold), or they can hold off until this coming November, when the Phoenix Arizona International Auto Show rolls back into town. With Arizona being such an offroading mecca, Jeep is always somewhere near center stage.
