Johannesburg - Having kicked off today with the all-white Grand Cherokee Alpine, Jeep has now followed up with a limited-edition Compass model that emphasises the other end of the colour spectrum.
The new Compass Altitude continues the 'from-the-factory' customised look first seen in the Grand Cherokee concept shown in January 2012 - except that this is a production car, even if only 199 of them are coming to South Africa.
It has a distinctive black gloss finish around the signature seven-slot Jeep grille and headlights, black roof rails, a black step pad, and runs on special 18” gloss black aluminium rims.
HIGH TRIM LEVEL
The Altitude trim includes power heated exterior mirrors, heated seats, a choice of manual or continuously variable automatic transmission and leather-wrapped steering wheel with satellite audio controls.
It comes with a full safety suite, including electronic stability control, electronic roll mitigation, hill hold (with manual transmission), and side-curtain air bags that cover all three rows of seats.
And it's not only available in black - you can also order an Altitude in silver, dark metallic grey or white, at R295 490 for the five-speed manual gearbox, or R302 490 for the CVT.
SHOULDN'T THAT BE 'ATTITUDE'?
Apparently not. According to Jeep, the name came from a competition that was run following the launch of the Jeep Grand Cherokee concept at the Houston motor show early in 2012. With more than 100 000 entries on Facebook, 'Altitude' emerged as the winning name.