2017 Jeep Compass totally biffs it on auto show 'off-road' course
Rain, metal grates and standard tires don't get along very well.
Jeep regularly sets up "off-road" courses at auto shows, where journalists and consumers can take rides in different Jeep models as they traverse representations of different terrains. Throw some rain into the mix, though, and things go awry.
A 2017 Jeep Compass attempted to tackle the tallest hill on the automaker's course, and the rain didn't play too well with its tires and the metal grating. After making it halfway up, its tires started spinning, so the driver brought it back down.
Now, you'd think the story would end there, but oh, no, it does not. Instead, the Compass driver gives it another go with more speed. The utility vehicle made it maybe 80 percent of the way up before spinning the wheels again. The driver hit the brakes, and the car began to slide downward, at an angle, coming perilously close to metal guardrails on both sides.
When it landed on the ground, it was at a 45-degree angle, barely escaping some sheet-metal damage. It took several employees rocking the car and the driver giving it gas to straighten the Compass out, but not before smartphone cameras started filming. The Compass did not attempt the course again, and at the time of writing, Jeep stopped taking its vehicles up that hill entirely.
Thankfully, most hills in the real world are not made of metal.
