Space is infinitely divisible, marketing space doubly so.
The 2017 Jeep Compass sits between the sub-compact Renegade and compact Cherokee. This sector is boiling, steaming hot and people will buy pretty much anything that does not burst into flames upon ignition.
The oblongs on the grille are recognisably Jeep, as are the squared wheel arches. The front valence, like all the new CUVs is where the designers have panicked and piled on the layering: paint it black, add some chamfers and a few lamps. If these vehicles actually had raised ride heights this plastic filler would not be necessary.
Driven To Write 
Looking at the ground clearance further back it is greater than at the front so the low valance may be for aero improvement.
That sounds like squaring the circle. Evidently these vehicles really have nothing at all to do with off-roading or anything that a standard passenger car can´t do. What is going on is that the designers have to fill the space between the wheels/sills and the roof with something. A lot of work is going on trying to put stuff where, in other other formats, nothing was needed.
There is a version called Trailhawk which gets a raised ride height along with all terrain tyres although I think it is the priciest version too.
One key thing here is that this is a huge improvement on the outgoing model.
Absolutely. The outgoing Compass is an awful device.