JEEP

JEEP COMPASS

TAKING A NEW BEARING
The Compass offers Jeep a new direction in the congested compact 4x4 market. Andy Enright reports

A new breed of Jeep, the Compass shakes loose the existing rules and boots the company firmly into the here and now. Inexpensive, small and equipped with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, front or all-wheel drive, the Compass offers a badge with more clout than any other in this budget sector.

In the US, the Compass has caused all sorts of consternation among Jeep die-hards by being the first vehicle the company has offered that’s front wheel drive. Over here, we get both the all-wheel drive chassis and the front-wheel drive version. Based on the same chassis as the Mitsubishi Outlander (and hence the Dodge Caliber, The Citroën C-Crosser and the Peugeot 4007), the Compass is offered with the choice of either a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre diesel that’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox or a 2.4-litre petrol engine that gets the choice of a five-speed manual box or a CVT self shifter. Although the Compass shares the fundamentals with some other vehicles, it has undergone Jeep’s own durability testing and the MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear set-up has apparently proven well up to the most demanding tests. Power is deployed using ‘Freedom Drive I’, a full-time active four-wheel drive system that can squirt up to 60 per cent of power to the rear wheels when needed but in most conditions is operating with virtually 100 per cent of available torque going to the front pair of wheels. Alternatively as we’ve said, there’s a front-wheel drive-only option. The electronic stability control can be disabled if required by holding the dash-mounted button for four seconds. The Compass drives like a Jeep but does it look like one? From straight ahead it does, the characteristic grille and lights making it look like no other marque’s product. Move round to the rear three-quarter view and things aren’t so cut and dried, the tapered C-pillar looking pretty generic. Nevertheless it’s a smart piece of styling albeit one that looks slightly under-wheeled. Bigger alloys would definitely give the Compass that bit of edginess that it needs and will doubtless be the first change many younger buyers make when specifying their car. Owning a genuine Jeep rather than a wannabe ‘cute-ute’ will also be a big draw for many of these customers.

"Owning a genuine Jeep rather than a wannabe ‘cute-ute’ will also be a big draw…."

What’s quite remarkable about the Compass is how small it is when you get up close. Despite the beefy styling cues, it’s not a lot bigger than a Ford Focus, sharing the same wheelbase as the Dodge Caliber but riding a little higher. The approach and departure angles (ie the car’s ability to climb onto and descend off steep inclines) are also a good deal more aggressive in the time-honoured Jeep tradition. The interior is a little plasticky but seems very durable with a decent amount of rear leg room. A particularly nice touch is the compass point detailing on the bezels of the main dials in the instrument cluster. Want to know the best thing about the Jeep Compass? The range starts at ‘just’ £17,995 (or £19,010 for the diesel version). Think about that for a moment. That sort of money won’t even put you in the entry-level Toyota RAV4 and you’re a long way shy of a Land Rover Freelander. In fact, it’s about what you’d expect for a reasonably specified Ford Focus 2.0TDCi hatchback. That’s a screaming deal for a car that is so much more distinctive than the run of the mill hatch. Many of the funky features that we loved on the Dodge Caliber have made the switch to the Compass. There’s the iPod holder in the centre armrest, the click in/click out torch in the cargo bay and even the option of the fold down speakers that fit into the rear hatch and which provide epic tailgate party potential. It’s aimed at a young crowd and simply cannot fail to hit the target demographic. The base price of the Compass is the good news. The not so good news is that this buys you the entry-level 2.4-litre petrol model which will claw back in fuel bills what you’ve saved in monthly finance bills. The diesel is worth shelling out for if only for its much better ability to haul the Compass, four passengers and a few bags uphill but the 43mpg fuel economy figure comes as a welcome bonus and a rebuff to those who hold the rather quaint view that all SUVs are destroying the planet. This one returns better fuel economy figures than a 1.6-litre Ford Ka and emits less carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled than a 1.4-litre Chevrolet Kalos, so it’s not going to be sending any polar bears disappearing through the pack ice anytime soon. Depreciation is another area where the Compass is going to shine. A three year old Jeep is always going to have a lot more allure than a three year old Focus or Astra, regardless of whether it is front wheel drive or not. You’ll pay more in terms of insurance and the pence per mile figure will doubtless be marginally higher than a family hatch but for most customers the payoff in having a more individual vehicle will be worth the minor wallop in the wallet. The Compass marks Jeep’s long overdue foray into the compact 4x4 market. Prior to this model, only the rough and ready Cherokee was available, fine if you want to get up to your mirrors in mud but a little military surplus for the requirements of most compact 4x4 customers. The Compass is radically different. Modern, savagely pragmatic and built down to the right sort of price, it’s certain to prove very popular. Although there are some who will wring their hands about the front-wheel drive car’s erosion of Jeep brand values, the company must, like any other, move with the times and benefit from rather than be hidebound by its traditions. History is littered with any number of failed companies that stuck dogmatically to their guns. The Compass is hugely encouraging evidence that Jeep isn’t going out like that. More power to it.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Jeep Compass range PRICES: £17,995-£19,105 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-13 CO2 EMISSIONS: [2.0 CRD] 177-206g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0 CRD] 0-60mph 11.0s / Max Speed 117mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 CRD] 43.5mpg [combined] STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags / ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4405/1761/1607mm