The new Compass SUV has kept Jeep®’s signature seven slot front grille and traditional trapezoidal wheel arches for the unmistakable look with which they are to be forever associated. And it really works, with long standing features mixing well with the more ‘modern’ aspects of design that we’ve come to expect from an SUV. A high waistline, extensive wheel arches, beautifully sculptured panels, privacy glass, 19″ diamond cut alloy wheels, halogen projector headlamps, LED lighting and rear lights. There can be no doubt at all as to whether this is a good looking vehicle or not. It is.
Jeep® have made sure that the interior of the Compass matches the rugged feeling that the exterior radiates, combining hard wearing practical touches with elements of luxury. After all, you buy the Compass because it can take you to the edge of the world and back and with this redesigned and refreshed edition, you can expect to complete such an undertaking in complete comfort.
Beautifully sculptured and heated leather seats hold you comfortably in place offering more than enough adjustment for even the fussiest of driver, as does the impressively ‘chunky’ leather trimmed (and heated) steering wheel. And then there’s your other contact points with the interior whereby each different surface offers up a refreshing feeling of quality and sturdiness that reassures as to the longevity on offer. Indeed, the use of hard plastics mixed with luxurious leather would certainly suggest to the uninitiated how seriously Jeep want you to take the Compass and it’s go anywhere abilities.
Jeep® have also seen fit to throw all of their technical expertise at this interior. The interactive Uconnect system comes with an integrated 8.4″ HD touch screen allowing you to connect up your smartphone which, through voice or screen allows full access to everything from your maps to messages through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto whilst for music lovers there’s a mighty 506 watt Beats premium audio system with 9 speakers and subwoofer.
Out on the road and the Compass performs very, very well when driven on the smooth stuff. A 170 bhp, 2.0 litre MultiJet II engine, nine-speed automatic transmission and 4X4 Jeep® Active Drive Low system allow the Compass to showcase everything that it’s good at in full glare of everyone else on the road. 280 ft/lb torque at just 1750 rpm should give you an idea as to how much grunt is put down onto the road through the responsive automatic gearbox and means that this SUV is easy to shift down the road whilst making rather excellent progress at exactly the same time.
Shorter trips along a twisting backroad are never going to be comparable with an Abarth or Fiat Spider but there’s still fun to be had. Set the Compass to North, South, East or West, allow the superior ride quality to flatten any imperfections in the blacktop and let the Jeep®’s clever Selec-TerrainTM, in auto mode, deliver grip, torque and power exactly where and when you need it.
Add in practical touches such as a combined mpg of up to 36.2, CO2 of 166 g/km and a boot offering up 438 L of packing space and you’ve got a thoroughly modern looking SUV that can transport you and your family up hill and down dale in comfort and style. With the Compass Limited giving you all of that Jeep® tradition, style and off-road know-how, starting at £36,545 it’s well worth considering.
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