AUTHENTICITY CAN’T BE FAKED

Author Peter Guber could never have imagined how true this is of Jeep’s new Compass

FOR THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY, JEEP has been indelibly connected to notions of freedom, adventure, passion, and above all, authenticity. They are after all the makers of the original 4x4. Even after decades, it is impossible to imagine a Jeep without go-anywhere abilities. The good bit is, you don’t have to. For the Compass is a genuine off-road capable SUV and not just another softroader.

So much so that we didn’t have to think twice before putting it on a rainswept beach in Goa when we went there to drive the Compass for the first time. Totally at place on the sandy surface compacted by rain, the Compass allowed us to edge close enough to the breakers to create waves of our own. Literally. Encouraged by our sandy adventure, we took the Compass into a forest filled with logs, rocks, inclines and slush.

Used to the soft-roading fare dished up by the others in its class, we came back impressed with how much the Compass could actually do without struggling, thanks to the Jeep’s Active Drive that seamlessly switches between 2WD and 4WD on a need to engage basis and Jeep’s Selec-Terrain on-demand 4x4 system that has four modes – Auto, Snow, Sand and Mud along with an AWD lock.

That is perhaps what’s so special about the Compass. Jeep could have created a road-going SUV with just enough off-road prowess to get you home when the roads turned to gravel or through some accumulated water. Instead they have gone ahead and created the real thing with proper 4x4 abilities. Authenticity, after all, cannot be faked. Peter Guber would have been proud of this Jeep. ⌧