Compass goes off path already taken
Jeep reckons family SUVs should be able to go off-road. Whatever next? By
Jeep New Zealand reckons there’s a point of difference in its all-new Compass that will help it stand out in a very crowded medium-SUV market. It’s the thing that you pretty much expect from any Jeep: offroad ability.
Like its main rivals, Compass is built on a passenger car-type monocoque platform (shared with the smaller Renegade and Fiat 500X), but Jeep argues it has engineered this new model to be capable enough off-tarmac to truly do justice to its bonnet badge. There’s even a specialist off-road version in the range: the Compass Trailhawk.
Makes sense, right? A family SUV from such an iconic brand that’s actually off-road-tough has got to hold plenty of appeal.
Except it makes sense in a way that also defies logic, because Jeep acknowledges that the biggestselling model is likely to be the entry-level Longitude – which is front-drive only. Weird, right? But that’s the nature of the SUV-world – people like the image and high ride height, but not everybody’s interested in leaving the blacktop.
That has had no effect on Jeep’s determination to make the Compass the best off-roader in its class.
The $39,990 Longitude opens proceedings with a 2.4-litre petrol engine (129kW/229Nm) and sixspeed automatic driving the front wheels.
But the credibility of the range really lies with the $49,990 Limited and $54,990 Trailhawk models: both have the same 2.4-litre powerplant, but matched to a nine-speed automatic and fourwheel drive.
The Limited has what Jeep calls the Active Drive 4WD system, with a Selec-Terrain controller that offers Auto, Sand, Mud and Snow modes.
The Trailhawk has a very different look, with features such as an anti-glare matt-black bonnet and recovery hooks (in bright red), but it also has more off-roadcapable hardware. It rides on smaller (17-inch) wheels with higher-profile tyres than the Limited, it has raised ride height (total clearance 225mm), different bumpers for improved approach and departure angles, a supplementary transmission function that enables lower 20:1 gearing, hill descent control and an extra Rock drive-mode.
Jeep calls the Trailhawk 4WD setup Active Drive Low.
There’s no one standard for Jeep models to be ‘‘trail rated’’ and wear that Trailhawk badge. It depends on size and price. But they have to top their respective ranges in traction, water-fording, ground clearance, axle articulation and manoeuvreability.
The off-roady stuff is key to Compass, but the other is that’s it’s intended to be a very mainstream medium-SUV that you might consider instead of a Kia Sportage or Mazda CX-5. Same size, same price bracket – which is why Jeep NZ is selling the newcomer at special introductory pricing until the end of June, with $3000 off the Longitude and Limited and a $5000 reduction on the Trailhawk (so $36,990-$49,990).
Compass is expected to become Jeep’s biggest seller overall in NZ, overtaking the Grand Cherokee (600 last year).
This is a properly global model for Jeep. It’s made in four different factories around the world. Ours come from a brand-new plant in India, which specialises in righthand drive. In fact, it’s the firstever Jeep model that is not built in any form in the United States.
We’ve had taster drives both on and off-road in the Limited and Trailhawk, but no experience yet of the Longitude – for no other reason than the entry-level model is still on the boat.
A play in the sand and through the forest revealed that the Compass is indeed a cut above your average crossover-SUV off- road. The Sand setting made light work of the soft stuff and we even ventured into the hills to tackle some trails with deep ruts – certainly enough to put the Compass’s axle-articulation and 4WD-traction to the test by lifting wheels high into the air.
No, there was nothing that would give a Wrangler reason to wriggle. But it was enough to give the Compass some decent off-roadcred as far as we’re concerned. It’s impressive stuff for a mediumsized family SUV.
On-road it’s not the sportiest or most rewarding SUV in its class. But Jeep does have a knack of making something modestly-sized feel really substantial and so it proves with the Compass.
The touch-points feel substantial (like the thick-rimmed steering wheel) and the ride is settled. Both outside and inside, there are Grand Cherokee styling cues that suggest this is a larger vehicle than it really is.
Perhaps it’s all part of the theme, but on tarmac Compass is built more for comfort than speed on the open road. The nine-speed transmission is smooth but it can be slow to respond to the throttle in spirited driving.
As you’d expect, the Limited is more composed in corners than the softer, taller, smaller-wheeled Trailhawk, which succumbs to understeer a lot more readily in tight corners.
On paper, you can’t argue with the Longitude’s price. But it’s the 4WD models that really deliver in terms of standard equipment.
Step up to a Limited and you gain leather upholstery, sat-nav, phone projection (Longitude is restricted to a simple Bluetooth connection), gas-discharge headlights, LED tail-lamps, dualzone climate control, BeatsAudio sound system with subwoofer, more comprehensive instrumentation, poweradjustable seats, parking radar/ assistance and the full suite of driver-assistance and safety kit, including adaptive cruise control.
Add in the 4WD system and the Limited looks like a lot of extra car even for $10,000. Even if you don’t want to go off-road.