Heading in the right direction
YOU don’t have to be determined to drive over boulders and through axle-deep mud or even be a fan of the great outdoors to buy a Jeep.
The iconic American brand offers a car for families who are looking for an SUV that comes with a high degree of luxury and prefers to keep its tyres on highway.
Enter the front-wheel-drive Jeep Compass Limited: rugged, goodlooking and spacious inside.
And while both diesel and petrol models are available with the more traditional – for a Jeep – four-wheel drive, you can save money by opting for the two-wheel-drive variety if you don’t intend to get involved in anything off-road.
It’s not hard to spot that the Compass is part of the Jeep family because it has the traditional sevenslot grille just like its smaller and larger siblings.
Step inside and, on the upmarket Limited, at least, you are met with a wealth of creature comforts including a vast panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable heated front seats as well as a heated steering wheel and a nine-speaker Beats audio system.
In front of the driver are clear, readable-at-a-glance dials and in the centre of the dashboard is a large 8.4in touchscreen for on-board features which include everything from sat-nav to the heat settings for the seats.
And unlike on some cars, it’s a touchscreen which is intuitive and simple to use on the move.
Everything on the Compass feels solid and tough, which is as it should be with a Jeep. And while there is a lot of black surface area the chrome surrounds on the air vents and lower level switches give a nice contrast.
The cabin has a spacious and airy feel to it – thanks in part to the glass sunroof – and there is plenty of leg room for rear seat passengers.
On the road the 1.6-litre diesel engine has plenty of pulling power and is lively enough to take the Compass from standstill to 62 miles per hour in a very respectable 11 seconds.
At the same time, I managed to average around 50 miles per gallon over a week’s motoring.
Beneath the powered tailgate you can fit in 368 litres of luggage, or 438 litres with the rear seat backs down.
The Compass Limited is packed with a host of safety features, including lane departure warning, blind spot and cross-path detection, forward collision warning and front and rear parking sensors as well as a rear-view camera for reversing.
But if you still find parking your Compass difficult you can let the car do it for you with its very effective automatic parking system.
Jeep may have made its name by creating some of best off-roaders around but the two-wheel drive version is aimed at motorists who want a spacious SUV that handles well on the road, delivers a great ride, an abundance of comfort and luxury and carries a sensible price tag.