Priced between £22,995 and £35,595 when it goes on sale in February, the Jeep Compass has been the talk of the car world over the last few days.
If you’re a petrol-head, whether you’re a fan of crossovers or not, there’s no doubt that you’ll have heard, read, or watched something about the forthcoming Jeep Compass at some point this week.
With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about the rival to the Renault Kadjar, Skoda Karoq, and Vauxall Grandland X.
There will be a grand selection of choice available, the diesel options include a 120hp 1.6-litre MultiJet II 4×2 adjoined to a six-speed manual gearbox, or a 140hp 2.0-litre MultiJet II found with a six-speed manual — existing in a 4×4 configuration.
As for petrol, the range includes 140bhp and 1701bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir II Turbos, with a manual six-speed and 4×2 set-up. The higher output vehicles comes with a nine-speed auto and a 4×4 configuration.
The interior has been well praised in both Top Gear Magazine and Auto Express with the former reporting that:
“The touch-screen is easy to navigate and has menus that make sense to the anglo-saxon mind – that’s a benefit of having a system designed for Americans not Germans. The general snappiness of the system is impressive too.
“On-board apps include a set of graphics to help when off-roading. The Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration is pretty tight too. Just near the USB port is a handy mesh pocket to hold your phone.”
Although the interior can quite easily be overlooked (although comfortable), the actual driving experience seems to be letting the compass down a little.
Criticism around engine noise, both at low speeds, high speeds, and while accelerating, seems to be thrown around among reviews, although cruising speed has been noted to be a little quieter.
Comments have also been made about the car’s suspension, which has been noted to be harsh even during urban environments, which is not great for a family car.
Despite this, the car’s handling seems to be praised across the board, with good cornering and control being noted across a variety of environmental conditions.
As for whether the car will be hailed as a success for Jeep, Auto Express says that:
“Where we expect the Compass to have an advantage over crossover rivals is off-road, with lots of talk from Jeep executives about ground clearance and axle articulation.
“Of course, that will only apply to 4×4 versions, and whether that justifies the price is another question.”
This is an important consideration, as the Jeep Compass was released in Britain before, but it was not a success.
The company itself however feels that the petrol version (especially the 138bhp model) will be the best seller out of the lot, and it is expected that the Compass will be more successful than other crossover rivals.
With that in mind, you can expect finance deals to be especially competitive come February 2018.