The American brand’s latest machine certainly looks the part but can it live up to its tough guy looks? We find out.
There’s a new cabin and improved technology and safety for Jeep’s Compass, the American brand’s smallest offering.
On paper, it looks expensive for a compact SUV, competing against countless talented small and medium SUV rivals.
Our family tested the S-Limited to see whether the price tag was justified.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Iain: Off the bat, this is the wrong Jeep Compass.
Jules: What?
Iain: It’s fancy with big black alloys, skinny tyres and oodles of interior goodies, but it’s just not tough enough.
Jules: Explain yourself. It looks tough enough to me.
Iain: Jeep gives “trail-rated” badges to models passing its strict off-road tests, which include traction, ground clearance and water fording ability.
Jules: I take it ours isn’t trail rated?
Iain: Nope. This S-Limited’s about sporty styling and comfort rather than being able to climb mountains, as a Jeep should.
Jules: You’re being daft. You’d buy this because it looks solid and stylish, plus the cabin’s roomy and flush with kit. And it’s a four-wheel drive, so it will climb some mountains.
Iain: It’ll get stuck. Jeep does a Compass Trailhawk that won’t. It’s about $59,000 to drive away, not much more than the $52,000 for our S-Limited.
Jules: Do people really hardcore off-road one of these?
Iain: Some will want to and they’ll need the Trailhawk. Suzuki Jimny aside, there’s no other compact SUV with proper off-road chops.
THE LIVING SPACE
Jules: I agree $50,000’s a lot, but the interior looks expensive. There’s a massive 10.1-inch infotainment screen, 10.25-inch digital dash, power leather seats and classy grey stitching. It feels spacious too.
Iain: The Compass is classed as small but feels more like a medium SUV. It’s roomy enough for our family of four, and you’re right, this is a polished cabin.
Jules: The seats feel quite firm on a long drive but are generally comfy. Sorry to be brash, but at this price are heated seats too much to expect?
Iain: Not really when you consider they’re commonplace in rivals. A $2950 Premium Package brings heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, 360-degree camera and dual-pane panoramic sunroof.
Jules: Seems worth it.
Iain: Seems cheeky it’s not standard.
THE COMMUTE
Jules: Sitting up high in a black Jeep gives a girl some attitude. I like it.
Iain: The 2.4-litre petrol sounds all burbly and menacing from the outside.
Jules: Not so much inside. It’s a bit short on power.
Iain: Jeep calls this four-cylinder its Tigershark, but it’s not especially threatening. It takes more than ten seconds to reach 100km/h, needs some persuasion to get going and gets noisy and gruff when pushed.
Jules: So take it easy. It’s a family SUV. If you’re easy on the throttle it cruises nicely and rides comfortably over bumps.
Iain: Once up to speed it’s good, but from cold the gearbox clunked through its gear changes. The radar cruise control and lane-keep assist are excellent on the highway.
Jules: Maybe, but around town that lane-keep assist was a disaster. On our coastal, corner-lined roads it aggressively pulled on the steering wheel if I got close to a white line.
Iain: I had to turn it off. It’s so invasive it makes the car wobble, removing any smoothness from the drive.
Jules: Let’s talk about the good stuff. There’s wireless phone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the Alpine audio is banging.
Iain: The digital dashboard is impressively customisable, and Jeep’s speed-sign recognition tech is among the best I’ve used. But it is nannying, incessantly flashing if you’re even 1km/h over the limit.
THE SHOPPING
Jules: A car park hero, this one. It parks itself at the touch of a button, there’s a rear camera to go with sensors front and back and it lets you know if there’s something coming when reversing out of a parking spot.
Iain: Hard to bingle, basically. The boot’s a decent size and the tailgate opens with a swipe of the foot.
SUNDAY RUN
Jules: It’s a Jeep, so we had to take it off-road.
Iain: Only up a few sandy tracks well compacted by endless rain. There’s a deceptive button in the centre console labelled 4WD Low. It’s not low range, it just holds the nine-speed gearbox in first gear. A 4WD Lock button gives permanent rather than on-demand 4WD.
Jules: Then we selected Sand/Mud drive mode and the Compass was excellent on the sand. It never looked like getting stuck.
Iain: Okay, it’s pretty good if you’re not planning deep adventuring. But the Trailhawk has much better approach and departure angles, better ground clearance, 1500kg rather than 1000kg towing and a torquier diesel engine. That’s the one for proper off-roading, but even it doesn’t have low range.
THE FAMILY
Jules: There’s good rear space plus rear air vents, USB points and a proper domestic socket.
Iain: I wish more cars had them. You can charge tablets or camera batteries; even plug in a mini fridge or Nespresso machine. So handy.
Jules: The safety kit is comprehensive, but our 10.4L/100km fuel average isn’t good for the family budget.
Iain: It’s way too thirsty for a compact SUV. In town, the figure rises to 13.6L/100km. Again, the Trailhawk’s diesel engine makes much more sense. A smaller economical turbo petrol engine would suit these on-road specific Compasses far better.
THE VERDICT
Jules: This Compass is an easy car to like. The interior’s luxurious and full of tech, it drives safely and comfortably and I’m a fan of the chunky styling. But why is it so much? If you want something for on-road rather than off-road, $50,000 buys a prestige Audi Q3, or a bigger Toyota RAV4.
Iain: The Compass has more off-road ability than most rivals, but you need the Trailhawk for serious work. Those who love Jeep’s brand image won’t be disappointed with a Compass, but I’d recommend sampling range-topping petrol medium SUVs such as the Mazda CX-5 and the Toyota RAV4 Edge before committing to the Jeep.
JEEP COMPASS S-LIMITED VITALS
Price: About $52,000 drive-away
Warranty/servicing: 5 years/100,000km, $1745 for five years
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cyl petrol, 129kW and 229Nm
Safety: Six airbags, auto emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keep and blind-spot assist, radar cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert
Thirst: 9.7L/100km
Cargo: 438 litres
Spare: Space-saver
Originally published as 2022 Jeep Compass S-Limited review: Tough looking SUV isn’t for off-roading
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