Jeep Compass 2022 In-Depth Review - How Does It Compare?

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Jeep's Compass now makes more sense as a credible mid-sized SUV alternative. This contender has been brought up to date and there's now e-Hybrid tech, as well as a flagship plug-in PHEV option. Time to start taking this car a bit more seriously.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00​​​​ Introduction
00:29 Background
02:50 Driving Experience
14:34 Design & Build
30:08 Market & Model Range
51:29 Cost of Ownership
59:42 Summary

Background

You might still have a hard time thinking of Jeep as an Italian brand, but primarily that's these days what it really is. The cars are built there - and sell well there too. In fact, the country's best-selling PHEV is the plug-in version of the car we look at here, the Jeep Compass.

The Compass has been greatly updated in recent times, as it needed to be to keep up with key mid-sized SUV Qashqai-class rivals, all of which have been either facelifted or completely redesigned in recent times. The plug-in all-wheel-drive Compass 4xe (which, as the badge suggests, shares the petrol PHEV system used by the smaller Renegade 4xe) headlines a rejuvenated line-up that also includes more affordable front-driven e-Hybrid and 1.3-litre conventional petrol variants. The British market has always had a soft spot for Jeep: should it entertain this one?

Driving Experience

The Compass engine range looks very different now. In contrast to the old-fashioned MultiAir petrol and Multijet diesel engines offered when this 'MP/552'-series second-generation design was first launched in 2018, there's now a choice of three powertrains familiar from the smaller Renegade. At the bottom of the range, there's a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre 129bhp petrol unit mated to front-wheel drive, which uses a six-speed manual gearbox and can tow up to 1,750kgs.

Your dealer, though, will also want you to consider one of the electrified models. The first option is the mild hybrid front-driven 'e-Hybrid' variant, which is based around a four-cylinder 1.5-litre unit that puts out 130hp and 240Nm of torque and is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch auto transmission. The propulsion system includes a built-in 48 volt 15kW (20hp) electric motor delivering 55Nm of torque, which can propel the wheels even when the internal combustion engine is turned off.

At the top of the range is a 4xe Plug-in hybrid variant, which has a 178bhp version of the base model's 1.3-litre engine allied to an electric motor on the rear axle, creating a four-wheel-drive model with a 6-speed auto gearbox and a total output of 237bhp. The 4xe offers up to 30 miles of electric-only driving range when the 11.4kWh battery is fully charged. This PHEV variant offers the usual choice of driving modes that you'd expect with a car of this kind, in this case, either electric-only, Hybrid or one that enables you to save charge for future use in city driving. As you'd expect from the output figure quoted earlier, 4xe performance is quite sprightly: despite this electrified version's extra kerb weight, it'll hit 62mph in 7.5 seconds. And if you want to attempt any kind of off-road traversing in a model of this sort, this Compass 4xe would by far be the best choice thanks to its better traction and body clearance from the ground.

Design and Build

This second-generation 'MP/552'-series Compass has been given a darned good wash and brush up here. There's the usual 7-slot front grille, but flanking it are bolder headlamps now featuring full-LED technology. You can have a contrasting colour roof if you want, the taillights are now also of the LED kind and the trademark trapezoidal arches can house Iarge wheels of up to 19-inches in size, allowing you to make the appropriate statement in the gym car park.

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