By Ian Strachan.
If you’re going to have an off roader you might as well have a proper one. One that’s got the right credentials – and that means a Land Rover or a Jeep.
Yes, there are a few others that perform reasonably well off road, but far too many are for appearances only. Phrases like “sports utility” and “all-wheel drive” don’t always mean it’s a true mud-plugger.
For quite a few years now, manufacturers have fallen over each other to cash in on the unrelenting surge in 4×4 sales. Some are better than others
Which brings me to the Jeep Compass. This car has been around for a few years and has brought style and comfort to the off-road world. It has plenty of room, good economy, refined trim and brought a step change in reliability to Fiat-owned Jeep.
The Compass has all the power and capability it needs to tackle the rough stuff, with permanent four-wheel drive, a simple terrain-select system, long-travel coil spring suspension and good ground clearance.
The Compass is good on tarmac too. On the motorway at constant cruising speed the ride is comfortable, with minimal noise apart from a little wind noise from the wing mirrors, and very little body roll.
I test drove the Compass with a 170 bhp 1.4 litre MultiJet petrol engine. It averaged just over 30.4 miles to the gallon in mixed driving. That’s nothing to write home about but is still respectable for such a large 4×4 vehicle.
The engine is quiet and smooth through the gears with its nine-speed automatic gearbox. However it does need a fair amount of pedal pressure to move it through the gears quickly.
The Compass comes with a great specification package which gives you everything you might need on a car like this, including dual zone air conditioning with automatic temperature control, cruise control, park assist system, powered and heated front seats and heated leather steering wheel, satellite navigation with 8.4 inch touchscreen display, DAB radio with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay, steering wheel mounted controls, electronic stop/start, keyless entry and ignition, front and rear parking sensors with rear camera, leather interior and chunky 18 inch alloy wheels.
You also get powered folding door mirrors, front fog lamps, lane departure and forward collision warning, roof rails and windscreen wiper de-icer.
The driving position is good, with excellent all round visibility and all controls in easy reach. Trim materials are very high quality.
At £34,150 the Jeep Compass is not cheap, but you get an awful lot of car for your money, plus the comfort of knowing that this vehicle will cope with pretty much anything. When the guys at Jeep say “all terrain” they don’t mean wet grass.
