The Compass Limited is still a wolf in Jeep’s clothing

I mean, even the smallest of them 4x4s, the Suzuki Jimny, offers full 4×4. So in my mind, even an entry-level Jeep should offer 4×4. Not so.

Nope, it does not. Not the new Jeep Compass Limited. The Compass Trailhawk does, but not the Limited. And it is not entry-level either, as the Jeep Renegade is the entry-level offering in the Jeep stable.

Okay, so with my initial disappointment excluded, after collecting the Jeep from the dealership – now Produkta Motors in Mbombela – I decided to live the moment and appreciate whatever the Jeep Compass Limited will offer my taste buds. After all – it is a Jeep, so what can go wrong?

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It does look the part

The traditional Jeep grille is there, yes, check! The broad front end, check! Strong shoulder line and masculine wheel arches, check! High ground clearance, check!

Skid plates, check! Yup, it is a Jeep alright! I like the new bolder, but still softer, design. The subtle ruggedness is still there though.

It is as if the Compass is saying – I am here, but I am not in your face. The lines and angles on the previous derivative jarred my senses just a tad.

Interior

It is wonderfully luxurious – dark and mysterious with leather trim and soft-touch surfaces – a trapezoidal centre stack which brings all the features and technology within an arm’s length, leather-wrapped steering wheel with satellite controls for radio and cruise control.

The 7-inch colour touchscreen with its U-Connect system empowers the driver, and passenger for that matter, with easy access to the sound system, navigation and the internet of things.

Apple Car Play and Android Auto are, of course, part and parcel of this convenience including access to a nine-speaker 506-watt sound system offering rich replication of music. And yes, we are still in the Jeep. I know, it probably sounds a little over the top for a Jeep, but this is real.

It’s all on the inside! It is packed with technology: rear park view camera, parallel and perpendicular park assist (yes, it can park itself), cross path detection (super handy in tight parking areas with many blind spots) lane departure warnings, forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control. And then I am wondering about those people with a parking disability.

I wonder if they will irritate the Jeep as much as they do me. Just please use your parking assist technologies, because you are irritating the five cars behind me. Then there is lots of space – wide comfortable seats and substantial luggage space.

Performance

The Compass Limited is fitted with a 1.4-litre MultiAir2 Turbo engine, producing 104kW and 230Nm. The power is delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox.

Now, the vibrant Vitara which I drove last week delivered similar power; 103kW and 220Nm; but is, in terms of performance, way more responsive than the Jeep.

I guess the weight of the Jeep counts against it. The Jeep’s performance is more than adequate though.

The stand-out for me on the Jeep Compass though is its suspension and how it performs on the road. It is brilliantly absorbent and quiet in terms of sound feedback into the cabin – much better than the Vitara.

This, in combination with a perfectly weighted steering wheel, makes the on-road driving experience superb. The Jeep is planted and confident like a Jeep should be.

Should you wish to individualize your Compass, Mopar will be your go-to supplier with a large range of Jeep-approved accessories. And just on this, ensure that you fit OEM-approved accessories. It may just save you many headaches when warranty claims for seemingly irrelevant things become an issue.

And this observation is not Jeep specific – it applies to all brands. The best fuel index I could manage, considering that I always try to outdo the manufacturer, was 9.2l/100km.

Conclusion

At R415 000 plus, it does not come cheap. But truth is, you also get a lot for your money. It still is a Jeep – even without 4×4 capacity.

So, if you stay on the road and the gravel, nothing will go wrong! However, if you use your cell phone while driving, sometime something will go wrong, even in a Jeep, so be careful!

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