Test drive the new Jeep Compass
The new Jeep Compass has reached Russia - a compact crossover with the charisma of the flagship Grand Cherokee and the ability to drive where most competitors are afraid
In July 2018, one of the most high-profile football transfers of recent years took place - Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Real Madrid to Juventus. Nearly 100 thousand people came to the presentation of the five-time Golden Ball winner, and the Turin club sold over half a million black and white T-shirts with the player's name on the back and Jeep on the chest in just one day.
It was impossible to think of a better advertisement for the American automaker, which is the title sponsor of the Italian grandee. But even without such PR, Jeep is doing well - the company acts as a sales locomotive of the FCA concern in Europe and is now expanding its model expansion. Around the same time when the Portuguese became a Juventus player, Jeep announced the launch of two new products on the Russian market at once - the restyled Cherokee and the second generation Compass. The latter filled the empty niche in the Jeep lineup in the Russian Federation, taking a place in the most popular segment of C-crossovers.
The second Compass appeared back in 2016 and was intended to replace two models at once - far from the most successful Patriot, as well as its namesake of the previous generation. Probably, the first "Compass" had its advantages, but they were lost behind a wide screen of shortcomings - from a failed interior with cheap materials to a variator from the Japanese Jatco and versions with front-wheel drive, which was frankly inappropriate for a Jeep. Patriot was essentially the same "Compass", only more elegantly and richly packaged.
The new Compass, aimed at the global market, no longer has anything to do with its puffy American predecessors. Now he has become a full-fledged representative of the C-segment and outwardly most of all resembles the "senior" Grand Cherokee, which has decreased by about one quarter. The same seven-section radiator grille, half-trapezoid wheel arches, a similar shape of the front optics and a chrome strip along the roofline.
Once behind the wheel, you immediately notice the high driving position and low glass line, which provides a good overview, despite the massive front pillars. All four seats are nicely contoured, and the rear passengers have, in addition to ample head and legroom, two USB sockets and a couple of extra air ducts. In the lower part of the front panel there is a control unit for climate control, a music system and some other car functions with large convenient buttons and wheels.
Despite the superficial resemblance to the flagship Cherokee, the Compass is built on a stretched version of the younger Renegade chassis. However, family ties with a small SUV, capable of challenging only a light country road, do not prevent Compass from claiming the title of a car with "the best off-road ability in its class." In any case, the company says so.
Supporting this argument is a multi-link rear suspension with reinforced high-strength steel elements, an insulated subframe, metal underbody protection, as well as 216mm ground clearance and short overhangs, giving a ramp angle of 22,9 degrees.
The new Compass is the most global model of the American brand, sold in about 100 world markets. Cars are produced in Mexico (for the USA and Europe), Brazil (for South America), China (for Southeast Asia), and also in India (for countries with right-hand traffic). In total, up to 20 different combinations of engines, gearboxes and drive types are provided.
Cars of the Mexican assembly are supplied with the only 2,4-liter gasoline atmosphere of the Tigershark family, which, by the way, is the uncontested engine in the United States. The engine is available in two boost options: the base motor develops 150 hp. and 229 Nm of torque, and on the off-road version of the Trailhawk, the output is increased to 175 forces and 237 Nm. Both engines only work with ZF's nine-speed automatic transmission.
The transmission carefully and wisely selects the gears, and the engine, albeit not the most powerful, is difficult to blame for the lack of traction. But the most important thing is that cars are brought to us only with an all-wheel drive system from the British company GKN. In normal driving conditions, for the sake of fuel economy, it transmits torque only to the front wheels, but immediately connects the rear axle if the sensors sense a lack of grip on the road.
In total, there are several algorithms for the Selec-Terrain control electronics, which change the settings of the transmission, engine, ESC and about a dozen more systems for optimal movement on snow (Snow), sand (Sand) and mud (Mud). For the lazy, there is an automatic mode (Auto), but in this case, the computer will first have to think a little in order to apply the necessary settings.
The most off-road version - Trailhawk - also has a fifth mode called Rock, in which maximum traction can be transferred to each of the wheels, if necessary, to overcome rocky obstacles. In addition, the most hardcore version of "Compass" is equipped with an Active Drive Low system with imitations of a downshift (20: 1), the role of which is performed by the first speed along with the clutch slip mode. Finally, the Jeep Compass Trailhawk features goggle tires, off-road suspension tuning, and additional protection for the engine, transmission and fuel tank.
Standard (Longitude version, from $ 26), the crossover has cruise control, tire pressure sensors, LED taillights, keyless entry system, air conditioning and the basic Uconnect infotainment complex, which, unfortunately, does not have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Multimedia with support for these interfaces is available in the middle configuration Limited (from $ 30), the equipment of which is supplemented, for example, adaptive cruise control with a full stop function, a car lane keeping system, a rain sensor and dual-zone climate control. A top-of-the-line Trailhawk with serious equipment for real adventures will cost you at least $ 100.
The main competitors of the new "Compass" in the company are called Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota RAV4. For example, the CX-5, equipped with a 150-horsepower two-liter engine, six-speed automatic four-wheel drive, will cost at least $ 23. The price tag for the Tiguan in the most off-road performance OffRoad with a 900 horsepower engine, four drive wheels and a "robot" starts at $ 150. Toyota RAV24 with 500-horsepower petrol unit, all-wheel drive and CVT starts at $ 4.
Thus, the new Jeep Compass turned out to be a little more expensive than its classmates, whom, however, it beats in charisma and adaptability to off-roading. Yes, and it is intended rather not to compete with more massive rivals, but to return the fans to the brand, lost after the release of an indistinct model of the first generation.
| A type | Crossover |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4394/2033/1644 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2636 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1644 |
| engine's type | Petrol, R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 2360 |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | 175/6400 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 237/3900 |
| Drive type, transmission | Full, 9АКП |
| Max. speed km / h | n / a |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | n / a |
| Average fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 9,9 |
| Price from, USD | 30 800 |
