NEW UPMARKET COMPASS AIMS TO COVER ALL BASES

Jeep's plusher, new-look mid-sized SUV offers hybrid, PHEV and pure-EV power

- FELIX PAGE

Jeep has reinvented the Compass for its third generation with a bold new look, a more upmarket cabin and the option of electric power for the first time.

With 2.5 million units sold worldwide since it was launched in 2006, the Compass is one of Jeep's most important and popular models. The company's Europe boss, Fabio Catone, said this latest generation will be “a key driver for Jeep growth” - building on the success of the smaller Avenger, which played a big role in the brand trebling its UK sales last year.

Available to order now and with deliveries due to begin in the autumn, the new Compass will be crucial in helping Jeep to claim a share of Europe's popular C-SUV segment, which now accounts for around a quarter of all car sales in the region and is expected to be 90% electrified by the end of 2026.

The new Compass is based on the same STLA Medium architecture as the latest Vauxhall Grandland, Citroën C5 Aircross and Peugeot 3008. But it has been engineered to offer superior off-roading capability, claims Jeep, to position it as “the most capable” car in its class.

To that end, it has gained a suspension lift over its Stellantis platform-mates to give it up to 200mm of ground clearance and a maximum wading depth of 470mm. It also has shortened overhangs at each end, giving an approach angle of 20deg, a breakover angle of 15deg and a departure angle of 26deg. All variants get a suite of drive modes for different types of terrain, controllable by a chunky red dial on the centre console.