Last year, Jeep introduced the facelifted Compass in China. After a few months, it has finally arrived in the Netherlands as well.
You have to look really closely to see what they've changed however. It's very subtle. The daylights have moved upwards,
as have the foglamps, and the seven slots have been altered a little. They now look a tad fresher.
At the back, they've redesigned the rear lights. And that's it when it comes to the exterior changes.
The big news is found underneath the hood. Jeep has added an available drivetrain and there's an entirely new dashboard.
And that's the most important news here today.
They've completely redesigned the dashboard, and it looks a lot more elegant than in the pre-facelift Compass.
It was kind of rough to use, but in here I'm inclined to speak about refinement. The materials look good to begin with,
and there's just more elegance to it. It kind of follows the style that the new Grand Cherokee is going to have.
We've already seen pictures, and it seems to be pretty similar. Of course, there are some differences, but the setup is pretty much the same.
Also, shape doesn't seem to go above function. I mean, it looks very good, but it's mostly very functional.
Operating the car hasn't suffered under some sort of minimalism. Jeep hasn't tried to put everything in a little screen. They've used...
physical buttons for the most important functions, which keeps the interior nice and clear.
In front of me, there's a digital instrument cluster which I'm able to adjust to my liking, and there's a big central screen on the dashboard.
Depending on the version you get, you'll have either a 8.5-inch or a 10.1-inch screen.
It's an incredibly comprehensive multimedia system, and even though it's relatively quick, it doesn't really have a logical structure.
You have to wander through quite a lot of menu's to get to the function you want. That's too bad.
When they were designing the new dashboard, they also increased the amount of usable space. Especially when it comes to small storage spaces.
4.4 litres to be precise, which is quite a lot. That means there's more than enough space for people in the front.
I'm almost two metres tall myself and I've got more than enough headroom left. My elbows have all the room in the world as well.
If we move to the rear seat, seating becomes a little more cramped. There's slightly less headroom in the back, but that's not the biggest...
problem. There's enough legroom as well, but the Compass isn't the widest car in its class. That means you can barely fit three people in the back.
If we move even further back, we arrive at the boot. It can hold up to 438 litres, which is big enough, but not groundbreaking or anything.
Also, you can operate this Compass with your voice. However, the car doesn't seem to have a big vocabulary and the functionality is limited.
Navigate to Damrak, Amsterdam. - Do you mean Damrak, Amsterdam, or Damrak in Amsterdam?
I've seen better voice controls, let's put it that way.
In a few markets, Jeep supplies this Compass with a diesel engine, but that's not the case in the Netherlands. Over here, you can...
only choose a 1.3-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, which is available in four different flavours.
It all starts with a 130 horsepower-version with a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. You can also get a 150 horsepower-version...
with a six-speed DCT-gearbox, which also sends all of the power to the front wheels. Above that, you've got two plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
Those have DCT-gearboxes as well, but they also come with an additional electric motor on the rear axle, producing 60 horsepower.
That drives the rear wheels. The plug-in hybrid version is available with either 190 or 240 horsepower.
Right now, I'm driving the 150 horsepower-version, which means I've got the DCT-gearbox at my disposal.
It's a well-balanced machine. It doesn't have any weird vibrations or anything, but it doesn't really seem to enjoy life.
It's a lazy drivetrain, despite the 150 horsepower. Also, the gearbox isn't incredibly refined. One moment, it's very hesitant to change gear...
and the other moment, it changes gear too quickly. That makes it feel very rushy. Until you get on the motorway, that is.
I mean, it doesn't have to do very much then, right?
The chassis leaves a very well-balanced impression on me. It's sturdy without being uncomfortable, and that offers a lot of stability.
Something I like very much.
The steering isn't the most communicative in its class, but it makes sure that the car goes precisely wherever you want it to go.
The power steering is good as well, which is nice. That means you don't have to turn as much to change the direction of the wheels.
The Compass can be fitted with pretty much all of the currently available driving assists. Depending on the version and the options you select.
The active cruise control for example, that works just fine. What doesn't work just fine is the lane assist, which seems to kick in...
when you go over the line. And that's too late. It would've been much nicer if that worked together with the active cruise control,
because it would've been a first step towards autonomous driving. Unfortunately, that's a step too far for now.
Prices start at €34.000, which means this car is nicely priced amongst other cars in this class. And the same goes for the other characteristics.
It doesn't excel in anything, but it nicely follows suit. Nothing more, nothing less.