After getting to know the reboot of Jeep in Ukraine, it’s time for detailed reviews of the brand’s cars. And the Jeep Compass crossover was the first in line, which is logical and symbolic: it is this car that opens the Ukrainian Jeep line and it is this car that opens the Jeep tests. What can you offer? What are the advantages and disadvantages? I will tell you everything now!

Jeep Compass positioning

First, simply and briefly: the Jeep Compass crossover is one of the smallest cars of the Jeep brand, which has been produced for almost 20 years and has two generations of the model. And now in more detail. First, you can’t say in one sentence “Jeep Compass is the smallest Jeep crossover”; after all, there were or are such models as Jeep Patriot, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Avenger (the latter is expected in Ukraine soon). Secondly, the Jeep Compass car can vary greatly depending on the market and year of manufacture.

The history of Jeep Compass began in the 2000s with the desire of the Jeep company to create its own compact crossover – that segment was gaining popularity. The first Jeep Compass concept offered a 3-door body; however, in 2006, the first generation Jeep Compass (on the GS platform) with a traditional 5-door body went into production. The design of the concept with round headlights was initially preserved, but during the update, the “first” Jeep Compass received a completely changed appearance – more traditional and solid.

The second generation of Jeep Compass (codenamed MR/552) was introduced in 2016, the car was updated in 2021. And here the story turned out to be completely different: the appearance has changed only in details, but the car received an almost completely new interior – more modern and technological.

In addition, it was in the period of 2020-2021 that the production of the Jeep Compass car was launched in Europe (namely, in Italy) and for European markets. Such versions received small gasoline turbo engines and turbodiesels, hybrids were added, but almost all European versions of the Jeep Compass were front-wheel drive.

From the general wording “compact crossover” today for the model Jeep Compass it is already possible to proceed to the wording “crossover C–SUV“, because in the line Jeep now more compact models for a lower class are also presented. In addition, I will note: official European versions Jeep Compasspresented in Ukraine are cars with a 1.5 hybrid gasoline engineL e–Hybrid and front-wheel drive. It was this crossover that became the hero of the review.

How the Jeep Compass crossover drives

Interesting, difficult, with nuances. In fact, the general character of the Jeep Compass car consists of a lot of nuances. Let’s start with the hybrid powertrain.

First, the hybrid allows you to move exclusively with an electric drive, even despite the low-power (15 kW or 20 hp) electric motor. The possibility of driving at a low speed due to traffic jams or parking is declared, but I sometimes gained a speed of 20-30 km/h on the electric drive. – But this way you can drive literally 100-200 meters and under the condition of very careful pressing of the accelerator pedal. If you “step” on the accelerator actively, the gasoline engine starts almost immediately, which is noticeable by the sound of its operation. Or even sometimes with small jerks during movement: there is no complete consistency and smoothness in the joint work of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor here.

Secondly, the acceleration control process is sometimes interfered with by the 7-speed DCT box, which sometimes drags a bit with shifts to a higher gear. This leads to the fact that the gasoline engine picks up high revolutions and makes noticeable noise. Thanks, at least the switches are fast and smooth. But in general, such a strange process turns out during acceleration and acceleration: the movement starts on the electric drive, then the gasoline engine is turned on, the moment of its connection depends on the activity of pressing the accelerator pedal, and then there may be a timely (or delayed) shift to a higher gear.

But the final for you: even with a bunch of such nuances and remarks, the Jeep Compass crossover honestly “does” the promised 10 seconds to “hundreds” on winter tires! That is, in general, the dynamics and acceleration correspond to the passport characteristics. But the process of managing this acceleration is not very convenient.

Here is the third: in general, the management process itself is also not without comments. The steering wheel has an average sharpness (a little more than 2.5 turns from stop to stop), the car is quite normal and responds to the driver’s commands without pauses. However, the effort on the steering wheel is background, it is almost unchanged depending on the angle of rotation of the steering wheel. In addition, even when shifting the steering wheel “left/right”, the tall and narrow body tilts quite noticeably, and the unloaded rear part finds peace and stability only after 2-3 oscillations.

Thank you that such suspension settings were not in vain – you feel it on bad roads. Sometimes on some large pits, the Jeep Compass crossover shakes violently, but in general it is pleasantly impressive with the energy efficiency of the suspension, its ability to “swallow” a series of small and medium bumps. You can “fly along” like on a large SUV.

An important advantage of Jeep Compass is its design in the style of older Jeep models: solid, concise, restrained. And it is known on the road – thanks to the signature radiator grille with seven holes and trapezoidal wheel arches. By the way: car clearance reaches 198 mm; the entry angle is 158 degrees; the descent angle generally exceeds 30 degrees; the promised possibility of overcoming a ford up to 406 mm deep. However, the definition of “solid” in terms of character and behavior on the road of the Jeep Compass is far from. Although, despite all the comments, the gasoline-electric hybrid and 7-speed gearbox honestly “bring” 10 seconds to “hundreds”. And at the same time, they demonstrate good fuel efficiency. However, I will talk about this later, and now I will talk about the salon.

In the description of the salon, the words “concise” and “restrained” are also suitable, but the terms “modern” and “interesting” can be added. The first three words refer to the new front panel and central display: a laconic design with an emphasis on horizontal lines, a restrained black-gray color scheme with the addition of black-glossy and silver decor. And also – a modern 10.1-inch display of the UConnect system with excellent image quality and the ability to adjust the menu. But the word “interesting” describes numerous hidden nice things: Jeep logos, stylized cars – you can find them on glass and plastic panels.

Other details are quite familiar. For example, the front seats are a plus or minus of a traditional shape: they do not blow the imagination with an incredibly comfortable fit or comfort functions, but they provide a normal fit and sufficient adjustment ranges. In principle, the story with the rear sofa is similar: there is enough space thanks to the vertical seating format, there are no adjustments to the position of the sofa or heating, but there is an armrest and ventilation deflectors. In general, everything is in accordance with the class of the car. As well as the trunk: a correct rectangular shape, side pockets, a hidden lower niche with a spare wheel – no revelations, but quite normal.

The interior is pleasant: restrained and laconic, quite high-quality. In the interior of the Jeep Compass, digital displays and physical switch buttons successfully intersect. There is no excess here, but quite enough space for the driver and passengers. A fairly capacious and well-organized trunk is provided. If there were many comments about the character on the road, among which it was necessary to look for pleasant details, then the situation is reversed with the interior: there are a few nuances, but in general – everything is good.

Technologies of the Jeep Compass car

Again, first simple and short: the Jeep Compass MP/552 series crossover has a carrying body and a 4-cylinder engine, it is installed in front and across, and fully independent wheel suspensions are used. The basis of the Jeep Compass is the SCCS (Small Common Component and System) platform, which is also used for the Jeep Renegade (a technical relative of the FIAT 500X). To be as precise as possible, the Jeep Compass crossover uses a platform in an all-wheel drive version and an increased wheelbase – such a platform is sometimes called Small Wide 4×4 LWB.

But now the details and nuances are gone. So, American versions of the Jeep Compass usually offer a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine paired with a 9-speed “automatic” and four-wheel drive. However, the European version of Jeep Compass available in Ukraine is equipped with a hybrid based on a gasoline 1.5-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine. Usually, about 150 hp is expected from such a motor. or more, but the Jeep Compass model has only 130 hp. power and 240 Nm of torque.

However, consider the hybrid “bonus” in the form of an electric motor with the designation P2.5 E-motor, which offers a power of 15 kW (or 20 hp) and 55 Nm of torque. This electric bonus works only at the start, when the gasoline engine does not work or is only gaining speed. Therefore, it is not possible to add power and torque directly, because two engines – gasoline and electric – can work in different modes. In addition, it is worth noting the 7-speed robotic DCT gearbox from GETRAG: double “wet” clutches and the same electric motor integrated into the structure of the gearbox. That is, it turns out: they added a DCT box – and got an electrified hybrid, even if it is not very powerful.

It looks like a situation as if the Jeep Compass crossover was assembled from different cubes-elements of the designer. Moreover, one of these elements was the displays that appeared during the renewal of the car in the cabin. If the central 10.1-inch display left a pleasant impression, the 10.25-inch Full HD display of the instrument panel raised a lot of questions. For example: it has a large area, but small fonts and fairly simple graphics.

Another example: 12 different information display configurations are declared, it is possible to change the information in the corner windows of the display – but in each configuration there is one important information, but the other is missing. That is, you won’t find a well-thought-out logic and breadth of setting options, as in the digital dashboards of VAG cars, various models of Peugeot/Citroen, modern Nissan and Toyota.

The crossover uses an SCCS or Small Wide 4×4 LWB body and platform with fully independent MacPherson struts front and rear. However, the most interesting technical feature is the 1.5L e-Hybrid and the 7-speed DCT gearbox with an integrated electric motor (in fact, it made it possible to create this hybrid). There are no options for changing the driving and operating modes of the hybrid, there is only the option to turn on/off the electric component of the hybrid system. You can monitor the operation of the hybrid through the central 10.1-inch display or the 10.25-inch instrument panel.

Jeep Compass cost and potential rivals

When the Jeep brand was “relaunched” in Ukraine, only one Limited configuration was announced for the Jeep Compass: just such a test crossover. However, from early 2024, two versions are available; However, the hybrid always remains constant.

The start is given by the Jeep Compass Altitude carwhich immediately offers the following: an electronic stability control system, a warning about the possibility of a collision ahead, traffic sign recognition, a pedestrian or cyclist warning system, adaptive cruise control, frontal and side airbags, side curtain airbags, dual-zone “climate”, heated steering wheel, heated front seats, rearview camera, digital 10.25-inch instrument panel, central touch screen 10.1-inch display, ECO LED headlights with “Smart Beam” function, 18-inch alloy wheels and more. The price of the Jeep Compass 1.5L eHybrid 130 DCT-7 Altitude car is from UAH 1.27 million. or $33 thousand

A step higher is the Jeep Compass Summit crossoverwhere the following are added: leather seats, front seat ventilation, electric driver and passenger seat adjustments, driver seat adjustment memory, parking assistance system, front and rear parking sensors, LED floodlights, 19-inch alloy wheels. The price of the Jeep Compass 1.5L e-Hybrid 130 DCT-7 Summit car is from UAH 1.38 million. or $36 thousand

All variants of Jeep Compass in Ukraine are hybrid, LED headlights, digital instrument panel, central touch display, separate “climate”, adaptive “cruise”, heated seats and steering wheel, a good list of safety systems. However, even in the highest configuration Summit, you have to pay extra for a 360-degree view, blind spot monitoring, wireless charging, other options or equipment packages.

Who are the rivals? In order not to go far: here is one “buyer’s guide” for C-SUV models and here is a second “buyer’s guide” for similar cars. Only two materials – and already more than a dozen rivals; and in reality there are even more of them.

Moreover, the competitors are talking about ordinary C-SUV crossovers, but not about C-SUV Premium cars – the Jeep Compass crossover frankly does not reach them in terms of behavior on the road, hybrid and suspension, thoroughness of interior design. Even among ordinary cars of the C-SUV class, most competitors drive better, many offer a wider choice of equipment, there are options with diesel, more power, and all-wheel drive.

Currently, the second dangerous competitor. This is the same Jeep Compass, but in versions for the US market, used and battered, then reconditioned. First, there is the question of a low price, which covers the shortcomings of such cars. Second, there’s a big naturally aspirated engine (hello HBO) and four-wheel drive, which looks more attractive to potential traditionalist buyers. Third: due to such US versions, the perception of the model in the market is somewhat understated – potential buyers may look at the Jeep Compass and remember “battles”.

There are many competitors among C-SUV cars for $30-40 thousand, and each has its own advantages. Plus US versions offering lower cost, big engine, four wheel drive. Therefore, the general conclusion is that it will not be easy for the Jeep Compass car. However, the situation is saved by several pluses: the offer of a technological hybrid, quite good equipment, a well-known design in a typical Jeep style.

Jeep Compass fuel consumption and car warranty

The hybrid works! At least, in the city: in my case, the car steadily invested in 6.5-7-7.5 liters of fuel per 100 km – I consider this not a record, but a rather pleasant indicator. However, on the highway, the electric component hybrid almost does not flow, the Jeep Compass crossover moves due to the gasoline engine – and the fuel consumption indicators are appropriate: at a speed of 80-90 km/h. it turns out 5-5.5 liters, at a speed of 110-120 km/h. we will already get 7-7.5 liters per 100 km.

The general warranty for the car is three years or 100,000 km. mileage (whichever comes first). The cost of maintenance depends on the dealer and is currently in the process of formation. As well as the dealer network: if Jeep restarted with three dealers, new dealers have already been added in other major cities of Ukraine – Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa.

Jeep Compass car safety

The Jeep Compass passed Euro NCAP crash tests back in 2017, and since then the testing program has been slightly changed, so the previous results are no longer completely relevant. However, if you do pay attention to them, I will note that the Jeep Compass crossover received the maximum 5-star rating. Although there were certain comments: increased loads on the driver’s chest in a frontal impact with partial overlap, increased loads on the rear passenger’s chest in a frontal impact with full overlap, weak trunk protection in a side impact, child protection in a frontal impact.

Jeep Compass test drive results

Perhaps this is a matter of inflated expectations. But I really expected more from the Jeep Compass crossover: a well-known brand, a solid design, an updated “fresh” interior, a technological hybrid. However, it turned out that there were comments in almost every point. Thank you, these comments are not critical, but there are quite a few of them.

However, I welcome the appearance of the Jeep Compass car on the Ukrainian car market. Because the Jeep Compass car is the entrance ticket to the world of the Jeep brand at the level of official dealers. And further in this world there are Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Because the Jeep Compass crossover is just the beginning: the Jeep model line in Ukraine, tests and reviews of Jeep cars, and generally getting to know the aforementioned “Jeep world”.

Finally, simply because this is another representative of the C-SUV class, which is very popular, it simply expands the choice for buyers! After all, in addition to comments and shortcomings, the Jeep Compass car also has its advantages, which may interest these buyers.

Pros:

+ The hybrid is not perfect, but it works from the point of view of improving economy

+ Pretty full sets, even starting with the starting Altitude

+ The exterior and interior design is restrained and recognizable, modern and concise

Cons:

— Remarks on the movement – ​​operation of the hybrid and gearbox, chassis settings

– Jeep cars are somehow expected to have all-wheel drive, at least in some versions…

The car is provided by Jeep in Ukraine.