2018 Jeep Compass Review

At last – it’s the compact Jeep you’ve been waiting for

By Shahzad Sheikh

Click below to watch my 2018 Jeep Compass Review

This is the all-new 2018 Jeep Compass – and Thank God for it! Because if you remember the old Compass than you have my sympathies, and also my apologies for putting the image back in your head right now. It really wasn’t very appealing.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

This new car is based on the new Renegade but is 16cm longer and about the same width. This new Compass was launched last year in India and in fact they are making them there, but only for Right Hand Drive markets. The Compass we get for the Middle East is put together in Mexico.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Now the most momentous aspect of the Compass is that it looks great – and like you’d expect a Jeep SUV to look. It sits between the Renegade – which I personally really liked, but was perhaps a bit too cutesy for aspiring Jeep owners in our region – and the Cherokee with its pinched face that again was a little too much of a dramatic departure for consumers here, despite being a success in the US market.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

By contrast, Jeep it seems has gone in a more conservative, and possibly correct, design direction with this Compass. It basically looks like a mini Grand Cherokee – and that’s a huge hit everywhere.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

And I reckon it’s another quite handsome offering from Jeep, particularly in the Trailhawk edition – which is the car you see in these pictures and video. It’s only about 1cm higher than standard, has off-road boots and different bumpers to give it good approach angles and make a feature out of the tow hooks!

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Not so many Easter Eggs, unlike the Renegade which is positively festooned with motifs and surprise graphics. In the case of the Compass you get, no not a Compass, that would have been waaaay too obvious, but a strange serpent thing etched into the back window. Yeah, I dunno either.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

So the Compass is perhaps a simpler, less pretentious, more honest workhorse for families looking for a compact SUV for a reasonable price – and one that’s fairly competent too when it comes to getting the tyres dirty.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Price you ask? Well official manufacturer recommended retail prices including VAT, for the region start at AED90,900 ($25k) for the base car. The Limited edition and the Trailhawk are priced at AED104,900 ($29k). Always double check pricing with your local dealer.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

All are powered by a 180bhp 2.4-litre Tigershark four-cylinder engine, driving all four wheels of course through a 9-speed auto. Top speed is 180kph, 0-100kph acceleration is in about 9 seconds and fuel economy is 9.4L/100km.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

This particular Trailhawk totalled up to AED122,000 though with options including sat-nav, full length sunroof, Bi Xenon headlights, anti-highbeam dazzle and premium audio – which sounds fantastic.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Luggage space is about par for an SUV this size, the drop down armrest in the rear backrest leaves a huge gap into the boot which is either a good thing if the kids want easy access to their stuff, or a bad thing if you tend to leave a lot of junk lying around in the back.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Rear seating room is okay and you get a plug socket which is handy. Better for two than three adults, but three kids would be fine.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

Up front there are no issues. It’s got a full set of drivers aids that you may expect in a more expensive car, and a large infotainment screen that lets you configure those in some detail. All the controls are very intuitive and logical and visibility is good.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

On the go the ride is fantastic, the grip adequate and the handling quite competent. Whilst performance is perfectly adequate around town, it needs a bit of a build up to overtake and don’t plan on darting out of T-junctions too sprightly, or indeed of powering up any steep dunes for that matter.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

But it will otherwise travel most places off the tarmac that you’d care to go. It is a Jeep after all. And actually quite revels in getting its tyres dusty. Certainly more than capable of managing the occasional all-terraining as befits the badge.

2018 Jeep Compass Review

For the money then, and considering the brand and the style, this definitely car worth putting on your shortlist. In fact I quite fell for it. It was very likeable to drive and ride around in, offers a good breath of equipment, has appealing looks and of course the fabled Jeep badge. I’d consider one.

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