The Jeep Compass range has been modernised with enhanced premium materials and advanced technology upgrades across the model line-up. What hasn’t changed though is the legendary Jeep capabilities and appetite for adventure and the cute Jeep on the windscreen is a nod to this off-roading history.
Pass over off-road obstacles confidently without damaging the underside of your vehicle with the 212mm of ground clearance and engage 4WD low, 4WD lock and downhill decent control for extra traction. The permanent 4×4 technology will also help keep you safer on urban roads in variable driving conditions and the Compass drives nicely and ride over the bumps in the road well.
I recently drove the Jeep Compass S-Limited, which is powered by a 2.4 litre, in-line 4 cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol Tigershark Engine with Auto, Sand/mud and Snow drive modes. The Tigershark engine has a maximum 129kW of power and 229Nm of torque paired with a 9-Speed automatic transmission. The official combined fuel consumption is 9.7L/100km and for my week I used 10.9L/100km.
The interior of the Jeep Compass has been completely refreshed and the S-Limited grade includes leather trimmed seats, leather wrapped steering wheel and leather wrapped shift knob. Both front seats have 8-way power adjustment and 4-way lumbar support, with the driver’s seat getting two memory positions. Thanks to the optional S-Limited Premium Package fitted to the Compass I drove I also had heated and cooled front seats, both of which worked well.
The 10.1-inch Uconnect Infotainment System connects wirelessly to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Plus, at the front of the centre console there is a wireless charging pad for compatible devices, one USB port and one USB-C port. The Alpine audio system features a 12-channel, 506-watt amplifier and nine speakers including an 8-inch subwoofer to enjoy your media from AM/FM radio, DAB, Bluetooth and USB.
In front of the main arm rest there are two deep cup holders with grippy sides to prevent spills when you are off-roading and between these is a convenient key holder. There is also a large drink bottle storage cubby in both of the front doors.
The Compass S-Limited comes with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that can be customised with all the information you need. The leather steering was heated, another option included in the Premium Pack, and pleasingly Jeep have replaced the masculine looking silhouette on the voice control button with a microphone shape. The voice control system worked well for me for making phone calls and changing the media source, but setting a destination on the sat nav is not available in Australia.
Head room for the rear seats is tight for adults and the leg room is only just adequate. There are two ISOFIX/three rear tether child seat restraint points, but only enough room for two car seats. I noted that the hooking point for the rear tether was very low down behind the rear seat, which may make it difficult to attach the clip. The centre seat folds down completely, so the rear seat is open to the boot, and at the front of the arm rest there are two cup holders with grippy sides and large drink bottle storage cubbies in the rear doors.
Rear passengers get two central air vents with manual open/close and direction control and below these there is one USB port and one USB-C port. In addition, at the base there is one 230V AC plug for up to 150W and one 12V outlet. There is no mat over the transmission tunnel, so if you do take your children adventuring in the great outdoors, they will most likely get this carpet dirty.
The tailgate is power operated with open/close from the key fob, button in the cabin and the feature I particularly liked was the close button for the tailgate is located low down in the boot so that children can reach it. The boot is not as large as you would expect, it can take the weekly shop, but if a pram was also in the boot, it would most likely only fit a small shop. If extra space is needed that rear seats have a 60:40 split folding mechanism. There are four strong feeling metal tie down points and two lights in the boot, but no hooks or 12V outlet. Under the boot floor is a temporary use spare tyre and only the Trailhawk Compass comes with a full-size spare tyre.
The ANCAP safety for the Jeep Compass was updated for variants built from April 2021 (on sale from July 2021) following a specification update for MY21 vehicles and it is still rated 5-stars (2017). Dual frontal, side chest and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard across the Compass range.
All Jeep Compass grades come with Pedestrian Emergency Braking, Full Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus Active Lane Management System, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Path Detection and Adaptive Cruise Control. My S-Limited had the optional 360o view camera with front and rear parking sensors, auto lights and auto wipers.
Jeep Australia now offers a 5-year/unlimited km warranty on all new Jeep models sold, with lifetime roadside assistance if you continue to service your Jeep through the official dealer network. The service schedule for petrol-powered models is 12 months or 12,000km, whichever occurs first. The first five services on the petrol Compass models are capped at $349 each or a total of $1,745. This is all part of the Jeep Wave commitment made by Jeep Australia.
The Jeep Compass S-Limited offers the best of both worlds, with off-road capabilities combined with everyday comforts. Prices for the Compass S-Limited start at $46,950 excluding on-road costs and as tested with Brilliant Black premium paint ($695) and the S-Limited Premium Package ($2,950) the vehicle I drove was $50,545 plus on-road costs. Visit your preferred Jeep dealer or price your Jeep Compass online.
| Pros | Cons |
| No longer has masculine silhouette on voice control button | Rear seat head and leg room tight for adults |
| Tailgate close button located down low in boot | No mat across the transmission tunnel in rear foot well |
| Grippy cup holders, front and rear | Only has a temporary use spare tyre |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.