Until now it seemed that, despite its history, Jeep had lost out on the SUV stakes. Michael McAleer, Motoring editor tried out the new Jeep Compass to see if anything had changed
For a company that prides itself on coming in on the first wave at D-day, Jeep has somehow missed the boat in the SUV stakes. Some Americans still claim its original military models were a decisive factor in the Allied victory in Europe.
Yet its more recent forays on this continent have made less of an impact. The boom in SUV sales caught the famous 4x4 brand lolling around on the ranch. It's like the property tycoon who ignored Ireland until this year, and now hopes to make a few million over here. The thing is that the easy money is gone and the outlook is decidedly less rosy.
So too with SUVs: while soft-roader suburban sales remain buoyant, the future looks a lot less bright than when the Japanese and Koreans started to make their mark with models like the Toyota Rav4 and Hyundai Santa Fe. What Jeep has going for it is the brand name, considered by many to be laced in history and carrying a certain cachet. Just as Land Rover has won favour with green welly brigades in Europe, Jeep has earned its spurs on the other side of the Atlantic.
Now comes the time to take advantage of that, and several new or updated models have arrived or are due to dock here this year. This vehicle takes its key design feature - two large front lights and a sizeable metal bar grille - from the original old Willys army Jeeps.
How this sits with the modern-day public remains to be seen. If, as many designers claim, light clusters are a car's jewellery, then the Compass is distinctly underdressed.
The look, with the single high-set headlights and the seven-slot vertical metal bars on the grille, is no doubt designed to evoke memories of those Willys Jeeps. To some, that's retro thinking and right on the nose for keeping the brand's heritage alive. For others it's all rather dated.
Aside from the traditional front end, Jeep has incorporated some curves into the look, in particular, bulges on the rear doors and high-set pillar door handles for the rear doors.
In terms of size the Compass looks meaty, but is actually lower than Korean rivals and only slightly longer.
That may suggest some form of soft-roader, but the Compass comes with a proper four-wheel-drive system. Admittedly power is largely focused on the front wheels, although when circumstances warrant it, up to 60 per cent can be directed to the rear through an electronically controlled clutch.
Specification is also impressive, with leather trim as standard, along with ESP stability control and electronic anti-roll mitigation. Yet the most striking feature of the interior is not the leather or added features like cruise control: it's the great swathes of rather cheap-looking plastic.
It's hardy and in keeping with the type of good working vehicle you expect from a brand like Jeep, but it's well off the pace when compared with other European or Japanese rivals. Even the Koreans could claim to have better quality plastics than this. Practicality is also a theme in the boot, where a solid plastic floor lets you play with the load without worrying about staining the carpet. Rear seat space, meanwhile, is ample in terms of legroom but three growing teenagers will find elbow room a little tight. The driving position has all the positive elements of a high-set SUV, but for all that the dash is quite high and the windscreen is not as big as in several rivals. That may be a turn-off for taller drivers.
The Compass is based on the same platform as the Dodge Caliber and Mitsubishi Outlander, another brand once part of the Daimler circle of trust. In terms of handling, it has a slight tendency to understeer in corners and does lean quite a bit if you don't get the speed right, but it's never severe enough to cause panic in the cabin. It's what you expect when you drive a Jeep.
For all its rugged pedigree, the Compass has been set up with suburbia in mind and the suspension is designed more for potholes than ditches.
Like many of its diesel rivals, the Compass features a six-speed manual transmission. The engine is actually bought in from Volkswagen, but it's a lot less refined here than on any VW-badged model we've driven. While we may forgive the rattling thud that comes from the engine on a cold start, the continual noise even when it's warmed up is unnecessary given the sophisticated diesels on offer these days.
It's not just the noise that's a let-down. For all the 310Nm of torque on offer, the Compass still only pulls away in second with a supporting slope. Thankfully the six-speed transmission does its best to compensate, and once up and running there is ample pep in the Compass's step.
Where once off-roading was a small niche market with two or three expert players, this market has become a boom business for mainstream brands. Sadly, instead of using its heritage and expertise to rise on the wave of popularity with the rest, Jeep seemed to be caught napping.
While others milked the growing market, Jeep failed to advance its products and take advantage of new growth markets like Europe. Its engines didn't suit our needs, the quality of finish didn't match the newcomers. All it had going for it was the brand and the history. For many buyers that simply wasn't enough.
The Compass goes some way to expanding Jeep's options, but some may view it as too little too late. The price is right and the specification is far superior to what rivals offer. Combine all that with the semi-premium branding and you can see how the Compass should sell well. Yet after a week in the Compass, the strong brand and the interest from other motorists didn't compensate for the disappointing interior or the noisy engine.
The Jeep brand is well regarded this side of the Atlantic, and its relatively small sales means it has plenty of room for growth. Models like the Compass are better suited to European tastes these days and there could well be a market for its products.
It just needs to speed up development and in that regard it could do well to watch the way its Asian rivals made up for a lack of heritage or branding by offering increasingly better product.
The Compass is certainly worth looking at if brand image is important. Price and its high specification also appeal. Yet its negatives symbolise the struggle American brands face if they want to compete with Asian rivals.
Last week Cerberus completed its takeover of the Chrysler Group, of which Jeep is one of the brands. They have some work to do to win the SUV battle on European shores.
Factfile:
Jeep Compass CRCC:
ENGINE:1998cc common-rail diesel engine putting out 138bhp @ 4,000rpm and 310Nm of torque @ 1,750 to 2,500rpm. 0/100km/h: 11.0 Top speed: 189km/h BHP: 138
SPECIFICATION:Standard features include: Six airbags; ESP stability control with Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM): ABS braking; Full Time 4WD with Selectable LOCK Feature; leather seats; air-con; cruise control; Halogen headlamps; 18" Alloys; front and rear fog lamps; roof rails; privacy glass in rear; Radio/CD with four speakers and steering wheel controls. Options: Metallic paint: €600
L/100KM (MPG):
Urban:8.3 (34.0)
Extra urban:5.4 (52.3)
Combined:6.5 (43.5)
CO2emissions:177g/km
Annual road tax:€539
Price:€33,995