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As the family’s designated driver on those rare occasions where we venture out together, I was faced with something of a dilemma last weekend.
My mum, stepdad, a family friend and a jumble of camping chairs and cooler boxes needed carting down to the Trib Fest at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club. The only problem, my little sports car only has one passenger seat and little room for much else.
What a coincidence and good fortune, then, that the friendly folk at Behbehani Brothers offered me the new 2018 Jeep Compass for a weekend’s test drive. It couldn’t have been more perfectly timed.
Not only did everything fit in nicely (including an extra friend who wanted a lift home afterwards), but there was room to spare and everyone was waxing lyrical about this cracking comfy car.
The Compass occupies an interesting spot in Jeep’s roster. It’s smaller and more affordable than Jeep’s Cherokee crossover SUV but bigger and more capable than the Renegade.
The version I tested was the Limited variety, which despite its rather curious name is actually the best option in the class. Standout features include 18-inch wheels, remote start, upgraded exterior trim, satellite radio, automatic dual-zone climate control, an upgraded driver information display, a power driver seat, heated front seats and leather upholstery. More on those later.
The most pertinent question above all is, of course, ‘how does it drive?’ The answer is: very well.
It rides excellently on the road, with responsive steering and brake inputs, and has enough chassis stiffness and suspension control to handle curves and off-roading.
Speaking of off-roading, although Bahrain doesn’t provide many opportunities to truly put these features to the test, I did take it for a spin on some wasteland and barely noticed any difference in performance or vibration. Top marks to the suspension and transmission!
Capability off the beaten track comes in the form of two advanced, intelligent full-time 4x4 systems: Jeep Active Drive and the Jeep Active Drive Low, each of which can send 100 per cent of available torque to any one wheel when needed.
Both systems include the Jeep Selec-Terrain system, providing up to four modes (Auto, Snow, Sand and Mud) for the best four-wheel-drive performance on any surface in any weather conditions. I’m not sure Snow will ever see much use in the kingdom, but Sand certainly will and if Thursday night’s downpour is to repeat itself, the Mud mode might get an outing too!
Going back to my little sports car for a second; whilst it is a joy to nip through traffic and park easily, going over any sort of speed bump or pothole (both of which are more common than sunny days in Bahrain) results in a tremor that has me checking the Richter Scale.
No such worries with the Compass though; it readily absorbs the kind of bumps that most crossovers transmit straight to the driver, so much so that you barely even notice them. The seat cushions are firm and comfortable, with plenty of head and legroom.
Praise must also go to the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration), which is intuitive and very easy to get to grips with. I had no issues connecting my iPod to the car to play music, and the Compass lived up to its name with a comprehensive navigation system that came in handy when trying to drop friends home in the middle of the Adliya labyrinth at night!
My criticisms are sparse, although with such a large touchscreen, it does seem a bit of an oversight to not include a rear-view camera to aid parking. I also noticed the wing mirrors seemed to magnify the view considerably more than other models, making me mildly panic when reverse parking on occasions, only to realise I was pretty far away from the car behind.
The 2.4-litre engine could have also packed a little more of a punch at only 173bhp, but perhaps I’m unfairly basing that on what I’m used to driving. This is a vehicle made for comfort and hauling cargo, after all!
l The Jeep Compass Limited is available now for BD9,995. For further information, visit the Behbehani Brothers Jeep showroom in Sitra or call 17459955. All Jeep models come with a comprehensive five-year/100,000 km manufacturer warranty.
