2023 Jeep Compass S 1.5 e-Hybrid
The Compass is a much-loved model in the Jeep SUV line-up. It sits above the Renegade and is a great choice for those looking for something a bit smaller than say, a Grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. It also offers the option of a plug-in version in all-wheel drive. For the moment, however, the more practical non-plug-in hybrid is probably the most attractive choice. No fiddling about with cables or finding charging points. It does mean the electric power is milder, but for many people this will offer as much of an alternative to the traditional internal combustion engine as they may need.
FIRST TEST JEEP COMPASS e-HYBRID
This second-generation Compass certainly looks good and Jeep has spared nothing in ensuring that this new Compass e-Hybrid model will fulfil environmental expectations. The seats are made from Seaqual – a mixture of polyester yarn coming from sea plastics and recycled polyester from land sources – and is very sustainable and surprisingly appealing. The black upholstered seats are very attractive and embroidered boldly in blue on Upland models to represent those oceanic sources. Elsewhere the premium feeling of the interior is enhanced by piano black around the touchscreen which stands proud of the dashboard and also features around the gearstick and central console. The instrument panel can be adjusted to your personal taste – analogue or digital for example – and the button on the panel below allows you to access Jeep’s new Highway Assist system, which the company claims gives you level two autonomy.
Of course, a green interior would be nothing were it not reflected in the powertrain. In the case of the Compass e-Hybrid, this is a specially designed 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine aided and abetted by a 1.5kWh electric motor with 48-volt technology. This mild hybrid setup is actually more powerful than it would first appear and delivers a boost of 20bhp and 41lb ft of torque, and is paired to a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox that swaps seamlessly between the powerplants.
Unless you press the eSave button to store the electric charge, this transition is always automatic and, amazingly, regenerates very quickly. One moment the stored electricity was almost at zero and within 20 minutes of a stretch of hilly hairpins and downhill plunges that required fierce braking, and the system indicated stored energy of 100%. You can use this electric charge, says Jeep, to e-queue in the city, e-creep in a traffic jam and e-park, all emissionless.
The e-Compass is strong and bold on the road – though not perhaps as agile as its smaller stablemate, the Renegade e-Hybrid, tested in the next issue – but it makes up for this with little perks that make life easier. A bigger boot, for example, two sizes of USB connections, and wireless smartphone charging.
The Compass more than holds its own on faster roads, where it delivers strong performance, but after a hard day’s work, there’s a lot to be said for a silent finish, gliding onto the driveway and home for a well-earned rest.