Chunky new Jeep Compass brings hybrid, PHEV and 404-mile EV

Its design was a collaborative effort across various global studios but was led by Jeep’s team in Turin.

“Turin is one of those cities that exemplifies the European lifestyle, and European cities are almost like urban jungles – the way people park and run over stuff – so what works in the woods also works in the city,” Stellantis chief design officer Ralph Gilles told Autocar.

“It’s not often we get to redo an icon like the Compass,” he added, emphasising the need to ensure Jeep’s mid-sized SUV stands out in a crowded segment. “When we came out years ago, we were the only game in town – there weren’t that many compact SUVs – and of course a lot of people have come into the scene and emulated us.”

With that in mind, Gilles’s brief to Compass designer Daniele Calonaci was to “make it rugged, make it more bold but, at the same time, detoxify”.

So the new Compass doesn’t feature any chrome – for ecological reasons and “to clean it up a little” – and it is overall a chunkier and more minimalistic proposition than before.

The design also features a new face – “one of the most intimidating parts of doing a new Jeep”, said Gilles – with the seven slots reimagined as a wraparound panel.

The exterior overhaul is matched by a dramatically different cabin with a 10.0in digital gauge cluster, a 16.0in touchscreen and an array of touch controls. The aim is for the Compass to serve as a more direct rival to the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.

“State-of-the-art technology will be standard on all models,” said Catone, “with features usually found in premium and upper segments.”

The new Compass will be the first Jeep offered with the choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure-electric powertrains. Catone said this ensures it is “capable of meeting 90% of segment demand” in Europe.

Both of the combustion-powered variants are front-driven. There’s a petrol mild-hybrid model with 143bhp and a 1.6-litre plugin hybrid with 192bhp and a 21kWh battery that will enable around 53 miles of engine-off running.

The electric Compass is available with either a 211bhp or 229bhp motor on the front axle, giving 311 miles of range from a 73kWh battery or up to 404 miles with a 96kWh pack.

At the top of the line-up is the all-electric 4xe, the only Compass with fourwheel drive from launch. It is equipped with a second, 177bhp electric motor on the rear axle that takes total power to 370bhp, making this Europe’s most powerful STLA-based car yet.

More significantly, this new motor – bespoke to Jeep – puts out 170lb ft of torque and runs through a 14:1 reducer, which means up to 2380lb ft is available at the rear, enabling the Compass 4xe to pull itself up a 20% incline even if there’s no traction at the front wheels.