Road Test: Jeep Compass 2.2 CRD 4x4 Limited

Price as tested: TBA

In brief: So much better than the original Compass that it's not even in the same post code. Still falls  short of the best current rivals though.

There are some very lonely, distant spots in the world, but few are quite so distant or bereft of life as Hall Bay in northern Greenland. There is nothing here but snow, ice, rocks and lichen. It is notable only for  the presence of a grave, that of infamous American arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall who's death on an ill-fated expedition is still often conjectured to be murder at the hands of a disgruntled crew-mate.

And it was in the 1970s that a Jeep briefly visited here. It was part of a Danish expedition to investigate  arctic weather patterns, it stayed for a few days, motored happily around the sere, foreboding landscape and went home again leaving only the lichens and the lovely gravesite. I mention this because it would have been utterly inconceivable to Hall that people would one day travel easily over the landscape that cost him his life, and to remind you all that at its core, the Jeep brand is one capable of producing some exceptionally rugged vehicles.

Unfortunately, few if any of us actually require a truly rugged vehicle, much though we crave their outdoors-y image and usefulness, and it is this that has triggered the rise and rise of the SUV and crossover segment; cars that look vaguely related to Jeep's Willys-Bantam original but which have the creature comforts and running costs of a conventional family car.

In spite of having effecitvely created just such a car in the 1960s, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, it took until 2007 for Jeep to finally catch up with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and others and finally offer a truly compact, efficient vehicle with a Jeep badge. It was the Compass and it was awful. Wayward handling, truly terrible cabin quality and design, nasty brakes and a general and pervading air of cheapness put it bottom of pretty much every critic's list and made a lie of the generally-held assumption that there aren't any truly bad cars any more.

But now, under Fiat onwership, Jeep is having a go at making amends. In two years time, there will be an all-new Compass, with the chassis from an Alfa Giulietta and new, high-tech Fiat Powertrain engines. Until then, the Compass has had one of the most complete re-workings of any vehicle in recent times.

The front end is all new, with the gawky styling replaced by slick,Grand-Cherokee- style looks and inside, most (if not quite all) of the nasty plastics have been binned in favour of some decent soft-touch surfaces, a handsome new three-spoke steering wheel and some very comfy seats (trimmed in a rich feeling biscuit coloured leather on our Limited spec test car.

Gone too is the noisy and clattery VW-sourced 2.0-litre TDI engine and in its place is a sophisticated 2.2-litre 163bhp diesel engine from Mercedes which boasts a 6.6-litre per 100km combined fuel economy figure and, with four wheel drive, Co2 emissions of 172g/km. Not exceptional figures, it must be noted, but a step in the right direction.

It should probably be said here and now that the Compass has been transformed out of all recognition. Where before the handling felt truly dreadful, now it has an underlying feeling of assurance and balance, even if it's nowhere near as good to drive as, say, a Ford Kuga. The Mercedes engine brings with it decent power (a 0-100kmh sprint time of 10.6secs is OK) and improved refinement. I say improved because there is still quite a lot of clatter, and the occasional whistle and clank, at low speeds, but it does quieten down reasonably well on a longer run.

Over a busy test schedule when we managed to put more than 1,200km up on the car, we managed a decent fuel average of 7.0-litres per 100km, but found that the fuel gauge had an unnerving habit of plummeting towards the red quite suddenly when it wanted to. It's not an uneconomical car, but the last quarter of the tank does seem to disappear quite quickly.

It is quite comfortable though. The nice seats must be playing a big part in this, but the mostly well-sorted primary ride must also take a bow, even if it can be upset buy sharp, sudden ripples. There's a pleasingly long-legged, soft-kneed feeling about the way the Compass gets about.

It's deceptively spacious too. Look at the boot and the back seat and you assume that there's not a lot of room but actually you can fit a surprising amount of stuff and people in both. Certainly, the Compass lives up the Jeep's promises of being a practical vehicle.

What it's not is especially brilliant, and that's a fact that Jeep's suit-wearing types will tacitly admit to. It's a transitional car, they say, giving Jeep something halfway decent to sell while it awaits the arrival of an all-new Compass. In those terms, it's not bad then. Dynamically capable,in a basic sense, comfortable and sufficiently roomy for it to be considered for use as a family car.

Price will be an issue though. At the time of writing, Jeep Ireland had still not reached a final agreement with Jeep Europe's overlords in Turin on pricing. Apparently, Ireland wants to pitch the Compass as a circa €26,000 rival to the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and specced-up versions of the Skoda Yeti; a very sensible course of action. Jeep Europe though sees the Compass as being more of a premium model and wants a €30k+ price tag to put it up against the likes of the Land Rover Freelander. In which case, I think the Compass' case would be as dead as Charles Francis Hall in his grave on an icy Greenland shore peninsula.

At a Qashqai's price, you could pretty easily forgive the Compass' mild dynamic shortcomings and instead just enjoy its lengthy standard equipment list and the aura of its legendary badge. Above €30k though, it'll be out on far to fragile a limb,

Facts & Figures

Jeep Compass 2.2 CRD 4x4 Limited
Price as tested: €TBA
Price range: €TBA
Capacity: 2,143cc
Power: 163bhp
Torque: 320Nm
Top speed: 201kmh
0-100kmh: 10.6sec
Economy: 6.6l-100km (42.8mpg)
CO2 emissions: 172g/km
Road Tax Band: E €630
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested