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Jeep Compass 4xe PHEV Review: All-Wheel Drive Plug-in Hybrid SUV | Video

Jan 15, 2022

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The Jeep Compass is & egrave; renovated: recently & egrave; the restyling has arrived. Yes & egrave; updated out, & egrave; changed mainly inside and & egrave; more technological, but not only. For the historic brand & egrave; a very important model: it belongs to the compact SUV category of the segment C , which in Europe account for about 20% of cars sold, over 40% of SUVs.

Apart from the difficult market moment, however, the Italians really like the Compass and it is; always among the most sold: ended 2021 in ninth place of the most cars sold; sold in the year with over 28,000 registrations.

You will remember that we tested it about three years ago with the 120 bhp 1.6 turbodiesel Multijet. This time & egrave; instead the turn of the hybrid plug-in . Let's see where and how they have really improved.

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS
HABITABILITY & Agrave; AND INTERIORS
TECHNICAL SHEET
ROAD TEST
ADAS AND SAFETY
TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD
EQUIPMENT AND PRICES
ALTERNATIVES
VIDEO

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS

The dimensions remain those of the average of its segment: length 4404 mm x width 1874 mm x height 1649 mm, with a wheelbase of 2636 mm.

HABITABILITY? AND INTERNAL egrave> Inside just changed a lot: the new dashboard , completely redesigned, has a more & ugrave; modern, overall it looks much better, and c & rsquo; & egrave; the possibility to choose between different materials for the upholstery: leather, fabrics, or finishes with an aluminum or carbon fiber effect.

With the restyling, new textures have arrived for plastics and more materials; soft with visible stitching for the dashboard and door panel trims. Good materials, more pleasing to the touch and sight, while the assemblies are not always precise. The new climate vents are now more & ugrave; thin. And & rsquo; significantly improved the perception of quality, now it is; almost more refined.

It's hard not to notice the new fully digital instrument cluster , a 10.25 '' Full HD display. In the center of the dashboard there is & rsquo; & egrave; instead the touch display of the infotainment, from 8.4 to 10.1 & rdquo; according to the set-ups, which houses the latest version of the Uconnect 5 system, making its debut in Europe with this model. They have placed it high to allow the driver to always keep their eyes on the road.

Change the design of the steering wheel and center tunnel. The steering wheel & egrave; improved: l & rsquo; handle & egrave; always quite thick and i & egrave; the feedback of the keys on the spokes also seemed better.

The physical keys are still plentiful: they are just arranged to look less. The & rsquo; ergonomics & egrave; definitely improvable: not everything is; at your fingertips or where you expect it; some commands are a bit & rsquo; awkward to reach, for example those to the left of the steering wheel to manage the Hybrid, Electric and e-Save functions, and the touch-sensitive ones in the center display can be distracting. I realize that only with the next generation, when they can redesign everything, will it be; can really improve this.

For those who look to practicality, they have optimized the internal space, to be able to comfortably store every object, much more; before. In the center console, redesigned, the glove box is; more large and then there are many other things under the central armrest. Instead, in front of the gear lever, they have obtained a compartment for wireless charging of the mobile phone.

Among the strengths of the Compass c & rsquo; & egrave; certainly the habitability : & egrave; good, in front and also for those who sit in the back. The entrance to the back part is easy, considering the roof line and the height from the ground. The space is good in all directions even for the most & ugrave; tall. The central tunnel, fortunately, is not; too bulky: there are air vents and two USB sockets, one standard and one type C, then one 12 V and one 230 V. Only note: the backrest of the rear sofa is; maybe a little & rsquo; too stiff.

It disappoints a bit & rsquo; the trunk : compared to the external dimensions of the car, one would expect more; and instead in our plug-in hybrid it also loses 18 liters of capacity; compared to that, already small (certainly not among the largest in the category), of the normal versions, to make room for the battery and electric motor. We are at 420 liters and you can & ograve; reach a maximum of 1230 liters .

Space can be exploit enough: the load threshold & egrave; flat but rather high off the ground, there is no c & rsquo; & egrave; a lot of space in height and the bottom can not & ograve; be adjusted to more & ugrave; levels. There is no & rsquo; & egrave; the through-loading system in the center, which would be useful for loading larger items; long. C & rsquo; & egrave; for & ograve; a point in its favor: the cable for refills in public columns, in addition to having a transport bag less bulky than others (some houses put some kind of suitcases & hellip;) it fits in the double bottom, so it does not steal luggage space.

The electric tailgate & egrave; reserved only for top-of-the-range versions, on the others & egrave; an optional. If a lady uses the car it becomes even more; difficult to close & hellip ;.

DATA SHEET COMPASS 4XE 190 HP

Engine: 1.3 turbo PHEV 190 HP
N & deg; of cylinders, arrangement: 4 in line
Displacement: 1332 cc
Injection system: GDI Gasoline Direct Injection
Type of fuel: petrol
Transmission: 6-speed automatic transmission
Drive system: electric all-wheel drive
ICE (internal combustion engine)
Power: 130 HP/96 kW 5550 rpm
Max torque: 270 Nm 1850 rpm
E- MOTOR (electric motor)
Power: 60 HP/44 kW
Max torque: 250 Nm
Emissions standard: Euro 6d Final
Capacity battery: 11.4 kWh
Autonomy in mode; electric: 49 – 52 km
Speed; maximum in mode fully electric: 135 km/h
Best charging time: 1h 45 & rsquo;
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 7.9 s
Speed & agrave; max: 183 km/h
Combined cycle fuel consumption: 1.9 & ndash; 2.0 l/100 km
Combined CO2 emissions: 44-46 g/km
Fuel tank: 36.5 liters
Empty weight with driver: 1935 kg
Min/max load volume: 420/1230 l

ROAD TEST

The Compass of our test is; the plug-in hybrid , which Jeep calls 4xe : & egrave; offered in two power steps, from 190 and 240 hp . Ours & egrave; the least powerful but I also believe the most powerful; interesting from a commercial point of view.

The heat engine & egrave; a 4-cylinder turbo 1.3-liter petrol engine with 130 hp (96 kW), which moves the front wheels, coupled with a 44 kW (60 hp) electric motor located on the rear axle and powered by an 11 battery, 4 kWh. The overall power is of 190 horses. The electric motor produces a torque of 250 Nm and the thermal one 270. 6-speed automatic transmission and electric all-wheel drive. It accelerates from 0 to 100 in 7.9 seconds and declares a speed; maximum of 183 km per hour.

It promises an autonomy in mode & agrave; electric between 49 and 52 km and so; & egrave; zero emissions test started immediately. The first full recharge is done with a public column in about 1 hour and 45 minutes: much better than many others that take twice as much.

But & egrave; a curious (and certainly not positive) thing happened: I load it in the late afternoon, promising myself to take the test in the city; in only mode electric the next morning. Car parked in the garden, in the morning I get on board and points me down; a & rsquo; residual autonomy of more than 10 km less than what is indicated when the l & rsquo; I turned off. Now the doubt is; more that lawful: yes & egrave; discharged by itself overnight? & lsquo; And & rsquo; a problem with this sample in test? O & egrave; a flaw of the plug-in hybrid Compass? I hope this is the first case, otherwise it would already be; a lackluster beginning.

I left and after only 4 km traveled it already signals me; a battery only 59% charged. Normal traffic around noon, temperature around 13 & deg;, in the car the climate on around 21 & deg;, I drive many roads with traffic lights and intersections that allow me to brake often to recharge a bit. I drive calmly, when I can I take advantage of the coasting and yet as soon as the battery is; reached 4% & egrave; the heat engine intervened and I only traveled 23.3 km in electric . I would say disappointing: for now it is; definitely postponed.

Carried out a new reload. we leave for a normal test , choosing the mode Hybrid , which should optimize the use of the two engines and fuel consumption. If you need c & rsquo; & egrave; also the mode E-Save , to maintain the state of charge of the battery, to safeguard the electric autonomy necessary when you arrive in a city center where you cannot use the heat engine.

If the battery is sufficiently charged and the external temperature allows it, the Compass always turns on in mode; electric. The starting point is not; badly and you will appreciate the silence of running, especially in city traffic.

Yes & egrave; seated high up, definitely above average, therefore visibility front & egrave; good, and you can have everything under control & ograve; what's going on around. Perhaps, for those who are not & egrave; very high, the uprights could prevent a bit & rsquo; the view also in front. The visibility posterior instead & egrave; little: the rear uprights are wide and the rear window is; small. Fortunately, for more maneuvers; challenging here are the front and rear parking sensors with a rear view camera, finally with a good resolution.

The push & egrave; good, not & egrave; It is always necessary to push hard on the gas to appreciate our hybrid. The automatic transmission six-speed & egrave; a little & rsquo; slow but & egrave; fluid in shifting and contributes to the comfort that the Compass can offer. Even when it pulls a bit & rsquo; more & ugrave; the gears, the noise of the thermal engine is not & egrave; never intrusive, because & eacute; & egrave; soundproofed well. L & rsquo; cockpit & egrave; rather quiet and the ride comfort is not; not bad.

In town and the steering when maneuvering& egrave; light and comfortable and the turning radius is; pretty good, for & ograve; as soon as the speeds are more & ugrave; high no longer goes well: not & egrave; precise, it does not have the right sensitivity. Is not serious; certainly a sporty one, but a bit & rsquo; more precision never hurts. For sure you will like it. to the Americans. The set-up I would say is that & egrave; good and, at least with 18 & rdquo; and high-shoulder tires, it absorbs quite well and offers good comfort.

As I had already found in the test three years ago, the Compass performs well between the curves: & egrave; high but the roll is not; never so; exaggerated. Is not serious; certainly the car to drive sportily, but if you don't overdo it you can drive it brilliantly because it has a safe road behavior and ease of use. driving remains a point in favor of him.

For & ograve; this plug-in hybrid version & egrave; at an altitude of 1935 kg as empty weight with driver : they are more & ugrave; of 300 compared to the turbodiesel and 430 compared to the petrol one. And they feel: in the changes of direction, and not only, & egrave; less agile and feel more & ugrave; even irregularities of the road.

As I have already said, & egrave; well soundproofed, as it was already; before restyling: the level of insulation from the outside of the passenger compartment is maybe even better; pity that on the highway, where you travel really well, c & rsquo; & egrave; some rustling too much coming from the mirrors. The braking system is powerful, the brake pedal has a linear action, modulates well. Most votes that's positive.

There are several modes. driving : Auto, where it does everything by itself, Sport, if you really want it a little bit; more gritty (nothing of the kind inspires me at all & hellip;), Snow and Sand/Mud to travel more & ugrave; safe on surfaces with poor grip, with snow in the first case and with sand, mud, wet grass in the second. If you are among those who do every now and then a little & rsquo; off-road vehicle c & rsquo; & egrave; the Trailhawk version, plus; high from the ground and with the mode & agrave; Rock dedicated to off-road driving, which also helps you in the most sloping sections; delicate.

And how much does it consume? The company declares an average value in the combined cycle of 1.9/2 liters per 100 km. On the day we shot the video, in mode & agrave; Hybrid, between city, suburban and motorway we traveled 184 km with an average of 7 liters per 100 km. The on-board computer does not report the average consumption in kWh per 100 km. C & rsquo; & egrave; an aspect that does not play in its favor: the fuel tank is; of only 36.5 liters, so it can not & ograve; allow great autonomy, also because & eacute; when the battery runs out the 1.3 petrol starts to drink much more …

ADAS AND SAFETY

The new Compass & egrave; safe? It already was; before but now he will be able to even boast of being the first model of the brand in Europe with a Level 2 autonomous driving system . So it will have; little to envy to the competition.

Gi & agrave; in the standard entry level version it offers: 6 Airbags, Emergency Braking with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, Fatigue Detector, Traffic Sign Recognition (which detects speed limits and related road signs, and those of the prohibition of overtaking). The latter, combined with the Adaptive Cruise Control from the Intelligent Speed Assist, suggests an automatic speed adjustment. according to the limits indicated by road signs. Then c & rsquo; & egrave; the Lane Support System, to help keep the car in the lane, and more.

The novelty & egrave; just the debut of the Highway Assist , the second level autonomous driving system: combining Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Keep Assist, & egrave; capable of maintaining distance and speed control; compared to the vehicle in front of us and, at the same time, does s & igrave; that the Compass remains in the center of the lane, even in a wide radius corner. Soon it will be & agrave; available as an option on this Limited version and even more; rich S.

In our test the driving assistance systems tested seemed to me to be well tuned; some for & ograve; are a bit & rsquo; too invasive, such as keeping in the ward: & egrave; intervention on the steering wheel is too abrupt and annoying.

TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD As for the technology on board, the news are the instrument cluster completely digital , a Full HD 10.25 '' display, and the debut of the latest version of the Uconnect 5 system for infotainment, with a minimum 8.4-inch display. Here instead it is; in the version from 10.1 & rdquo ;.

In front of the driver, the digital instrumentation has many different configuration options, through 5 distinct menus. But the graphics, at times, can & ograve; create confusion and a little distraction.

The new multimedia system has a much larger processor; faster than before, the display finally has an instant response to commands, & egrave; well defined, boasts bright colors and men & ugrave; easy to manage. It also includes the interactive TomTom navigator with 3D view. The system allows you to manage most of the car's functions from the many commands you find on the display, but which can end up distracting you while driving.

The connection to Apple Car Play and Android Auto & egrave; wireless. Among other features connectivity & agrave; 4G with updates & ldquo; Over The Air & rdquo; and an interaction system with advanced voice recognition, which allows you to communicate with the car with the & lsquo; Ehi Jeep & rsquo; command.

EQUIPMENT AND PRICES Comp; offered in four versions . In particular, the plug-in hybrid can being Night Eagle, Limited (like this one), Trailhawk and S. The standard equipment already in the entry level version it offers 18 & # 39; & # 39; alloy wheels, full Led headlights, Led fog lights, rear parking sensors, dual zone automatic climate control, digital instrument panel with 10.25 & # 39; display & # 39;, the Uconnect system with 8.4 & # 39; & # 39; screen and much more.

In the meantime, compared to when we shot the video, the list of the plug-in hybrid & egrave; changed and now starts from the 45.850 Euro (without considering the incentives) of the Night Eagle to reach the 52.100 of Trailhawk or S.

Of course, the Compass can also be had with petrol and diesel engines . For those who choose it with petrol c & rsquo; & egrave; a 4-cylinder 1.3 turbo with two power levels: 130 HP with a six-speed manual gearbox and 150 HP combined with a double clutch, again with front-wheel drive. For those who grind many kilometers c & rsquo; & egrave; the updated version of the 1.6 Multijet II turbodiesel with 130 HP in combination, for now, with a six-speed manual and front-wheel drive.

The Jeep Compass with the restyling & egrave; changed outside (and for me it is improved, it is more current, more captivating), but above all inside, with new technologies for entertainment. And & rsquo; even more; safe with new driving assistance systems. The plug-in & egrave; a little & rsquo; cara and in the test in mode & agrave; electric has disappointed a bit, but we will give you proof of appeal to redeem yourself. Taken together, it continues to prove to be a complete car, very usable, versatile, practical. The full hybrid and mild hybrid versions are missing from the offer.

ONLINE CONFIGURATOR JEEP COMPASS 4XE

THE ALTERNATIVES

As mentioned at the beginning of the video, it belongs to a very important segment, continuously growing in the market and very fierce.

Among the alternatives to our plug-in hybrid Compass are Peugeot 3008 Hybrid , the new Nissan Qashqai , which for & ograve; for now & egrave; only mild hybrid and pi & ugrave; ahead will come the long-awaited e-POWER, with all-electric drive, Hyundai Tucson , which is; offer not only plug-in, but also mild hybrid or Full Hybrid, the new Kia Sportage , which you can & ograve; have mild hybrid, full or plug-in, and the renewed Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid

Which would you choose?

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