I drove my first Jeep when I was seven or eight, writes Brian Byrne.
It was a pedal car, complete with American Army star on the bonnet, and a flip-down windscreen. It was a present from an uncle who had been captured by the Japanese in Hong Kong and spent most of his war in a POW work camp in Japan before being liberated by the Americans.
He came home briefly and until he died, far too few years later and back in Hong Kong, he was naturally my favourite uncle.
Anyhow, maybe that's why I have always had a soft spot for the Jeep brand. Iconic, military, cowboy in modern middle America. Equivalent—and arguably equal to—my other favourite brand, Land Rover.
Jeep is now owned by Fiat, courtesy of the Italian company's virtual takeover of Chrysler. And we're going to see a much bigger push of the brand in Europe from here on in. From the Irish perspective, the Compass is the one where much of that push will be seen.
That it is the smaller brother of the flagship Grand Cherokee I drove in my recent travels in America, the Compass looked no less imposing outside my home here. Sure, it's smaller, but in proportion to the Irish norm.
They have significantly improved the style, with snappy modern front lights and a smart iteration of the trademark grille. The bonnet is more sculpted, in part to manage the bulk of the 2.2 diesel engine, also to meet pedestrian impact regulations.
There's a good profile, strengthened by the chrome-coloured roof rails, and a very neat treatment of rear doors with hidden handles. A back hatch is simple in form but elegant in design.
All in all, Compass has the looks to be considered as a family wagon with a bit more mach than most. And though American cars don't have the tradition of European build finish, this one does step smartly up to the mark in perceived quality.
The review car came in 'Limited' grade, and for the moment I believe that's the only one they're going to offer. Which won't cause any angst, because it includes leather seats and trim, sat-nav, Bluetooth phone system, aircon and a lot more. The whole feeling inside is good, a touch of luxury in a very practical package.
It's roomy too. Surprisingly so in the rear, where three tall people would be quite comfortable even on a run as far as you can travel on this island. And that classic advantage of a car designed to go offroad in some of its variants, high ride height, makes that long run even more bearable.
The review car wouldn't be going offroad, as it was the FWD version, likely to be the biggest seller. A full AWD is available, with true rough terrain ability and a greater capacity to tow. There will be buyers.
Though the entry level will be a 2.0 petrol, nobody really expects it to sell here in our CO2 tax environment. The diesels are Mercedes-Benz based 2.2s, the FWD version offering 136hp, the one powering the AWD with 163hp. Both with a hefty 320Nm of pulling power.
On that CO2 band, the car I was driving was still in Band D, but by the time most orders will be due for delivery, January of 2012, it will have been tweaked down to C.
Lit up and set off, the engine isn't the quietest in the business, but the rumble is actually pleasant enough. And once on the move, it quickly becomes quite refined. There's a 6-speed manual with both variants, and it has a nice direct feel. Very slightly trucky, but that suits the image and Compass doesn't require fast racing changes.
It lopes along very easily, not least because the pulling ability comes in at the nice low revs level of 1,400 and spans a good band. With cruise control as one of the goodies, it eats up motorways in a very satisfying way. Fuel consumption at 6.1L/100km is very respectable for the size of the car.
Though pricing hasn't been made definitive as I write, the Compass FWD Limited 2.2 is expected to come in at around €27,000. It is a lot of good car for the money, and is aimed at a wide swathe of targets—Nissan's Qashqai, Ford's Kuga, Hyundai's ix35 and Kia's Sportage to mention a few. And don't forget Land Rover's Freelander and Mitsubishi's Outlander. So carving a decent presence won't be an easy ride.
But if nothing else, Jeeps know how to make it through tough going.
