Ireland is a funny country. There are weeks you want no rain at all, so it buckets down. Then there are weeks you pray for it, and there's not a drop. I was doing the latter this week because I'm driving a Jeep, and even though it's a pert and compact one, a Jeep never feels like a Jeep until it's filthy.
There should be muck all over the side panels, and the windscreen should be impossible to see through everywhere beyond the reach of the wipers. Jeeps are made to get down and dirty, not stand tall as if they're driving down a catwalk.
Sadly, it wasn't to be. Yes, the Alpine white version I drove, the actual car in the photo here, got a tiny bit scruffy, but nowhere near enough to reflect what it's capable of. Because make no mistake, this car has genuine off-road chops in 4x4 plug-in hybrid guise. The little bit of rough terrain I managed to find locally posed no problem; on the most rutted of country lanes, it adapted with ease. The brand ethos isn't "go anywhere, do anything" for no reason.
It's a long time since I've driven a Jeep. So long, in fact, that I actually can't remember. Now part of the Stellantis family of brands, alongside the like of Peugeot, Open, Fiat, and so on, it seems to be getting a lot more love, and why not? The name alone is iconic, to the point it became a generic term for all SUVs.
Later this year, hopefully, we'll also see the fully electric Avenger, but for now we have to make do with this hybrid. There has been a mild hybrid version of the Compass, but this is the full plug-in, with WLTP electric-only range of around 50km (ambitious!), and a charging time of around one hour and 45 minutes on a 7kW wallbox, which can be scheduled via an app for cheap night-rate electricity.
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This car has been designed for Europe, yet what I liked about it is the fact it still looks a lot more like an American car - from the bold grille detailing in seven-slot vertical panels to the trapezoidal wheel arches, the indented door sills, and the muscular rear architecture that emphasises height while also seeming to also expand the width.
Discreet roof rails round off the whole package beautifully. It's not a word I use often about cars, but it looks cheeky, and I like that. It has a bit of sass absent from other crossovers, and sits in the driveway like it has owned it forever.
The biggest surprise, though, is on the inside. This is the best-appointed Jeep I've driven, with a mounted touchscreen (I'm not wild about them, and prefer integrated, but I can live with it) on a leather-covered fascia with chrome-effect and carbon fibre detailing, and leather upholstery.
It's not as spacious for passengers as some of its rivals, but cargo capacity at 420 litres with all five seats in play is good, and 1,230 litres is available with the rear seats folded.
One of the big surprises, though this one not in a good way, is the relatively small fuel tank, with just 36.5 litres capacity. Combined with a full battery change, you're still getting range of only around 350km, so you will find yourself stopping a bit more often than usual to fill her up.
On the open road, the drive has a tendency to be a little noisy when the petrol engine is in play, though for local driving you can select EV mode only, which nullifies the issue.
As always with Jeep, you also get hill descent control, a choice of intuitive or full 4x4 mode, and a selection switch for the conditions ? sand/ mud, snow, sport, or automatic.
The Compass range starts from €43,995 for the 130hp manual transmission version in Night Eagle trim, and that's probably plenty for the average driver. The cheapest all-wheel drive version, in Limited spec, costs €49,995, while this S trim, which adds 19-inch gloss-painted black wheels, gloss black exterior accents, body-coloured painters lower sills and wheel arches, contrasting black roof, full leather upholstery, and electrically adjustable driver seat and lumbar support, clocks in at €54,995.
I'm not sure it's the best crossover out there, but I cut it a lot of slack. It feels like a lot of fun, from the looks, to the vastly improved interior, to the feeling that you really could use it to do anything and go anywhere, so long as there are plenty of petrol stations on the road to anywhere you've set your sights on.
JEEP COMPASS 4XE PHEV PRICE: (limited trim) €49,995 MODEL DRIVEN (S trim) €54,995 ENGINE 1.3-litre petrol 1332cc Power 1.3-litre petrol 1332cc BATTERY 11.4kW TRANSMISSION Six-speed automatic 1-100KM/H 7.3 seconds TOP SPEED 200kph WLTP FUEL CONSUMPTION (l/100km): 2.0 (combined) DIMENSIONS 4404MM (L); 1875MM (W, EXCL MIRRORS); 1649MM (H)
