Prior to Covid, Irish motor writers were used to getting up at the crack of dawn for early morning flights to exotic locations around Europe and further afield where they tested new cars. But in recent years most of the new car launches are held here in Ireland and we get to see the best of our own country.
In June this year, we got to visit the famous Slane Castle in county Meath where the new Jeep Compass was unveiled. It was a great thrill, especially for people who in the past stood on the grassy bank in Slane for concerts, to be allowed drive up the narrow pathway that leads to the castle.
There in the June sunshine we saw an array of the new Jeep Compass vehicles in various colours, with Hawaii Green taking pride of place. Now, some people reckon that green is an unlucky colour for a car, but I think that’s a myth. Last week my test car came in Hawaii Green with a lovely black trim and black roofline and I had no problems. But I realise that not everybody would opt for that green colour and might prefer something more discreet.
We are all guilty of using the word ‘Jeep’ too loosely at times; did you know that only Jeeps made by the original Jeep company in Toledo, Ohio are allowed to use the name on their vehicles?
Jeeps have been in use since World War II, but the Jeeps you see nowadays on Irish roads are much more refined. Jeep were part of Chrysler from1987, and they are now owned by the Stellantis group and distributed in Ireland by the Gowan Group.
The third-generation Compass comes with both electric and hybrid variants from €42,995, as well as a Car Derived Van (CDV), priced from €35,918. Further powertrain options will follow as the range expands. The new version plays on the tough, rugged image, that the brand is known for.
At the front you get the impressive seven-slot grille. I liked the old-style button on the dash for the radio volume. And the gear selector button is really easy to use.
There is great space in the interior and now back seat passengers get an extra 200mm of leg room. Overall, black is the dominant interior colour on the seats and roofline. And the washable rubber mats on the floor are naturally black. The only bit of colour on the dash is a red rubberised Selec-Terrain switch to select one of the five driving modes: Electric, Auto, Sport, Snow or Sand/Mud. Good ground clearance if you go off-road car and can get you through 470mm of water if there is a flood.
You get a huge boot, officially 550 litres of space, with plenty of room for a spare wheel, but as is normal nowadays no spare is supplied. And no frunk either but there is a rear wiper.
In the past, Jeep has not been a big seller in Ireland, but with promotion from Gowan we should see an uptake in Jeep sales next year.
As both the hybrid and electric models both have the same price, a customer who opts for a full EV version can switch to hybrid after 90 days if they feel that the EV version is not right for them. The range with a full charge is around 430km.
