Jeep Compass

The plant is the reverse of the Renegade's. The Renegade leaves Melfi for both markets, which is why every one of its VINs is Italian. The Compass splits: European cars are built in Melfi, American ones in Toluca, Mexico. The same name, two different production lines.

The engines diverge completely. From 2017 to 2022 there is one petrol engine in America — the 2.4 Tigershark with 180 hp, naturally aspirated and fairly simple. It is also the one we hold most of. It takes an LPG conversion well, which here is the main reason to look for it, but it has a reputation for eating oil. From 2023 the 2.0 turbo with 200 hp arrives — livelier and more economical, on an improved eight-speed. Europe's range is another thing altogether: 1.3 and 1.4 turbos from 130 to 170 hp, the 1.6 and 2.0 MultiJet diesels, and the 4xe plug-in hybrid with an electric motor on the rear axle. The 2.0 diesel is the soundest European choice.

The gearbox depends on the drivetrain. Front-drive versions run a six-speed Aisin automatic — a conventional torque converter, dependable. The 4x4 versions run the same ZF 9HP as the Cherokee, but on the Compass after 2017 its software is clear of the teething trouble that plagued the Cherokee in 2014 and 2015. It wants an oil change every 60 to 80 thousand kilometres.

It is written that American auction cars are mostly front-wheel drive. Of our own stock that is not true and it is worth saying: three quarters of the Compasses whose drivetrain we know are 4x4, and the remaining quarter are front-drive. Check the individual car, but the odds are in your favour.

Trailhawk is the only Compass that does anything off the road, and it is a global trim — offered on both sides. Suspension raised by 2.5 cm, underbody skid plates, a different front bumper for the approach angle and a Rock mode with electronic low-range simulation. One more thing about generations: the Compass from 2017 onwards is a completely different car from the old Caliber twin — the steel does not rot the same way, the interior does not creak, and the ride is taut thanks to the Italian platform.