The American Dream, Resized for Milton Keynes
Jeep is a brand that to some, is the ultimate symbol of rugged freedom; to others, it is a slightly confusing American import trying to navigate a narrow British high street. The Compass sits right in the middle of this identity crisis. It is a C-segment SUV, which means it is aimed squarely at the same families who currently have a Nissan Qashqai or a Kia Sportage on the driveway. But while those cars are designed with the school run as their primary mission, the Jeep insists it could also tackle a muddy ravine if the mood took you.
I went along to an event in the summer of 2025 for the new Jeep Avenger 4xe and got a sneak preview of this new Compass which introduced the 4xe plug-in hybrid system. Jeep is finally speaking the language of the UK market: tax efficiency. By pairing a 1.3-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, Jeep has managed to squeeze the CO2 emissions down to a level that makes company car drivers sit up and take notice. But does the rugged persona survive the transition to a plug-in future? Let us dive in.
Inside the Cabin: A Welcome Glow-Up
If you have sat in a Jeep from five or six years ago, you might remember interiors that felt a bit like they were constructed from recycled Tupperware. Thankfully, those days are gone. The latest Compass has received a proper interior overhaul. The star of the show is the 10.1-inch Uconnect infotainment screen which is bright, responsive, and actually quite intuitive to use. It sits proudly on a dashboard that now features soft-touch materials and actual stitching, a far cry from the scratchy plastics of old.
The driving position is high and commanding, giving you that 'king of the road' feeling that SUV buyers crave. However, there is a slight snag when it comes to the rear seats. While legroom is perfectly adequate for a pair of teenagers, the middle seat is a bit of a squeeze. More importantly, the boot has taken a hit to accommodate the hybrid hardware. At 420 litres, it is significantly smaller than the cavernous hold you get in a Hyundai Tucson PHEV. If you have a large dog or a particularly ambitious buggy, you might find things a bit tight.
Performance and the 4xe Experience
The 4xe powertrain comes in two flavours: 190hp or 240hp. Our test car featured the latter, which uses the electric motor to drive the rear wheels while the petrol engine handles the front. On paper, a 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds is quite sprightly for a family bus. In reality, the delivery is a bit mixed. When the battery is topped up, the Compass pulls away with a lovely, silent electric surge. It feels refined and modern in urban traffic.
However, once that 11.4kWh battery is exhausted, the 1.3-litre engine has to work quite hard to lug nearly two tonnes of Jeep around. When you ask for a sudden burst of speed to overtake a slow-moving tractor on a country lane, the six-speed automatic gearbox can sometimes hesitate before dropping a gear and letting the engine wail. It is not exactly unrefined, but it lacks the effortless muscle of some of its larger-engined rivals. The secret is to keep it charged. If you do, you can enjoy about 22 to 25 miles of pure electric driving, which is enough for the average UK commute.
On the Road (and Off It)
British roads are notoriously unforgiving, and the Compass handles them with a degree of honesty. The steering is light and easy for parking, though it does not offer much feedback when you are pressing on through a series of bends. The ride quality is generally good, but the extra weight of the batteries means it can feel a bit 'fidgety' over sharp imperfections like potholes or sunken manhole covers.
Where the Compass absolutely humbles its rivals is when the tarmac ends. If you opt for the Trailhawk trim, you get proper underbody skid plates, specialized off-road tyres, and a 'Rock' mode for the Selec-Terrain system. While a Qashqai would be looking for a recovery truck, the Compass 4xe simply plods through deep mud and over rocky inclines with genuine grit. It is likely more capability than 95% of owners will ever need, but there is a certain satisfaction in knowing it is there.
Running Costs: The Accountant's View
For the private buyer, the Compass 4xe is a bit of a premium choice with a starting price north of £40,000. However, for the company car driver, the maths looks much more appealing. Thanks to those 44g/km CO2 emissions, it sits in a very low Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket. You will pay significantly less to the taxman every month than you would for a traditional diesel SUV.
Real-world fuel economy is the usual hybrid story. If you charge it every night and mostly do short trips, you will rarely visit a petrol station. If you take it on a 200-mile motorway trek without charging, expect to see figures in the mid-30s. It is also worth noting that the fuel tank is quite small at 37 litres, so long-distance drivers will find themselves stopping for fuel more often than they might like.
Verdict
The Jeep Compass 4xe is not the most logical choice in the mid-size SUV class. A Kia Sportage is more practical, and a Volkswagen Tiguan feels more sophisticated. But the Jeep has something those cars lack: a soul. It looks great, it feels tough, and the interior is now a genuinely pleasant place to spend time. If you value character and genuine off-road ability over outright boot space, and you want to save a packet on company car tax, the Compass is a very tempting outlier.
