Paul Murrell tests the 2018 Jeep Compass Trailhawk with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and everything the over-50 driver needs to know.
Summary: A practical-sized SUV for around town and genuine off-road ability. It’s a rare combination.
2018 Jeep Compass Trailhawk
Pricing: From $44,750 (quite a premium over the two-wheel drive models)
Warranty: Five-years, 100,000km, lifetime roadside assist (the extra two years provide much more reassurance)
Safety: ANCAP five stars
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel
Power: 125kW at 3750rpm
Torque: 350Nm at 1750rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Drive: four-wheel drive
Body: 4398mm (long); 1819mm (wide); 1657mm (high) (so much more usable around town than full-size SUVs)
Turning circle: 10.76m
Weight: 1621kg (less weight equals better fuel consumption)
Towing: 1500kg (braked), 450kg (unbraked) (may not be enough for heavy-duty towing)
Maximum Towball Download: 150kg
Spare: Full size steel (you wouldn’t go too far off-road with anything less)
Fuel Tank: 60 litres
Thirst: 5.7L/100km (combined)
seniordriver consumption: 7.7L/100km over 294km
[review]
MANY BUYERS ARE RUSHING TO SUVS only to find they have saddled themselves with large, cumbersome vehicles unsuited to most of their everyday use. On the other hand, some buyers settle for two-wheel drive not realising they could have bought an estate or station wagon that would do the same job just as well, for less money.
Jeep has a reputation for rugged, extremely capable off-road vehicles. Admittedly, some of them are less than brilliant around town, but any vehicle designed to perform such different duties as tackling a mountain track or running down to the local shopping centre is sure to incur some compromises.
The Jeep Compass Trailhawk is the hard-core model in the Compass line-up. The range kicks off at $28,850 (plus on roads) but that money only gets you two-wheel drive – suitable for some but not anyone who wants proper Jeep off-road ability. The four-wheel drive models are the Limited and the seriously rugged Trailhawk which starts at $44,750.
In this model, it’s diesel, or nothing.
While the two-wheel drive models are available with a 2.4-litre petrol engine, the Trailhawk is only offered with a 2.0-litre turbo diesel putting out 125kW and an impressive 350Nm of torque. You also don’t get a choice of transmission: it’s a nine-speed auto. The good news is how smoothly the auto handles the task, and that big lump of torque is on tap from very low in the rev range (1750rpm) so the Compass is ideal for towing duty or slogging up hills.
The diesel doesn’t feel particularly urgent and occasionally you’d like a bit more urge for overtaking or slipping into a disappearing gap in traffic, but generally speaking, most drivers will be satisfied. Fuel consumption is claimed to be 5.7L/100km. In our week with the Trailhawk in varied driving conditions (but no serious off-road work), we came close to what most drivers will achieve achieving 7.7L/100km over 249km.
Sensibly sized for most people.
The Compass slots neatly into the Jeep range. Sitting on the same platform as the Renegade but larger overall, it’s still smaller than the Cherokee. At 1657mm long and 4398mm wide, this Jeep is not too large for urban duties, yet has plenty of usable space inside. With a kerb weight of 1621kg, it’s well below the two tonnes that some larger SUVs weigh in at. All in all, for most people, this is the perfect middle ground.
Visibility out of the Compass is excellent, with an open glasshouse and good vision all round, complemented by the reversing camera and parking sensors. There’s optional rear cross traffic alert for extra peace of mind. Even in the rear, head and leg room is generous. Rear seat passengers get a centre armrest with two cupholders and bottle holders in the doors. There are two ISOfix fittings on the outer seats with three top tether tie-down points. The Compass is tall enough and the rear doors open wide enough to make installing and removing child seats easier than in most other vehicles.
With the rear seats in the upright position, the boot capacity is 438 litres. You’ll fit a pram in there with no problems or a kid’s bike. Folding the seats (they are 40/60 split) the space rises to a very usable 700 litres. However, be aware that you’ll have to lift things into the cabin – the loading lip is quite high.
The tailgate lifts automatically but the close button is unusually located inside the boot on the left-hand side – it wasn’t a problem, but took some getting used to (most are on the underside of the tailgate). I wonder how accessible it might be when the boot is fully loaded.
The Compass Trailhawk is rated for towing up to 1500kg (braked) which should be ideal for most people, but precludes heavy caravans or large boat or horse trailers. Only the four-wheel drive, diesel Compass models are recommended for towing.
Well fitted out.
The interior of the Trailhawk is sumptuous in a utilitarian sort of way. The seats are leather-clad but could be more compliant. Front seat occupants get two cupholders and a well-sized central console bin. There are also bottle holders in the doors – rehydration obviously rates highly with Jeep designers. A clever feature is a storage bin under the front passenger seat, accessed by pulling a little red tab, and perfect for hiding valuables from prying eyes.
Some of the controls feel less than premium but there is little wind or road noise obvious from within the cabin. The 8.4-inch touchscreen is easy to learn, navigate and use, although an annoying touch is that it reverts to a schematic illustration of the vehicle when stationary so you can’t access the information you want – there may be a way around it, but I couldn’t find it.
Another consideration for aging eyes is the size of some of the icons – the speed limiter and cruise settings, for example, are quite small (although, to Jeep’s credit, it does tell you what speed you have set). The temperature controls are also fiddly and set low, posing a potential distraction when driving.
Cruise control is excellent at holding the set speed, even on long downhill stretches. The speed limiter also keeps you below your set speed under normal circumstances, but when the Compass is coasting downhill, it doesn’t hold the vehicle to the speed, instead beeping an alert at you that you are exceeding your pre-set limit.
Head for the bush.
The previous Compass was, not to mince words, something of a disappointment for serious off-road enthusiasts. The new one fixes that problem comprehensively (at least in four-wheel drive versions).
In Trailhawk form it gets recovery hooks, underbody protection and smaller 17-inch rims. The trade-off is that it loses some of the features standard on the Limited model: proximity key, push button start and a higher-level sound system. The Trailhawk is taller (and stands noticeably taller) at 1657mm and boast a useful ground clearance of 225mm. The wheels articulate up to 200mm and the wading depth is up to 480mm. There are five off-road modes that adjust stability-control intervention and which wheels the torque is sent to. The 4WD Low setting holds the Compass in first gear, and there’s a manually lockable centre differential and downhill descent control. The Trailhawk also benefits from more aggressive off-road tyres (although there’s a small penalty with road noise on tarmac). I make no claims to being an off-road expert, but on some reasonably challenging bush tracks the Trailhawk’s approach angle of 30.3 degrees and departure angle of 33.6 degrees were impressive, even though we did manage to hear some ominous scraping underneath as we traversed some particularly rutted and rocky sections. But nothing fell off, and we got through without too much bother – more a testament to the Jeep’s abilities than my own!
Plenty of options to push the price higher.
As is the custom these days, buyers are encouraged to tick as many options boxes as the sales person can induce you to, and these inevitably inflate the price well beyond the headline price. The panoramic sunroof is $1950, a two-tone black roof adds $495 (to be fair, it does look good). You can also specify the $2850 Comfort and Convenience Group to add proximity key entry and start, heated seats and electrically operated front seats. Premium paint adds $595 (the only “non-premium” paint is red). The $2450 Advanced Technology Group package adds automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
We’ve talked about some of these before. The panoramic sunroof is of limited value, but seems to appeal to many buyers. We wonder just how much the centre of gravity will be raised by having this additional weight so high on the vehicle (glass is not a lightweight component, although nobody has been able to tell us precisely how much the glass, plus the sunroof hardware, weighs) and to what extent this will affect stability. AEB is highly recommended, as are adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert. Lane departure warning is of value to some people, but the auto high beam function is more trouble than it’s worth, dipping at inconvenient times, failing to dip at others. The Jeep’s is no worse than many others, but that’s small comfort.
Safety at the top end.
The Trailhawk, like all Compass models, gets the maximum five ANCAP star safety rating. Standard inclusions are seven airbags, traction and stability control and ABS. We highly recommend the Advanced Technology Group package as outlined above.
Running costs.
Jeep’s “There and Back” guarantee provides greater peace of mind with a five year warranty with lifetime roadside assistance (we checked to see how far off-road “roadside” assistance extends and were told it covers you wherever you might be, but in remote spots, you may have to anticipate help taking a little longer) and five years of capped price servicing. The Compass needs servicing every 12 months or 20,000km and the total cost of servicing will be $2975.
Summary.
The new Jeep Compass Trailhawk now deserves its Jeep badge as a serious off-roader. It’s easy to get into and out of, delivers acceptable fuel consumption and isn’t too much of a handful around town. The 1500kg braked towing capacity may not be enough for large caravans, horse floats or large boats on trailers, but consider just how much towing capacity you really need before making a final decision. The Advanced Technology Package significantly increases the safety levels and is reasonably priced considering how much it offers.