2019 Jeep Cherokee vs Jeep Compass

What's the difference?

The presence of a strong medium-sized SUV is of vital importance to any mainstream automotive brand at the moment. And if you do have one, to get bums on seats it needs to be absolutely on point across the spectrum.

Jeep is, according to its masters, in the midst of a renewal, with all new vehicles expected across its line by the end of 2020. The next cab off the rank is the Cherokee – codenamed KL – which launched in Australia in 2015 to a less than enthusiastic reception.

Up against sales powerhouses like the Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail and Toyota RAV4, the Cherokee needs to be good looking, good value and offer good performance. How does the 2019 update stack up?

Now is Jeep’s time in history.

Or rather, its second time in history… Sure, there was that rather significant period of history which built the Jeep name in 1941, but no time since has embraced the SUV so wholeheartedly until 2019.

Naturally, the SUV-only Jeep is now on a roll, largely credited with propping up its parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with ever-improving global sales figures reaping the benefits of an SUV-hungry world. 

The brand now seeks to plug the gaps with the relatively recently arrived small SUV, the Renegade, and now, its bigger brother – and the car you’re looking at here - the re-booted Compass.

So, does Jeep actually offer anything that other SUV brands can’t? I spent some time in the Limited 4x4 diesel to find out.