2018 Jeep Compass vs 2021

What's the difference?

SUVs are so ridiculously popular right now that nearly all carmakers have one, and if they don't they're scrambling to work out how to build one.

That's good news if you're looking to buy one because there's a sea of SUVs to choose from, particularly small ones, but it's also easy to get swamped by the choice.

So, just stop for a second – wouldn't it make sense to also check out an SUV from a brand that not only made the first SUV, but has only ever made SUVs? No, not Range Rover... Jeep.

The new Jeep Compass is a small SUV along the same price and size lines as the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross or Nissan Qashqai. What Jeep was keen to impress on us at its launch was that the top two specs – the Limited and the Trailhawk – were quite capable off-roaders. That is an ambitious statement, and for something to have any off-road ability in this small SUV class is rarer then teeth on a hen.

We went to the wilds of Tasmania to drive these two. The mission: Are they really any good – off and on the road?

Jeeps have some of the best names in the car business. There’s the Gladiator, Renegade, and the Wrangler. Then there’s the Compass Night Eagle which is what this review is on. Night Eagle is the name of the grade, and it sounds terrifying. 

Yup, they’re all great outdoorsy names that suggest these are tough go-anywhere vehicles with adventurous and brave owners who build fires, pitch tents and eat the elk they hunted with a bow that morning. 

So, how does a Jeep Compass Night Eagle handle an urban jungle, full of tight streets, shopping centre carparks and school runs? It was also driven by me – and I'm someone who thinks ordering a double-shot cappuccino is adventurous.