The Northern Territory news Fri 14 Jan 2022
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2022-01-14
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.
News Corp Australia
Darwin
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/860739
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/860966
MOTORING 19 V1 - NTNE01Z01MO Theres a new cabin and improved technology and safety for Jeeps Compass, the American brands smallest offering.On paper, it looks expensive for a compact SUV, competing against countless talented small and medium SUV rivals. Our family tested the S-Limited to see whether the price tag was justified. FIRST IMPRESSIONS IAIN: Off the bat, this is the wrong Jeep Compass. JULES: What? IAIN: Its fancy with big black alloys, skinny tyres and oodles of interior goodies, but its just not tough enough. JULES: Explain yourself. It looks tough enough to me. IAIN: Jeep gives trail-rated badges to models passing its strict off-road tests, which include traction, ground clearance and water fording ability. JULES: I take it ours isnt trail rated? IAIN: Nope. This S-Limiteds about sporty styling and comfort rather than being able to climb mountains, as a Jeep should. JULES: Youre being daft. Youd buy this because it looks solid and stylish, plus the cabins roomy and flush with kit. And its a fourwheel drive, so it will climb some mountains. IAIN: Itll get stuck. Jeep does a Compass Trailhawk that wont. Its about $59,000 to drive away, not much more than the $52,000 for our S-Limited. JULES: Do people really hardcore off-road one of these? IAIN: Some will want to and theyll need the Trailhawk. Suzuki Jimny aside, theres no other compact SUV with proper off-road chops. THE LIVING SPACE JULES: I agree $50,000s a lot, but the interior looks expensive. Theres a massive 10.1-inch infotainment screen, 10.25-inch digital dash, power leather seats and classy grey stitching. It feels spacious too. IAIN: The Compass is classed as small but feels more like a medium SUV. Its roomy enough for our family of four, and youre right, this is a polished cabin. JULES: The seats feel quite firm on a long drive but are generally comfy. Sorry to be brash, but at this price are heated seats too much to expect? IAIN: Not really when you consider theyre commonplace in rivals. A $2950 Premium Package brings heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, 360-degree camera and dual-pane panoramic sunroof. JULES: Seems worth it. IAIN: Seems cheeky its not standard. THE COMMUTE JULES: Sitting up high in a black Jeep gives a girl some attitude. I like it. IAIN: The 2.4-litre petrol sounds all burbly and menacing from the outside. JULES: Not so much inside. Its a bit short on power. IAIN: Jeep calls this four-cylinder its Tigershark, but its not especially threatening. It takes more than ten seconds to reach 100km/h, needs some persuasion to get going and gets noisy and gruff when pushed. JULES: So take it easy. Its a family SUV. If youre easy on the throttle it cruises nicely and rides comfortably over bumps. IAIN: Once up to speed its good, but from cold the gearbox clunked through its gear changes. The radar cruise control and lane-keep assist are excellent on the highway. JULES: Maybe, but around town that lane-keep assist was a disaster. On our coastal, corner lined roads it aggressively pulled on the steering wheel if I got close to a white line. IAIN: I had to turn it off. Its so invasive it makes the car wobble, removing any smoothness from the drive. JULES: Lets talk about the good stuff. Theres wireless phone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the Alpine audio is banging. IAIN: The digital dashboard is impressively customisable, and Jeeps speed-sign recognition tech is among the best Ive used. But it is nannying, incessantly flashing if youre even 1km/h over the limit. THE SHOPPING JULES: A car park hero, this one. It parks itself at the touch of a button, theres a rear camera to go with sensors front and back and it lets you know if theres something coming when reversing out of a parking spot. IAIN: Hard to bingle, basically. The boots a decent size and the tailgate opens with a swipe of the foot. SUNDAY RUN JULES: Its a Jeep, so we had to take it off-road. IAIN: Only up a few sandy tracks well compacted by endless rain. Theres a deceptive button in the centre console labelled 4WD Low. Its not low range, it just holds the nine-speed gearbox in first gear. A 4WD Lock button gives permanent rather than on-demand 4WD. JULES: Then we selected Sand/Mud drive mode and the Compass was excellent on the sand. It never looked like getting stuck. IAIN: Okay, its pretty good if youre not planning deep adventuring. But the Trailhawk has much better approach and departure angles, better ground clearance, 1500kg rather than 1000kg towing and a torquier diesel engine. Thats the one for proper off-roading, but even it doesnt have low range. THE FAMILY JULES: Theres good rear space plus rear air vents, USB points and a proper domestic socket. IAIN: I wish more cars had them. You can charge tablets or camera batteries; even plug in a mini fridge or Nespresso machine. So handy. JULES: The safety kit is comprehensive, but our 10.4L/100km fuel average isnt good for the family budget. IAIN: Its way too thirsty for a compact SUV. In town, the figure rises to 13.6L/100km. Again, the Trailhawks diesel engine makes much more sense. A smaller economical turbo petrol engine would suit these on-road specific Compasses far better. THE VERDICT JULES: This Compass is an easy car to like. The interiors luxurious and full of tech, it drives safely and comfortably and Im a fan of the chunky styling. But why is it so much? If you want something for on-road rather than offroad, $50,000 buys a prestige Audi Q3, or a bigger Toyota RAV4. IAIN: The Compass has more off-road ability than most rivals, but you need the Trailhawk for serious work. Those who love Jeeps brand image wont be disappointed with a Compass, but Id recommend sampling range-topping petrol medium SUVs such as the Mazda CX-5 and the Toyota RAV4 Edge before committing to the Jeep. About $52,000 drive-away (expensive) at a glance 5 years and 100,000km (average) $1745 for 5 years (good) 2.4-litre 4-cyl petrol, 129kW and 229Nm (gruff) 9.7L/100km (too thirsty) Space-saver (not ideal) 438 litres (good size) JEEP COMPASS S-LIMITED Jeeps Compass SUV looks the part, with a sharp new cabin and all the latest safety technology IAIN CURRY & JULES LUCHT Six airbags, auto emergency braking, lane-keep and blind-spot assist, radar cruise, rear cross-traffic alert (good) O N E C A R - T W O C R I T I C S american beauty Ill