Night Eagle is the base model Jeep Compass, so is FWD and sans much of the tasty tech goodies. Compass took 4 friends for a short road trip, and here is what they thought:
We headed out along the road north, deep into the green of the Australian countryside. Ethe, as I am wont to call him, has a bladder the size of a pee. See what I did there?
Our Thoughts on the Night Eagle
Alan:
2.4L is just not enough, and the 6-speed auto doesn’t cut it.
With AWD, or the 4X4 model, we’d have made better use of our car. I’d like to see softer ride too, but the optional sunroof was a hit with the boys.
Ethan:
I like the looks. Black wheels get nicely grubby in the mud but clean up really well. The back seats are a bit hard, and the steering is too light. I love Apple CarPlay, and the sound is awesome.
I prefer my old Classic Range Rover, I just do.
Casper:
We really packed the back full. There was plenty of room for our stuff, but I thought the rear leg room was a bit too snug. I’d like to try a bigger Jeep. The economy wasn’t all that brilliant, but the cabin was nice and quiet.
Max:
Mum had a Grand Cherokee that was always in the shop.
This smaller SUV is more my style, but when I’ve finished dad’s Mustang that will be my daily driver. I’d be happy to have this meanwhile. Jeep, are you listening?
The Outside:
The metalwork is crisp and clean with an unmistakable Jeep look. Small SUVs are hard to make look interesting, but the chunky shaver-like grille gives Compass a masculine look.
The Cabin:
As shown in the video, the cabin is nicely laid out. Although there is plenty of plastic, it manages to feel of decent quality.
U-connect manages the infotainment nicely, and the safety gadgets are average for this segment.
The Drive:
Steering, brakes and ride are more than acceptable. Acceleration could be better. The engine runs out of puff, and desperately needs more gears. The gaps between ratios robs the Compass of performance. Upper models get a 9-speed automatic, and the top model is diesel. The latter has vastly more torque.
Conclusion:
Once I’d dropped the last of the boys off, I had some time to think about our trip. There was more than enough room for 4, but 5 would have been tight. Luggage weighed down the Compass, and with a full load on, the 2.4L engine felt sluggish.
The AC kept us just so, once the boys stopped playing with it, and we managed the trip without refuelling.
I liked the looks, and the price was right. The boys didn’t want to be in the film, sadly. They look great in their country get-ups.
The question is, would I buy this over a Korean?
