WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.750 line:15% (engine revving) 2 00:00:05.907 --> 00:00:08.907 (grungy rock music) 3 00:00:18.038 --> 00:00:21.206 line:15% For years, Compass' sales pitch was a simple one. 4 00:00:21.206 --> 00:00:23.018 line:15% You pick the trim grade and options 5 00:00:23.018 --> 00:00:25.004 line:15% and you got four-by-four capability 6 00:00:25.004 --> 00:00:28.041 line:15% and sport-utility flexibility for about the same price 7 00:00:28.041 --> 00:00:30.351 line:15% as a compact front-wheel-drive car. 8 00:00:30.351 --> 00:00:33.028 line:15% This time around, with four-by-four-equipped models 9 00:00:33.028 --> 00:00:34.921 line:15% starting under 27,000, 10 00:00:34.921 --> 00:00:37.942 line:15% and this high-capability Compass Trailhawk tester 11 00:00:37.942 --> 00:00:41.105 coming in from under 33, you've got, once again, 12 00:00:41.105 --> 00:00:43.170 some compelling options for capability, 13 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:47.225 traction, flexibility, and adventure readiness to spare. 14 00:00:47.225 --> 00:00:48.646 You're looking at the latest Compass, 15 00:00:48.646 --> 00:00:50.967 a totally overhauled package that fits in between 16 00:00:50.967 --> 00:00:53.929 the smaller Jeep Renegade and the larger Jeep Cherokee. 17 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:55.226 The update has moved Compass 18 00:00:55.226 --> 00:00:56.886 light years ahead of its predecessor, 19 00:00:56.886 --> 00:01:00.207 with improvements to styling, feature content, and more. 20 00:01:00.207 --> 00:01:02.151 Go for the Trailhawk model like this one, 21 00:01:02.151 --> 00:01:03.892 and there's capability galore, 22 00:01:03.892 --> 00:01:06.874 thanks to the exclusive lifted ride height, recovery hooks, 23 00:01:06.874 --> 00:01:10.811 and revised bumpers that help increase ground clearance. 24 00:01:10.811 --> 00:01:12.437 The interior speeds ahead, too. 25 00:01:12.437 --> 00:01:14.790 Most of the right materials are in the right places. 26 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:17.221 It's full of delightful little design touches you'll love. 27 00:01:17.221 --> 00:01:19.411 The appearance is depthy and busy and rich, 28 00:01:19.411 --> 00:01:22.536 and there's a blending of tidy simplicity and high-tech. 29 00:01:22.536 --> 00:01:24.890 Now there's even Android-Auto compatibility 30 00:01:24.890 --> 00:01:27.601 for full smartphone integration. 31 00:01:27.601 --> 00:01:28.860 Entry and exit are easy. 32 00:01:28.860 --> 00:01:30.929 Just slide over laterally, and you're in your seat 33 00:01:30.929 --> 00:01:33.160 with minimal hopping or plopping. 34 00:01:33.160 --> 00:01:35.333 Other than a slightly cramped driver footwell, 35 00:01:35.333 --> 00:01:37.927 I found the driving environment to be spacious enough 36 00:01:37.927 --> 00:01:42.346 and appreciated plenty of at-hand storage nearby. 37 00:01:42.346 --> 00:01:44.986 Headroom is at a premium for taller occupants in back. 38 00:01:44.986 --> 00:01:47.334 Up to about five-foot-10 you'll be all good. 39 00:01:47.334 --> 00:01:48.993 In all, Compass is ready for four 40 00:01:48.993 --> 00:01:50.900 average-size adults, no drama. 41 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:53.575 The cargo hold is accessed by this motorized tailgate 42 00:01:53.575 --> 00:01:55.679 that's fairly generous, fitted with storage cubbies 43 00:01:55.679 --> 00:01:57.787 at the rear corners, and those rear seats 44 00:01:57.787 --> 00:02:00.108 fold nearly full-flat when needed. 45 00:02:00.108 --> 00:02:02.657 Bringing capability inline with its Trailhawk siblings, 46 00:02:02.657 --> 00:02:05.371 this tester also included the select-terrain dial, 47 00:02:05.371 --> 00:02:07.727 encircling these buttons for supplemental off-road 48 00:02:07.727 --> 00:02:10.886 helper systems, and helping more novice off-road drivers 49 00:02:10.886 --> 00:02:13.318 dial-in maximum traction by telling the vehicle 50 00:02:13.318 --> 00:02:15.587 which sort of off-road driving is coming up. 51 00:02:15.587 --> 00:02:17.742 If you'd rather not fiddle, just leave it in auto, 52 00:02:17.742 --> 00:02:20.657 and it usually calls the shots well. 53 00:02:20.657 --> 00:02:22.570 Trailhawk models back owners up with a level 54 00:02:22.570 --> 00:02:24.879 of hardware, software, and capability 55 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:26.578 that's above-average for this segment. 56 00:02:26.578 --> 00:02:29.622 Thanks to specific upgrades, including these chunkier tires, 57 00:02:29.622 --> 00:02:31.450 you've got grip and clearance to spare 58 00:02:31.450 --> 00:02:33.640 in the sort of terrain that would leave a comparable 59 00:02:33.640 --> 00:02:37.325 CR-V or RAV4 with a bashed-in bumper. 60 00:02:37.325 --> 00:02:39.189 Compass Trailhawk has low-range gearing 61 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:41.945 for helping it move up and down steep grades, too. 62 00:02:41.945 --> 00:02:44.373 A special high-mounted engine air-intake means 63 00:02:44.373 --> 00:02:46.406 it can tackle a reasonable depth of water 64 00:02:46.406 --> 00:02:48.967 without any second thought, either. 65 00:02:48.967 --> 00:02:51.034 Off-road ride quality is relatively good. 66 00:02:51.034 --> 00:02:53.341 A touch more durable and tough-feeling than a Renegade 67 00:02:53.341 --> 00:02:55.245 or Cherokee on rougher terrain. 68 00:02:55.245 --> 00:02:57.927 The suspension can still get noisy, but it stays quieter 69 00:02:57.927 --> 00:03:00.720 more of the time, a good thing, as off-roading is more fun 70 00:03:00.720 --> 00:03:02.302 when it doesn't sound like your shocks 71 00:03:02.302 --> 00:03:04.740 are getting smashed into submission. 72 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:06.765 Adding the light and nicely-isolated steering 73 00:03:06.765 --> 00:03:08.908 that rarely fights you even over severe ruts 74 00:03:08.908 --> 00:03:11.214 and rocks and moguls, and you've got a recipe 75 00:03:11.214 --> 00:03:13.616 for confident easygoing trail work. 76 00:03:13.616 --> 00:03:16.134 Notably, even if you're a little stuck in the muck, 77 00:03:16.134 --> 00:03:17.917 just keep your foot on the throttle a little, 78 00:03:17.917 --> 00:03:20.107 and the clever four-by-four system uses math 79 00:03:20.107 --> 00:03:22.744 and computer processors to help keep ya moving, 80 00:03:22.744 --> 00:03:24.888 almost no matter what. 81 00:03:24.888 --> 00:03:26.917 On the road more traveled, the ride and handling 82 00:03:26.917 --> 00:03:29.356 are not too hard, not too soft and squishy, 83 00:03:29.356 --> 00:03:30.572 and the steering is great. 84 00:03:30.572 --> 00:03:32.597 At higher speeds that steering is heavier, 85 00:03:32.597 --> 00:03:35.432 locked-on, and has a bit of sporty precision to it, 86 00:03:35.432 --> 00:03:37.417 helping Compass handle winding highways 87 00:03:37.417 --> 00:03:39.690 with a bit more surefootedness than expected, 88 00:03:39.690 --> 00:03:41.300 given the suspension lift. 89 00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:42.963 Even the brake feel is really good, 90 00:03:42.963 --> 00:03:45.192 nearly sports-car precise with plenty of bite 91 00:03:45.192 --> 00:03:47.301 from the first bit of pedal. 92 00:03:47.301 --> 00:03:50.337 The 2.4-liter Tigershark multi-air engine generates 93 00:03:50.337 --> 00:03:53.622 180 horsepower with appreciable refinement. 94 00:03:53.622 --> 00:03:55.614 Even pushed, it never sounds like it's bothered. 95 00:03:55.614 --> 00:03:57.804 It works almost invisibly at lower revs, 96 00:03:57.804 --> 00:03:59.012 and, if you're driving gently, 97 00:03:59.012 --> 00:04:01.141 you'd hardly know it had an engine, at all. 98 00:04:01.141 --> 00:04:02.944 Mileage, on my watch, partially thanks 99 00:04:02.944 --> 00:04:05.133 to the fuel-saving nine-speed automatic 100 00:04:05.133 --> 00:04:07.887 landed at just 10.2 liters per hundred clicks. 101 00:04:07.887 --> 00:04:09.588 That's a fair bit better than I was expecting, 102 00:04:09.588 --> 00:04:11.576 and actually makes this machine one of the most 103 00:04:11.576 --> 00:04:13.604 fuel-efficient things I've ever driven 104 00:04:13.604 --> 00:04:16.199 that was this off-road capable. 105 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:18.308 Some drivers will wish for more snap from the engine, 106 00:04:18.308 --> 00:04:20.540 especially where highway passing is concerned. 107 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:22.493 And wind and road-noise levels are a bit higher 108 00:04:22.493 --> 00:04:26.470 than you'd expect in a loaded crossover, at times, too. 109 00:04:26.470 --> 00:04:28.664 But in a nutshell, Compass Trailhawk combines 110 00:04:28.664 --> 00:04:30.698 many in-demand traits and technologies 111 00:04:30.698 --> 00:04:32.406 in the crossover segment today 112 00:04:32.406 --> 00:04:34.434 with a healthy dose of trail-rated-ness. 113 00:04:34.434 --> 00:04:37.158 For the shopper who will actually use it in the dirt, 114 00:04:37.158 --> 00:04:39.230 just consider the capability you need. 115 00:04:39.230 --> 00:04:41.262 The Trailhawk amounts to overkill for many, 116 00:04:41.262 --> 00:04:42.605 and you will pay for it. 117 00:04:42.605 --> 00:04:45.037 And less-expensive and capable-enough variants 118 00:04:45.037 --> 00:04:48.408 are available lower in the Compass model line. 119 00:04:48.408 --> 00:04:50.303 Go for the Trailhawk, and you've got a crossover 120 00:04:50.303 --> 00:04:52.850 that works as nicely on road as its competitors 121 00:04:52.850 --> 00:04:54.146 while blowing their doors off 122 00:04:54.146 --> 00:04:56.496 where off-road performance is concerned. 123 00:04:56.496 --> 00:04:58.163 Thanks for watching. 124 00:04:59.170 --> 00:05:01.360 Remember to like and subscribe so you never miss 125 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:03.433 a new video from the team here at WheelScene. 126 00:05:03.433 --> 00:05:05.990 And remember to get in touch on Facebook, Twitter, 127 00:05:05.990 --> 00:05:10.157 Instagram, by leaving a comment below or at WheelScene.com. 128 00:05:11.260 --> 00:05:14.010 (engine revving)