Adventure seeker. Taking mud baths in the new Jeep Compass

Even by its name alone, Jeep Compass makes it clear that this car is hardly suitable for a city driver. And it doesn't matter that this is the first crossover in the brand's history. In essence, it's no longer an SUV, but an "all-road vehicle" — no frame, no low-range gearing, no differential locks. But no matter how much you smooth it over, it's still a Jeep. As for the appearance... I won't describe it in detail, but I'll say this. When Liberty (aka the latest-generation Cherokee) was first shown, I thought it was outright ugly. But over time, I changed my mind. Really, is it that bad? Let city passersby grimace in surprise and mild disgust, but who else can scare off wild animals so effectively just by their looks? Or maybe Compass is a case of "ugly on the outside, kind on the inside"? Not at all! Inside, it's the same rough rural simplicity as in the Caliber (which, to put it mildly, is not a benchmark for interior finish), but without those interesting solutions that were implemented in it. Hard plastic, poor seating position... I would have liked the back row more — there's plenty of space, and the backrests can be adjusted for angle. The first part of the route is a highway. So, we'll test the car's "adventurous" nature later, but for now — city conditions. The chassis is indeed not bad: the Compass holds a straight line confidently and handles corners decently. But the empty steering wheel ruins everything — you constantly have to correct both on straights and in bends. And acceleration... Have you ever ridden a vacuum cleaner? I haven't, but I think it looks something like that. You floor the gas, the CVT first thinks, then revs rise to six thousand, the torque converter locks up and... that's where the vacuum cleaner simulator begins. A monotonous and intrusive engine hum, absolutely even acceleration, and not even the most intense — you expect more from the 171-horsepower 2.4-liter engine. In manual mode it's a bit better, the "vacuum cleaner effect" disappears, but still without much drive. Oh, why weren't we given earplugs — even a good audio system and sound insulation don't save you from the engine sound. Preliminary conclusions after the first kilometers: the car is ugly, the interior is terrible, and it behaves badly at speed. And there are still many kilometers of the test route ahead. That's it, enough! We turn off the asphalt — we have nothing to do there. But off-road is already interesting! Judge for yourself. First, the ugly design will be hidden under a layer of mud. Second, since Jeep couldn't shine on the highway, we need to test it in its native element. The main thing is to get out of it afterward. And here's the off-road section! There are no real swamps here, but the mud is decent. At least, most of those "modern city dwellers" in their crossovers wouldn't even venture here. And I wouldn't go without need, even in a Compass. But — I have to. The Jeep Compass is built on the Dodge Caliber platform... Although, to be precise, it's the other way around: Dodge was created on the basis of Jeep, even though it came out earlier. But that doesn't change the essence: both cars have a unibody body with an "integrated frame" (a similar solution is now used by Land Rover) and independent suspension on all wheels. In normal conditions, the Compass is almost front-wheel drive — about 10% of torque is sent to the rear axle. When the front wheels slip, the clutch transfers more traction to the rear — one revolution of the driveshaft is enough. Not very Jeep-like. But the clutch can send torque rearward not only after slipping, but also in advance, with a sharp press on the gas. And you can even lock it completely (although this is more of an electronic, not a hard lock). And the ABS here is specially tuned for off-road — it engages later than on regular cars. And any crossover would envy that. And here in front of me is some serious mud. Braking on it with regular tires is like on ice. And it gets deeper and deeper. Oh damn! Okay, it's too late to retreat, we have to go. We add some gas. We crawl. True, on such a surface the car becomes almost uncontrollable, but that's not a problem — we set a rough direction, and the Compass crawls surprisingly confidently. But the "test" mud prepared by the organizers seemed too little for us, and we made a couple more "unauthorized" (and quite lyrical) exits from the asphalt. On a broken dirt road, the Jeep also feels great. I don't even know how you need to drive to break its suspension. My colleagues managed to do it, but they refused to share the "secret of success." And the geometric off-road capability is good: we never caught the bumpers. And how we jumped! I was driving at a decent speed — the road seemed to allow it. And then ahead — a pothole. I brake, but it's useless: braking on such mud is like on ice. Well, nothing to do, we'll overcome it on the move. I press the gas, preparing for a loud "bang-bang!". But instead I hear "thud!". No, it's not the suspension bottoming out or the bumper tearing off — it's me hitting my head on the pillar. Very painful, by the way! But the Jeep, it seems, doesn't care about these potholes at all. At least, your head will get bumps faster than you'll break its suspension. With a feeling of deep satisfaction and a desire to make it even deeper, we crawl back onto the asphalt. Of course, the Jeep hasn't gotten better to drive, but it looks more impressive now — all covered in mud from head to toe. I think if you bought this car, you can safely save on car washes, but take "mud baths" more often — mud suits it very well. We were even stopped by a traffic cop who, under the pretext of checking documents, started asking about the car: "So, how does it go?" — "Can't you see for yourself?" So the Jeep Compass is not a "crossover" at all. While you're driving on a normal road — it's terrible. But when the road becomes terrible — it's normal. It's a light SUV for those who often drive on moderately rough terrain and who don't need the size (as well as the gluttony and price) of big Jeeps. In the base trim, the Compass costs 26 thousand euros — almost like its competitors, to which Jeep loses in almost everything except off-road capability. Is the plastic in the cabin hard? It'll be easier to wash! And you'll have to do it often if you drive the Compass the way we did. Uncomfortable seating position? What difference does it make on such a road! Noisy engine? No time for that! Design? I won't even say anything... But how often do those notorious "modern city dwellers" storm anything more serious than parking curbs in their crossovers? For them, the word "compass" is just a model name.