Jeep Compass review

The general visual impression is chunky rather than faux-sporty or elaborately elegant, and that's perfectly right for a Jeep. The seats hold you well and plenty of fixed-function buttons make it easy to operate on rough terrain. It's not exactly premium, but a stitched material on its dash and doors lifts things.

In the back, room for legs, feet and heads is easily class competitive. The electric version's battery doesn't ruin it by raising the floor. Three abreast will be comfy; two abreast finds you another pair of cupholders in the armrest.

In the boot you have a boxy 550 litres of space and a double-deck floor. Cabin storage includes big boxes, and the open trays have rubber linings to stop everything slithering noisily around.

What about tech?

The touchscreen is wide but shallow, again a format that improves your chances of dabbing at the right spot when the car's bouncing down a rough track. Jeep-appropriate. The tiled layout works well. 

Remember, we have all got completely used to American graphic systems in our hands – iOS and Android – and the Jeep's system designers similarly understand the anglo-saxon menu intuition and language. 

Another advantage of a shallow screen is the vents cool your face rather than chilling your nipples. The driver's display is less pretty but shows what you need. No possibility for circular graphics, sadly.