Jeep is putting the facelifted Compass through its paces in Australia.
CarExpert snapped this camouflaged 2021 Jeep Compass in Melbourne, parked alongside the current-generation Compass Trailhawk.
A company spokesperson said Jeep is testing the car’s infotainment in Australia, putting the AM/FM and DAB+ radio to the test, trying the satellite navigation on local roads, and making sure phone calls on Bluetooth and smartphone mirroring work.
“We want to make sure our customers are getting the best products for local conditions, which is why we test cars in Australia before launching them,” the spokesperson said.
The updated Compass revealed in India
Although it’s covered up inside and out, we have a good idea how the updated Compass will look when it arrives in Australia – likely during the second half of 2021.
The biggest update will come behind the wheel, where the 8.4-inch infotainment system in the current Compass has been replaced with a floating 10.1-inch touchscreen running the latest UConnect 5 software. It’s based on Google’s latest Android Automotive bones.
There’s also a fresh steering wheel, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, and a surround-view camera on offer in the car revealed for India.
It’s tough to tell in our photos, but the car spied in Melbourne features a new dashboard design and steering wheel, although Jeep has covered most of the interior up with black sheets.
The updated Compass unveiled in India
The facelifted SUV has already been revealed in China and India (the latter being where the Compass sold in Australia is built) with a heavily overhauled interior and a new look in keeping with the seven-seat Grand Cherokee L and Grand Wagoneer.
Buried beneath the camouflage is a set of headlights that are slimmer and wider than before, along with a redesigned seven-slot grille borrowing heavily from its bigger brothers.
The radar for the active safety technology has been moved to the centre of the front bumper.
Things have changed less down back, with new tail light graphics and detailing on the bumpers the extent of the changes. This particular car also appears to have a new alloy wheel design.
While the current, second-generation Jeep Compass impressed with its mini-Grand Cherokee looks at its 2018 launch, its roster of safety equipment didn’t.
Jeep last year gave the car an update with a full suite of active safety assists standard, including autonomous emergency braking with forward-collision warning, as well as lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
The range was also shuffled to feature a new S-Limited high-end model, and the Longitude was axed.
With 771 sold in 2020, the Compass was the third-best selling car in the Jeep range behind the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.
That puts the Compass slightly ahead of the Suzuki S-Cross, Renault Kadjar, and Peugeot 5008, although it fell slightly short of the Peugeot 3008 and Haval H6 in the sales race.
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