Ours is a country that loves its SUVs, the huge bullies that make you sit up high and feel like the king of the road. While traditional SUVs are way too big for our crowded city roads, it is no surprise that compact SUVs like the Jeep Compass are gaining huge popularity in the country. While we still wait for the Trailhawk variant of the Compass to be launched in our country, let us have a look at this new electric variant of the Compass that Jeep unveiled at the recent Geneva Motor show. This car comes with a unique eAWD system and a 1.3-litre petrol motor which gives the vehicle a combined power output of 240 horsepower.
A plug-in hybrid, the Jeep Compass can hit a top speed of 130 kmph in pure electric mode and gets a range of about 50 kilometres. The batteries in the car can either be charged using the petrol engine or by plugging it into a power source. With electric motors providing you maximum torque from the get-go, this SUV can hit the ton in less than 7 seconds which is very fast for a vehicle of this size. All this speed and thrill will come with a minimal impact on the environment as the car will produce as little as 50 grams of carbon dioxide for every kilometre it is driven.
As mentioned above, this Jeep comes with a eAWD system which, according to Jeep, will provide better off-road performance without any low range gearbox. In this mechanism, the front 2 wheels will be powered exclusively by the petrol motor while the electric power is sent to the rear wheels. The front and rear axles will work independently of each other and have no physical connection providing optimum torque distribution to each wheel at lower speeds, making the SUV perform better in off-road conditions.
Also Read: Jeep India Announces MOPAR Extended Warranty Program For The Compass
Jeep has also given this plug-in mechanism to their Renegade SUV which also shall be offered with this drive train setup in the international market. While there is no confirmation on whether this car would be offered in India as of yet, a plug-in option in this segment could probably take off very well in our market as the humble oil burner engines are about to become more costly with the BS – VI emission norms kicking in very soon. What would your pick be, a torquey oil burner or a zippy hybrid? Let us know in the comments on our social media pages.
