This year Jeep celebrates its 85th birthday, which is a pretty big milestone by anyone’s standards.

Over the decades the brand’s fortunes have waxed and waned, and no more so than in the UK, where its brash, all-American image has made it something of an outlier. 

Yet since being subsumed into the sprawling Stellantis empire in 2021, Jeep’s fortunes on this side of the pond have started to change for the better.

Driven by the little Avenger and the general trend of ever-increasing appetite for SUVs, it has committed to a new model blitz that will treble the size of its European line-up by 2030, including a couple of B-segment SUVs and even a large D-segment offering.

One of the first arrivals as part of this plan has been the third-generation Compass, a rugged family car that does battle in the hotly contested compact SUV sector.

Based on Stellantis's STLA Medium platform (which also underpins the Peugeot 3008, Citroën C5 Aircross and Vauxhall Grandland), it made its debut earlier this year in mild-hybrid petrol and Standard Range electric guises.

However, as part of Jeep's commitment to the ‘freedom of choice’ powertrain philosophy, it has now launched a plug-in hybrid version (you can read about that elsewhere on these pages) and a Long Range EV.

Perhaps the most important from a brand image point of view, though, is the new, fully electrified flagship 4xe – the first of the new Compasses that promises to live up to Jeep’s hard-earned reputation as hardcore off-road warrior to rival Land Rover. 

Featuring a dual-motor powertrain (one for each axle), the 4xe is the only Compass to offer total traction as standard: all the other powertrains are front-wheel drive only.

Plus, with a punchy combined output of 370bhp and dedicated Sport setting that claims to deliver a rearward torque bias of up to 70%, it promises to be as dynamic on Tarmac as it is unstoppable in the rough.

Based on styling alone, this EV looks like it will be more at home on rutted tracks than sinuous secondaries. As with other 4xe models in the Jeep line-up, its exterior has been treated to rufty-tufty makeover. For starters the ride height has been increased by 10mm, while bespoke bumpers offer improved approach and departure angles, plus there are bold red towing eyes at either end.

Happily, the 4xe has the off-road chops to match its adventure-seeking exterior. Dedicated Mud/Sand and Snow drive modes and hill descent control helped keep it moving on the various trails that Jeep had lined up for us.

The dry conditions helped, but there were enough steep inclines, vertiginous descents and articulation-assessing gulleys for us to conclude that the 4xe possesses far more capability than most owners would ever use.

And on the road? Well, with 375bhp it's as quick as you would expect, easily feeling good for its claimed 5.4sec 0-62mph time, while the power delivery is smooth, with a linear and naturally paced throttle response.

The 4xe gets the larger 96kWh battery from the Long Range EV, which translates into a decent claimed WLTP figure of 370 miles between charges.

Perhaps not unsurprisingly, it’s quieter than the ICE Compasses - and that includes rolling refinement, with less noise coming from the suspension over bigger bumps, helped no doubt by its mult-link rear axle.

Even so, the ride still lacks the consistency of the best cars of this type, with secondary impacts often shuddering through the structure.

As with lesser versions, its underlying dynamic character is one of easy-going competence.

Sport mode adds a little heft to the steering and out of tighter corners you can just feel that rear bias trying to help point you straighter at the exit, but push past the car’s modest comfort zone and you start to feel every kilo of its considerable 2347kg kerb weight. 

In all other respects, the 4xe is the same as other members of the Compass family. It’s handsome, it's well-equipped and it has a roomy boot (although the rear seats are more cramped than rivals').

It may lack the all-round appeal of the class stars, but it has a selling point that’s currently unmatched by rivals. Whether it’s one that the majority of punters might find useful is another matter.