Wondered if there would ever come a day where a 50 km/l mileage Jeep Compass would be a real car? Well, the Jeep Compass 4xe is now here to make that a reality. The 4xe is an externally chargeable Jeep Compass hybrid variant with a highly fuel-efficient powertrain that consumes only 2 litres/100 km of petrol.
The Jeep Compass 4xe employs a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor, which is located on the rear axle. The electric motor is powered by an 11.4 kWh, 400 volt, lithium-ion, nickel-manganese-cobalt, battery pack located underneath the second-row seat.
The 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine, presumably belonging to the FireFly engine family, delivers a power output of 130 PS (Limited)/180 PS (Trailhawk and S) and a torque output of 270 Nm. The electric motor generates 60 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque. The combined power output is 190 PS (Limited)/240 PS (Trailhawk and S).
The pure electric driving range of the Jeep Compass plug-in hybrid is 50 km. In the hybrid mode, the compact SUV can finish a 0-100 km/h sprint in around 7.5 seconds and attain a top speed of 130 km/h. The Jeep Active Drive Low all-wheel drive system comes standard.
In addition to hybrid and electric, another drive mode available in the plug-in hybrid SUV is the ‘E-SAVE’. This mode allows the driver to maintain the battery charge or charge it while driving using the engine for later usage. It supports two secondary modes, namely Battery Save (passive E-SAVE) and Battery Charge (active E-SAVE). Battery Save maintains the charge, while Battery Charge charges the battery up to 80%.
The charging module is placed in the boot, and as the electric motor is mounted under the floor, the boot space is practically the same as the conventional variant at 420 litres (instead of 438 litres). The battery pack can be charged through a power outlet at home, with a domestic plug, and the cable supplied, or with a public charge point, using the specific cable.
Through the ‘easyWallbox’ home charger with up to 2.3 kW of charging power, the battery pack can be fully charged in less than 5 hours. There’s also the 7.4 kW easyWallbox home charger that reduces the duration to under two hours (100 minutes).
Jeep Compass 4xe hybrid launch in India
Order books for the Jeep Compass 4xe are open in Europe. In India, the possibilities of the plug-in hybrid SUV being launched are thin. Led by the government’s decision to support pure electric vehicles with good subsidies and lower GST, FCA India’s top boss has confirmed that the product pipeline has EVs. Another reason for its delay or non-consideration is that the hybrid Compass would become very expensive due to the extra cost of the battery, motor and power electronics over and above the regular Compass, without ample subsidy.
Jeep Compass 4xe plug-in hybrid specifications
| Aspect | Specification |
| Engine | 1.3L turbocharged petrol |
| Engine Max. Power | 130 PS (Limited)/180 PS (Trailhawk & S) |
| Engine Max. Torque | 270 Nm |
| Electric Motor Max. Power | 60 PS |
| Electric Motor Max. Torque | 250 Nm |
| Combined Max. Power | 190 PS (Limited)/240 PS (Trailhawk & S) |
| Battery Pack Chemistry | LiNiMnCo (Lithium-ion, Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt) |
| Battery Pack Energy Capacity | 11.4 kWh |
| Battery Pack Voltage | 400 volt |
| Charging Time | <5 hours (2.3 kW charger)/1 hour 40 minutes (7.4 kW charger) |
| Pure Electric Range | 50 kilometres (NEDC2 test cycle) |
| CO2 Consumption | <50 g/km (Hybrid mode, NEDC2 test cycle) |
