Jeep: 'I test drove Jeep's newest model and its oldest as manufacturer celebrates 85th birthday'

Jeep has been celebrating its 85th birthday. On July 15 in war-torn 1941, Willys-Overland signed a contract with the US Army to supply a light reconnaissance vehicle, which it called the Willys Quad.

It beat Ford’s Model GP - ironically the first reference to the General Purpose vehicle which became known as a jeep and after the war as Jeep, the vehicle which the Rover car company mimicked for the first Land-Rover in 1948.

The jeep’s all-round usefulness in battle helped America win the war — historians may tell us it was the last time it won one.

On the day Argentina knocked England’s gallant footballers out of the World Cup we were with Jeep UK celebrating its 85th. Someone had baked a cake.

There were new electric Jeeps to drive and some heritage models. Location: the Usk Valley on the 20,000 Glanusk estate near Crickhowell, south Wales. George Everest, surveyor of that mountain, lived nearby.

The oldest Jeep there was a 1954 Willys. A mile on a modest level farm track was err, robust. Within a hundred yards I knew it was the most uncomfortable “car” I had driven.

Its short wheelbase and cart springs had it bouncing and jiggling at little more than a trot. My neck soon ached.

The 60 horse power Go Devil petrol engine was chortling nicely if dirtily. A couple of extra levers select 4x4 drive and a lower ratio set of gears — a set-up adopted by Land Rover, Toyota, Nissan and the rest.

The Jeep and Land Rover inspired others and so are the parents of the tough pick-ups and luxury SUVs.

Jeepists will notice the nine-slot radiator shield. Subsequent Jeeps had a seven-slot visage which is simulated with blank panels in today’s new electric Jeep Compass.

The thing about this 1954 Willys with its non-reflective drab green paint is that it is a genuine legend — an overworked tribute these days.

It has a top-hinged windscreen which opens to give fresh air or a clear aim at your enemy (usually German or Japanese or later North Korean).

It can also be folded flat onto the bonnet for the same reasons. Land-Rover also grabbed that feature. The headlamps could be swivelled to shine into the engine bay.

Jeep became a maker of trusty all-roaders, sometimes luxurious but all capable of extreme off-roading through California’s Rubicon Trail (tick, legendary, 17 miles at a crawl through the Sierra Nevada) which you can Google.

The Jeep Wrangler which took me through the Rubicon 30 years ago has been pulled from the UK for emissions and safety compliance reasons.

The Grand Cherokee has also gone and the current offerings are built on components familiar in Fiats. The two brands are banner carriers along with Peugeot for the Stellantis US/European super group.

So, pending the newcomers, we have the lightweight Renegade and the Avenger and the larger Compass. The latter pair in electric form were at the Glanusk Jeep camp (we slept in tents and were coaxed into the slow dark Usk before breakfast).

The super capable Avenger will have had a mild update by the time you read this. Check the 85th Anniversary model which with an illuminated grille and golden 18 inch wheels and tartan upholstery and numerous logos is easy to spot. Prices start at £30,395 with a 100hp petrol engine and 2WD.

The electric Compass we drove was front-wheel-drive with a 4WD option.

There is also a petrol-electric hybrid version which looks almost identical and will be your choice if you want a Compass and cannot cope with the ramifications of a battery powered car. It is made around the world. Ours come from Italy.

The Compass is a time-served model in a cascade of newer brands from South Korea and China. The latest is all-new, larger and six inches longer.

The rear seats are now split in three sections which gives more choice between space for long loads and rear passengers.

It is a chunky hunky thing, redolent with graphics large and small which remind you it is a Jeep, even a grille logo on the wheel rims.

The driver’s area is dominated by a wide information and input screen but backed up by touch tabs for ventilation and conventional stalks on the steering column.

There is a drive and terrain mode toggle on a red base. Gear selection is made using another toggle on the central console — familiar in Peugeots and others in Stellantis.

There is a convenient oddments shelf facing the passenger and a shorter one for the driver plus many compartments and even a drop-down holder for spectacles or things to hide in the ceiling.

Trim is smart and mostly soft to the touch apart from large areas of hard plastic on the doors.

The ride is calmer than in the lighter hybrid version. Prices: from £34,635 for the e-hybrid, £36,999 for the electric and £45,200 for electric 4WD.