Jeep builds big, rugged off-roaders, right? Well, what if it made a mid-size SUV that's just as at home outside La Dolce Vita as it is taking your windsurfer down to the beach?
Well, it does; it's called the Compass, is based on the Caliber - and was launched in SA this week.
All the Jeep cues are there - the seven-barred grille, trapezoidal wheel arches and angular shoulder lines - but topped by a stylish greenhouse with a radically sloped windscreen and tapered D pillars.
It's designed for the city rather than wide-open spaces, is built to take you to work without busting the budget and to your favourite playgrounds at weekends and uses the same two-litre VW turbodiesel as the Dodge Caliber that delivers 103kW at 4000rpm and 310Nm from 1750-2500.
The petrol version has a new 2.4-litre engine for which Jeep claims 125kW at 6000 and 220Nm at 4500rpm.
The diesel is an easy-revving unit that does its best work in the upper quadrant of the rev counter - enough to induce a little torque steer when changing gears near the limit on the manual version but more than adequate for snappy overtaking in town - or on a freeway. I saw 160km/h on the launch drive, with a little in reserve.
The petrol Compass comes with either a five-speed manual or a belt-driven CVT semi-auto transmission. The latter works like a scooter; if you pull away hard the revs shoot up to 6000 and stay there until you lift off the accelerator while the car builds speed seamlessly (and fairly rapidly).
Pull the gearshifter towards you and hold it for a moment, however, and the transmission moves to "auto stick" mode. Then moving the shifter to the side will shift it up - or down - through a series of six "gears" which, actually, are pre-selected positions on the twin cones.
The five-speed manual box is conventional; it has a firm, positive action with an oddly-bent shifter that places the knob close to the steering wheel and a honey of a clutch that takes up smoothly and predictably, even when mildly abused.
Top gear is an overdrive so changing down is always required for swift progress but, with this box, that's no hassle while the Compass's long legs give it a relaxed open-road cruise.
The diesel comes with a six-speed manual gearbox only.
Normally all the power is delivered via the front wheels but if the anti-lock brake sensors detect a significant difference between front and rear wheel speeds an electronic clutch feeds power to the rear axle as required.
For really rough situations there's a small toggle switch on the centre console that locks the centre diff into a 50:50 torque split. You can engage it at any speed but it only works below 16km/h; at higher speeds it disengages itself and you're back on computer torque split without being able to feel the difference.
OK, it doesn't have low range or manually lockable diffs, but the Compass copes remarkably well with rough, rocky dirt tracks.
We were privileged to drive the Jeeps through the Bushman Sands private game reserve in the Eastern Cape on tracks that definitely did not fit the textbook definition of "soft-roading", with deep gullies and nasty washaways after recent heavy rains.
The Compass not only coped effortlessly but was also unexpectedly comfortable, with no bounce or jerkiness. There was also less kick-back than I was expecting through the conventional power steering.
On the tar, by contrast, the suspension (Macpherson struts in front and multilink at the rear) feels firm, even sporty, although that's partly due to the low-profile, 215/55 R18 tyres, which also produce an inordinate amount of roar at cruising speed, all the more noticeable because mechanical and wind noise are almost absent.
The power steering tightens up nicely at cruising speed with sufficient feedback to feel what's going on, although it's still a little remote, as with many all-wheel-drive vehicles.
The interior is a mix of comfort and practicality; the fascia and squared-off centre stack are moulded in hard plastic rather than more upmarket soft-touch material but the only separate sections are the top cover (looks like an afterthought) and the lid over the front passenger's side crash bag (light and flimsy).
The rest is neat and tidy, with a number of neat little oddments trays - including one in front of the passenger that doubles as a grab handle - and a very small glove compartment.
Leather upholstery is standard, as are heatable front seats, air-conditioning, power windows and folding external mirrors.
The Compass comes with one of the most impressive sound systems I've heard, a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics radio/CD/MP3 set-up with a 458-Watt amplifier and a seriously muscular sub-woofer on the right side of the luggage bay.
There's a full suite of safety equipment and driving aids, including front and side-curtain crash bags, ABS and an electronic stability programme with brake assist and traction control, tyre pressure monitors child-seat anchors on the rear seats.
So complete is the spec list, says Jeep, that the only extra-cost options you can ask for are a power sun-roof (R9900) and metallic paint (R1800).
2.4-litre manual - R244 900.
2.4-litre CVT - R254 900
2.0 CRD - R279 900
Service intervals are 12 000km; every Compass comes with a three-year or 100 000km warranty and service plan.