A FAMOUS name, a rich heritage and now under the guiding hand of the Fiat empire, Jeep has regrouped and is hauling itself towards a brighter future.

And the models that are making most ground are the small SUVs rather than the traditional hulks powered by mighty engines.

The nifty Renagade, based on the Fiat 500, is a runaway success and now the American icon is hoping the new mid-range Compass will follow suit.

In usual crossover fashion, there's a diesel range but it is the petrol version which could become a best seller, one of which we drive here.

The 1.4-litre petrol is available in two states of tune - 138bhp and 168bhp. The more powerful version is turbocharged and ours was fitted with a nine-speed automatic gearbox and four wheel drive.

About the size of a Peugeot 3008 or a Nissan Qashqai, the Compass is an attractively designed high-rider with plenty of Jeep styling cues, including the trademark seven-slot grille.

The cabin is roomier enough four four or maybe five and there's ample head and legroom. Many of the functions are controlled through the central touchscreen but there are various buttons and switches nearby.

Materials used are decent quality and there's an air of robustness about the Jeep. Door pockets are quite narrow so space for oddments in the cabin is at a premium. The boot platform is quite high set but has an adjustable floor.

It offers up to 438 litres of cargo space which is less than either the VW Tiguan or the 3008 but similar to that of the Qashqai.

The Compass is several inches longer than the Renagade and the extra space benefits the passengers with better legroom, particularly in the back.

There is no shortage of safety features on the Limited model with six airbags, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection all standard.

The large 8.4-inch touchscreen incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as vehicle settings and sat-nav. Leather trim is a standard feature in the Limited.

The 1.4 turbo is a treat with low noise levels and plenty of mid-range urge. It's pretty nippy too, with 62mph coming up in under 10 seconds. The automatic gearbox does a good job is changing smoothly and effortlessly.

Owners will be impressed with the level of refinement, compared to the diesel but may not be quite so pleased if they check out the fuel gauge.

My average was 34mpg over a 500 mile period - the official combined figure is 40.9mpg with emissions of 160g/km.

Despite being a competent off-roader, unlike the band of faux four-wheel-drives, the Compass has capable handling and good road-holding on normal roads. There's only limited body roll when pushing on and bump suppression is better than average.

Ride standard is up there with the best but there's a bit too much road noise passed back into the cabin from the tyres.