THERE was a time when buying a Jeep indicated aspirations of off-road driving or at the very least the need to cross fields towing a caravan or boat - but not any longer.

There are still Jeeps available whose ability to tackle any of the above is second to none but nowadays the company also caters for motorists who want to keep their tyres firmly on the highway.

At the same time they still want to own a car from the iconic American brand.

And that's where the Jeep Compass Night Eagle comes in.

It still has all the traditional Jeep styling cues - including the classic seven slot grille - but with a 1.4-litre engine and two rather than four-wheel-drive is designed more for driving in towns and cities rather than up mountains and across rivers.

And in typical Jeep fashion it does what it's designed for very well, offering a great alternative to a more regular SUV.

The Compass is a chunky, rugged five-seater that feels well put together and offers generous interior space in terms of both head room and elbow room, particularly for rear seat passengers.

And beneath the tailgate there's room for 438 litres of luggage rising to 1,251 litres with the rear seat backs folded down.

Opt for the Night Eagle version and you get a slightly more sinister looking car because of the black detailing which includes a black grille, black roof bars and black alloys.

From the driver's seat you look at two traditional circular dials - a speedometer and a rev counter - with an information panel set between them while an 8.4-inch centre touch screen operates most of the on-board features.

But unlike the touch screens on more and more new cars this one is incredibly intuitive and simple to operate which means your eyes can remain on the road for longer.

And for one whose first action in a new car is to turn off the lane assist system because normally its input is too severe it's nice to find that in the Jeep switching it off means it stays off.

Annoyingly in almost every other manufacturer's car you have to do it each time you start the engine because the system defaults to the "on" mode every time you turn the ignition key.

On the road the Compass Night Eagle is impressively quite and refined and boasts one of the smoothest six-speed manual gearboxes I've come across.

It's never going to win any traffic light sprint but nevertheless the 140bhp engine is a willing workhorse and never feels lacking when you need to push on.

The height of the vehicle means good all round visibility but there tends to be some roll on corners.

On the other hand the Compass has comfortable, supportive seating - the pattern of which matches the floor mats - and is ideal for long journeys.

Equipment on board is high as the Night Eagle version gets a comfort pack - which includes heated seats and a heated steering wheel - and a technology pack - which includes satellite navigation as well as a rear view camera - as standard.

In the competitive battle for SUV sales the Jeep Compass Night Eagle is a car which is ideal for the owner who wants something that ensures he or she stands out from the crowd.