Jeep will launch a diesel automatic Compass in early 2018

When the Jeep Compass goes on sale this August, it will only be available with a six-speed manual version for the diesel car. But an automatic gearbox will also feature in the line-up from early 2018.

This nine-speed unit has a wide ratio spread - the first few gears allow for quick initial acceleration, while the top four overdrive ratios are for relaxed cruising and better fuel economy. Drivers can also shift gears manually with the gearbox's 'Autostick' drive modes. The gearbox comes with an in-built low crawl ratio setting of 20:1 that maximises torque that’s sent to all four wheels.

Last year in August, ZF, the company that manufactures the nine-speed transmission issued a recall to address the possibility of the gearbox unexpectedly shifting to neutral. The company has rectified the fault with a software update and this recall is probably why Jeep isn’t offering this version at launch.