Iconic American brand Jeep has once again re-entered the Malaysian market, following its previous return to the country at the end of 2014, then with sales and distribution under the care of DRB-Hicom. Here, the American marque re-enters Malaysia under the TAHB Automotive banner, which is part of the GVE Automotive group of companies which began as a parallel importer of luxury vehicles.

The brand’s 3S centre is located in Glenmarie, where the 13,000 square-foot facility houses a service department with nine service bays for a service throughput of ‘at least’ 10 vehicles a day. The Jeep 3S centre operates 9am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays, and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Present at the relaunching of the Jeep brand is the 2020 Jeep Compass and the 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The Compass comes in two trim levels – Limited and Longitude, and both are powered by a 1.4 litre turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine, albeit with differing transmissions and outputs.

The Limited variant mates the 1,368 cc turbo petrol to a nine-speed automatic driving all four wheels, and is rated for outputs of 168 hp at 5,500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque from 2,500 rpm to 4,000 rpm. Alongside this is the Longitude, which pairs the same engine to a seven-speed dry dual-clutch gearbox and front-wheel-drive; this version is rated for 162 hp at 5,500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 2,500 rpm.

In terms of equipment, the Compass Longitude get automatic headlamps, fog lamps and cornering lamps, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, a powered tailgate release, reversing camera and keyless entry, while interior equipment includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen with integrated voice command, as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

On the safety front, the Compass gets stability control and traction control, roll mitigation, ABS, brake assist, rain brake support, tyre pressure monitoring system and child seat anchor points. Exterior colours for the Jeep Compass include Grigio Chiario (Graphite Metallic), Atlantic Blue Pearl Coat, Bronze Metallic, Colorado Red, Mocca Latte and Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat, with a choice of two 17-inch wheel designs and an 18-inch two-tone design.

For interior, the Compass Longitude gets a choice of black with cattle tan and ‘light diesel’ accent stitching, or black with white ski grey accent stitching as an option. The Compass Limited gets a black interior with cattle tan accent stitching, or black and ski grey with ruby red accent stitching as an option.

The iconic Wrangler was displayed in two guises, both four-door versions – the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, here finished in yellow, and the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport, here in red; both are available in four-door and two-door bodystyles. The 2020 model-year Wranglers are powered by a 2.0 litre inline-four petrol engine with 270 hp and 400 Nm of torque, both mated to an eight-speed automatic and 4WD.

For the Wrangler Unlimited Sport, its 4WD system features the Command-Trac two-speed transfer case with a 2.72:1 low-range ratio with Dana solid front and rear axles, while the 4WD system in the Rubicon features a Rock-Trac 4:1 ratio transfer case with a crawl ratio of up to 84:1 and front and rear heavy-duty locking axles, also by Dana.

Inside, the Wrangler Unlimited Sport gets push-button engine start, a Uconnect infotainment system with a seven-inch display and voice command as well as reversing camera, and a washable interior with removable carpet and drain plugs. Available options for the Wrangler Unlimited Sport include an Alpine premium audio system, a smoker’s pack and three-piece hard top in black; rolling stock is a set of 17-inch alloy wheels.

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

The Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is more generously equipped. Here, the Rubicon gets an electronic sway bar disconnect function, steel off-road rock rails and skid plates, high-clearance fender flares (body-coloured as an option, fitted here) and a three-piece hard top, while additional options for the Rubicon include the Alpine premium audio system, LED lighting, leather-trimmed seats, a body-coloured spare tyre cover and a smoker’s pack.

Exterior colours for the Wrangler Unlimited Sport include black and Firecracker Red, while the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon comes in black, Ocean Blue Metallic and Hellayella (yellow), while rolling stock are 17-inch alloy wheels in silver (standard on the Sport) or black, and a two-tone polished design (standard on the Rubicon).

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport

For the interior, the Sport comes with black cloth trim as standard, or black and heritage tan as an option. Meanwhile, the Rubicon is upholstered with black premium cloth seats as standard, while black leather or black/heritage tan leather are available as options.

All new Jeeps sold here will be offered with a five-year warranty and a free service package, said local representative TAHB Automotive. Pricing for both the Jeep Compass and the Jeep Wrangler have yet to be finalised, though the company aims to be able to offer the Compass for a price tag of ‘below RM200,000’ and less than RM300,000 for the Wrangler; pricing should be confirmed by the end of January, said the company.

Further along, TAHB Automotive aims to grow its model line-up for the Malaysian market with the addition of the Renegade, the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and the Grand Cherokee SRT. Release dates for these models are slated for the third quarter of this year, the company said.