It’s not often that new or updated Jeeps are revealed in Europe before the U.S., but count today as one of those days where Europe takes the leading role. The refreshed Jeep Compass is out across the pond, and the changes are rather substantial.

Most of the focus went to the Compass’ interior, but we’ll note that the front end received some attention, too. There’s a larger grille area with a mesh design in the front bumper. It gets redesigned headlights and fog lights, plus the seven-slat grille is massaged ever so slightly. You’ll notice the lack of tow hooks on this Euro-spec Trailhawk — don’t fret, those will surely be back in the U.S. Also, don’t assume these photos preview an exact design for the American Compass. Jeep could very well be prepping a Compass with U.S. tastes in mind. Just don’t expect it to be a whole lot different than what you’re seeing here.

One area where we can expect great similarity between the two is interior design. Jeep gave the Compass a wholesale rethink inside, and it looks greatly improved over the current car. New, modern tech takes center stage. European buyers will have the choice between an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch touchscreen, and both will be running the new Uconnect 5 software. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are along for the ride, and so is a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. It reminds of the new cluster found in the upcoming Grand Cherokee L, which is starting to look like a preview of Jeeps to come.

The new interior design appears far more premium than the cheap-looking Compass of today (see the slider comparison above). It features nice stitching, glossy surfaces, metal-look buttons and *****. Where everything looked upright and rather unsophisticated before, the new Compass’ interior is based on wide, horizontal lines and is far more elegant than we’ve come to expect from affordable Jeeps. It's more reminiscent of the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee L. We're quite taken by the brown and beige option — let’s just hope that interior makes it to the U.S.

Beyond that, Jeep highlights new driver assistance systems coming to the Compass. The most intriguing is a new Highway Assist that combines adaptive cruise control with an advanced lane centering system to make long highway slogs less stressful. If it works anything like Alfa’s highway assist, we’ll be pleased.

The powertrain story is still up in the air. Europe gets the sweet plug-in hybrid 4xe, but Jeep hasn’t committed to offering that powertrain in the U.S. yet. The current 2.4-liter four-cylinder seems like a lock for us, but we can hope Jeep eventually deems us worthy enough for the PHEV.

There’s still no date for a 2022 Jeep Compass reveal in the U.S., but Car and Driver learned from Jeep that full details will drop within the next few months.

The 2022 Jeep Compass has been revealed in U.S.-spec for the Chicago Auto Show. And it's pretty much just like its European counterpart, with a modestly updated exterior and a thoroughly overhauled and improved interior. But under the freshened body, the new Compass is pretty much like the old one.

The main design differences on the Compass include revised front and rear fascias. The front gets slightly smaller slots, and the lower grille is enlarged. The headlights are smaller, and all models get LED units, with reflector versions on entry-level models and projector ones on higher trims. The differences at the back lie mainly in restyled taillights.

The biggest changes to the car are on the interior. Gone is the lumpy, plasticky dash of the old Compass. In its place is the lower, wider, cleaner version from the European car. It features an upholstered and stitched middle panel that adds some variety and some more pleasant materials, and has nicely integrated air vents. The infotainment system now uses Uconnect 5, and the Compass comes with a 8.4-inch touchscreen standard, with a 10.1-inch screen available. Higher trim levels can also be had with a 10.25-inch instrument screen.

Carried over from last year is the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 177 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. On the front-drive models, it comes with a six-speed automatic, and all-wheel-drive models get a nine-speed. No manual transmission is available. Two all-wheel-drive systems are offered, with the main difference being that the version in the Trailhawk includes an ultra-low first gear giving it a 20:1 crawl ratio for slow off-roading.

Fuel economy is practically unchanged, with the front-drive version getting 22 mpg in town, 31 on the highway and 24 combined. The all-wheel-drive version gets 22 city, 30 highway and 25 combined.

Missing in action is the Compass 4xe, already announced for Europe. But Jeep's plans to offer plug-in hybrids in every segment leads us to believe the hybrid is coming eventually.

Jeep says it has made some revisions to the steering and suspension that should make the Compass more responsive and more refined. It also says articulation has been improved, with the Compass having up to 6 inches of it up front, and 8 in in the rear. Ground clearance is just barely improved for the Trailhawk with 8.6 inches versus 8.5 for last year. Otherwise, it has the same approach, breakover and departure angles, and the same suite of features such as skid plates, red tow hooks and a "Rock" driving mode.

The updated Compass goes on sale this fall. The base Sport starts at $26,490, and adding all-wheel drive brings it up to $27,990. That's an increase of about $500 over the previous one.