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Jeep Compass Tested: Not Bad, but Not Good Enough to Stand Out

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

From Car and Driver

Jeep built its reputation on off-road ability, but you won’t find any Trail Rated badges on this 2018 Jeep Compass. The compact Compass crossover does earn that honor when equipped with its Active Drive Low all-wheel-drive, a setup exclusive to the Trailhawk trim, while less off-road-oriented Sport, Latitude, Altitude, and Limited models can be spec’d with a simpler system called Active Drive. This Compass Limited did without even that $1500 upgrade, though, so it’s strictly front-wheel drive and best suited for roaming the urban jungle as opposed to the Rubicon Trail.

Gearbox Blues

Foregoing all-wheel drive also means skipping the ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic transmission. Instead, the front-wheel-drive model pairs the 180-hp 2.4-liter inline-four with an Aisin-supplied six-speed automatic. That sounds like a downgrade but actually is not. Whereas the nine-speed often struggles to find the right gear, the six-speed automatic selects cogs with assuredness. Its leisurely upshifts and apathetic downshifts are far from ideal, but the six-speed is certainly the more polished of the two automatics.

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

At city speeds, the front-wheel-drive Compass feels plenty powerful, and the compact crossover darts in and out of traffic with poise and precision thanks to its small footprint and quick, well-weighted steering. Stretch the Compass’s legs, though, and the powertrain is less amiable, as the four-cylinder engine’s limited low-end punch and the six-speed gearbox’s reluctance to downshift can make passing maneuvers an exercise in bravery. Our test car required 6.6 seconds to accelerate from 50 to 70 mph, which is 1.3 seconds longer than both a front-wheel-drive Mazda CX-5 and an all-wheel-drive Honda CR-V.

Blow Up the Inside

On smooth pavement, the Compass rewards its driver and passengers with a well-damped suspension and a hushed cabin. Rougher roads, however, cause the structure to shimmy and interior plastics to creak. Our test example suffered from a particularly annoying squeak from its 60/40 split-folding rear bench seat.

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Racket aside, the Compass’s rear confines are impressively spacious given the vehicle’s small size. At 173.0 inches long, the Compass is 10.5 inches shorter than a Toyota RAV4, yet the Jeep offers more than an inch of additional rear legroom compared with the Toyota. Alongside its comfortable accommodations, the Compass also treats its rear-seat passengers to their own USB port as well as an available 115-volt auxiliary plug.

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

Those up front will be less impressed. Middling plastics mar the dashboard and door panels, interior storage is limited to a handful of small spaces, and the climate controls are mounted too low on the dash to be ergonomically friendly. The major selling point of the cabin is the infotainment system, particularly the large 8.4-inch touchscreen unit that comes standard on the Limited. (Lesser trims have a 5.0-inch unit as standard; a 7.0-inch display is an optional upgrade and a navigation-equipped 8.4-inch unit can be had on all but the entry-level Sport.) Equipped with the latest version of Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment software, the larger touchscreens feature logically placed controls and quick response times. The units also include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

Less than Zero

The Compass also is devoid of driver engagement, lacking the finesse of livelier competitors such as the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5. Pushing the Compass along twisting roads feels like work, not fun. Making matters worse is a touchy brake pedal that makes it difficult to modulate a smooth stop. Despite this, the Jeep’s 176-foot stopping distance from 70 mph is par for the compact class.

Nor is fuel efficiency a strong point for this version of the Compass. Its 22-mpg city EPA estimate matches that of its heavier, nine-speed-equipped all-wheel-drive counterpart. On the highway, the front-drive automatic Compass earns a 31-mpg rating versus the AWD’s 30 mpg. We managed a disappointing 28 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy run. Comparatively larger, heavier, and more powerful all-wheel-drive variants of the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5 both returned 32 mpg on the same loop, while an all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Tiguan managed 33 mpg.

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

Besides being more frugal with fuel, the Honda, Mazda, and Volkswagen better the cargo capacity of the Compass, which at 27 cubic feet is down four cubic feet to the CX-5, six to the three-row Tiguan, and 12 to the CR-V. At least the Jeep’s upright rear hatch allows users to make the most of the available space.

The Jeep does offer notably more cargo space than other similarly sized crossover SUVs such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, the Nissan Rogue Sport, and the Subaru Crosstrek. Like the Compass, those three competitors all cast shadows larger than those of subcompact crossover SUVs but shorter than those of compact crossover SUVs.

In Between Days

At $22,440 to start, the Compass slots neatly between the smaller, $19,890 Renegade and the larger, $25,840 Cherokee. The tested Compass Limited had a $29,040 base price and $5165 worth of options. Add-ons included a compact spare tire for $245, a $595 power liftgate, a Beats audio system for $695, the $745 Safety and Security group (rear parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert), the $895 Advanced Safety & Lighting group (automatic high-beams, HID headlights, LED taillights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automated emergency braking, and lane-departure warning), $895 for a set of 19-inch wheels and tires in place of the Limited’s standard 18-inch units, and the $1095 navigation-equipped 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

The as-tested price of $34,205 looks steep next to the larger and better-driving front-wheel-drive Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, which top out at $33,625 and $32,610. The Honda and Mazda also include items not available on the Compass, such as adaptive cruise control and a memory driver’s seat.

Although handsome, the front-wheel-drive Jeep Compass with its six-speed automatic lacks the rambunctious attitude of the all-wheel-drive, stick-shift version or the off-road prowess of the Compass Trailhawk. Priced like a compact crossover SUV but measuring a half-size smaller, the Compass lacks the value and dynamic performance of the segment leaders.

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