Jeep Compass

What We Like

Physical controls

It’s refreshing when we climb into a new car that hasn’t had every single control shoved into the touchscreen or accessed by using some convoluted multifunction controller. The Compass falls into this former group and features a traditional gear selector along with hard buttons and knobs for the climate system. There are also buttons to turn the engine stop/start system off, a rotary knob for the external lights, and even a toggle switch to select the drive mode (normal, sand/mud, snow/ice). Numerous users said the two knobs on the sides of the climate system are very close to the dash trim, which forces them to use their fingertips to turn the knob in order to prevent their fingers getting caught between the knob and the trim piece.

This appreciation extends to the audio controls for volume and track selection on the back of the steering wheel. This is a long-running Chrysler/Stellantis feature that still works very well. The logic for moving through sources and presets is straightforward; it also allows the driver to keep their hands at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions so they can retain maximum control of the steering wheel.

Midrange passing power

The turbo engine puts out a healthy 221 lb.-ft. of torque, which helps when you’re cruising at a steady state and then need to make a quick pass, or if a slower vehicle in front turns off the road and you need to catch up to traffic.

Interior fit and finish

The Compass has an appealing, comfortable, and well-assembled interior. The vast majority of the surfaces and controls have a high-quality feel. There are abundant soft-touch areas, from the upper door panels and dashboard to the door and center armrests. Even the steering wheel has an elegance to the leather wrapping and quality of the buttons. Overall, it looks very attractive—of course, this is the Limited trim, which is the top non-off-road version. Yet it’s definitely a nicer space, materials-wise, than the interiors of the Ford Escape or Toyota RAV4 XLE, for example.

Infotainment basics are done properly

Most of us found the 10.1-inch touchscreen in the Compass bright and clear, and the system logic mostly straightforward. Unlike competitors with various tiles and swipes to move about, Uconnect has a few large icons at the bottom so the user can move about. It’s easy to get into and out of the Android Auto or CarPlay interfaces without having to back up and out to the home screen. And on the home screen is a convenient drag-and-drop area for adding your most-used features. The large display helps when using the system, compared with the smaller rectangular screen in the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale.

Engine stop and start engagement

Some automakers really have trouble with this, especially with small turbo engines. But the Compass executes engine shut-off and restarting very quickly and smoothly. There isn’t any hesitation, so it’s easy to start up at a traffic light and pull away without delay.

What We Don't Like

Loud and coarse engine noise

There’s little aural enjoyment when driving the Compass, with the main disturbance coming from the engine. Even under mild acceleration, the engine is loud and noticeable. It’s likely that the driver will end up turning up the audio of whatever they’re listening to not only to drown out the engine but also to just be able to hear the music, podcast, or programming over the engine!A number of drivers noted a coarseness to the sound as engine speed increased. It’s as if the harder the engine has to work, the worse it sounds. Plus, the sound isn’t commensurate with speed or performance. One driver summed it up nicely, saying it “sounds like a cranky diesel (engine)."

Powertrain hiccups

While the old 2.4-liter engine made the Compass feel sluggish and slow, the new powertrain has its own quirks. There’s a noticeable delay during rolling stops, such as when you are slowing down for a traffic light, then get a turn arrow and start to accelerate through the turn. This delay causes the driver to push down harder on the accelerator pedal, which often results in a sudden burst of power and spinning the inside front wheel. It’s incredibly disconcerting because it can make a less prepared driver feel as if they aren’t in control of the Jeep.

At the same time, we found that the Compass can lurch forward when accelerating from a complete stop, with similar wheelspin even if going straight. It’s as if Jeep went way too far in addressing the flaws of the old powertrain. The Compass can feel underpowered when cruising on the highway, in part because the transmission is often slow to downshift when the accelerator is pressed harder; it appears as if the gearbox can’t decide how many gears to drop down. When it does decide and the abrupt acceleration rears its head again, hang on! Fortunately, drivers can use the manual shift mode on the gear selector to drop down two gears to prevent that sudden burst of power.

Ride comfort

The Compass has a composed, well-controlled ride most of the time, whether it’s just driving around town or taking highway trips. But larger potholes, recessed manhole covers, or highway expansion joints punch through in a pronounced way. In these cases the stiff suspension lets the impact punch through initially, and the SUV then has excessive rebound at the back. The result is that passengers feel a hard hit at the front wheels, and then the rear of the Compass bounces a bit over the same imperfection.

Interior fit and finish

There are some places where interior quality is a letdown. Every driver commented on the tinny sound that is used for the turn signals. It sounds 1,000 percent worse than the repetitive noises that come from a toy designed for infant children.

Many people also said the steering wheel stalks for the turn signals and wipers felt cheap and brittle, as if they’d break off when used. Finally, the icons used to indicate which direction is open or closed for the air vents could be a lot more clear. This shouldn’t be a heavy lift, given all the “surprise and delight” details that Jeep puts into its vehicles, such as the tiny bigfoot image and wee Jeep climbing a mountain images that appear in the window glass.

Backup camera at night

Jeep has to do something to address the nighttime performance of the backup camera. Numerous drivers said that the image on the center screen is dark and that it’s nearly impossible to see what’s behind the Compass. Given how poor the visibility is to the rear three-quarters and straight back—forcing the driver to rely on the backup camera—the inability of the camera to adjust for low-light situations makes reversing a dangerous event.

Touchscreen troubles

The Compass is the latest Stellantis product that we’ve owned that demonstrates touchscreen issues. For example, the screen is very slow to respond to inputs and the user then makes repeated presses, inevitably clicking something inadvertently when the screen finally responds. Many of the icons and buttons seem to have small touch targets, exacerbating the slow response. This also makes it hard to hit the correct icon when driving.

Finally, it’s frustrating that the climate control Sync function, as well as the controls for the heated seats and steering wheel, are on the screen. The latter buttons are very tiny and challenging to hit when driving, and they aren’t immediately available when starting the car—the screen needs to go through its startup process first. We would rather see hard buttons for these functions.

What We'll Keep an Eye On

Front seat comfort

Most of the comments followed this form: “The front seats are comfortable, but. . . . ” With drivers of different heights and sizes, there was a range of annoyances. Some said the two-way (in/out) lumbar created a pressure point rather than supporting their back. Other people said the side bolstering on the backrest was lacking, so they felt that they would slide around in turns. The bottom cushion also drew scorn, but from other drivers, for its narrow cushion and lack of bolsters. Finally, there was one driver who said they liked the seat, noting it was good for long trips and appreciating the “pocket” that they sat in—although they wished for four-way lumbar adjustment. We’ll know more when we have more miles under our . . . bottoms.

Fuel economy

So far we have been seeing an average fuel economy of around 30 mpg on the trip computer. Of course, we’ll do our own fuel economy testing at the track, where we splice into the fuel lines and measure how much gas we actually use in the testing.

Driving position

With more drivers slated to get behind the wheel, we’ll be able to get a better handle on the driving position. So far, shorter drivers seem to prefer the Compass’ driving position. Taller drivers have noted that they wished to be able to telescope the steering wheel back toward them more and that the left footrest pedal was awkwardly angled. Still, the seating position is much better than that of the Alfa Romeo Tonale and Dodge Hornet.

Handling

“(The Compass) handles fine, but it’s not that engaging,” according to one driver, which pretty much sums up our early findings. The steering is somewhat slow, so it requires a lot of turning before you feel the SUV respond. It’s also vague, with little change in weight or feedback. In addition, the Compass feels top-heavy, with a lot of body lean even in slow-speed corners. Finally, a few drivers said they felt the steering wheel tug back and forth in their hands (known as “torque steer”) when accelerating during a lane change. We’ll know a lot more when we put it through our routine and emergency handling tests.

Cargo area size

One driver who took people to the airport said a regular carry-on roller bag wouldn’t fit front-to-rear without being hit by the hatch door; they had to turn the bag sideways. Because the second-row seats don’t slide fore and aft, this could limit luggage-carrying ability. However, the same driver was able to haul home a decent Costco load without having to lower the seats. This is why we’ll do our usual measurements for the cargo area, both with our adjustable pipe-frame box and with actual luggage, to see what you can fit inside the Compass.

Active Safety and Driver Assistance

The Compass comes with a wide variety of standard active safety and assistance systems. In addition to the AEB, BSW, and RCTW mentioned above, pedestrian detection, lane keeping assistance, lane departure warning, a rear-seat reminder, drowsy driver detection, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control are all standard.

The cruise control includes stop-and-go, which will slow the Compass in heavy traffic—all the way down to a stop—and then reaccelerate as traffic starts moving. But one of our advanced driver assistance systems testers reported, “I had a good 20 minutes in true stop-and-go traffic, and I ended up just switching ACC off because it was so unpredictable and scary. If the lead vehicle was creeping ahead, the Compass would maintain a consistent gap. But as soon as the lead vehicle’s speed changed, all bets were off. The Compass sometimes would speed up until it was uncomfortably close and then slam on the brakes.”