Jeep Compass

The Compass’ 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces an energetic 200 horsepower. Although it’s an improvement in several ways compared to the 2.4-liter four-cylinder that used to power the Compass, together the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission suffer from some low-speed hiccups that mar the experience. For instance, there can be a noticeable delay of power when stepping back on the gas pedal during rolling stops. Other times, an abrupt throttle delivery—like when getting going from a stoplight—causes the car to lurch forward abruptly. And if you’re turning while accelerating away from a stop, this can easily cause the front wheels to spin, in spite of the standard all-wheel drive.

It may not be all that smooth about its delivery, but the Compass’ turbo-four can move the little SUV down the road with some zest. It managed to scoot from 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, which is almost two seconds quicker than the last Compass we tested. More importantly, that makes it on the quicker side within the category. It also works pretty well out on the road, away from stop-and-go situations, thanks to hearty levels of mid-rpm torque, and the transmission shifts smoothly most of the time.

The Compass is a little more fuel-efficient than before, managing 25 mpg overall in our testing, a 1-mpg improvement over the last Compass. But that lags anywhere from 1 to 3 mpg behind several rivals.

The ride is too stiff and jittery, especially considering that the handling is merely okay. Many bumps punch through into the cabin with hard kicks, often followed by a quick, bouncy motion. The steering has a decent heft to it and delivers a bit of feedback to the driver. But the Compass doesn't feel as responsive as many similarly sized vehicles, requiring more twirling of the steering wheel to get through common curves. It also leans over noticeably through corners if you take them with a bit of speed.

Things didn’t fare much better when we pushed the Compass to its limits around our track, either, posting a low-for-the-class speed through our avoidance maneuver.

Braking performance was also pretty mediocre, with long stopping distances, particularly in the wet. Our drivers also noted that the brake pedal is overly sensitive at low speeds, making it challenging to stop smoothly. Although the Jeep brand brings an adventurous, off-the-beaten-path aura, don’t expect any true off-roading ability from the Compass. Even the most serious Trailhawk trim, which gets a low-speed transfer case, skid plates, and tow hooks (for if you get stuck), only has a token ability to traverse tough terrain.

The cabin doesn’t stay as hushed as many of its rivals. The engine sounds rough and wheezy upon initial startup and has a somewhat unrefined tone at speed. Road noise also gets a bit elevated. Even the turn signal’s loud and annoying sound irked numerous testers, which is far from a typical complaint.

There’s plenty of headroom up front, but the cabin is narrow with a center console that intrudes upon the driver’s right knee space. But more than anything, many drivers were put off by an odd symmetry between the pedals and the steering wheel. The left footrest is too close, which forces you into an awkward arms-out/knees-bent posture. On the bright side, there’s an unblemished view of the driver’s instrument screen through the steering wheel.

Opinions were mixed on the front seats, with the final consensus that they are just comfortable enough, though they would benefit from a bit more lateral support. The rear seat is pretty comfortable and spacious, with cushy padding, ample under-leg support, and good space for your feet underneath the front seats. The biggest issue is that the seatback can’t be reclined, unlike in many SUVs, and it’s at a pretty upright angle that is bound to get tiresome on a long trip.

The cargo area is competitively sized among smaller SUVs. It’s on the narrow side, but it’s aided by a multi-height-adjustable load floor.

One bright spot is the layout of the Compass’ controls. There are physical knobs and buttons for many functions, such as the climate system and audio volume and tuning—rather than finicky touch-capacitive panels like in many vehicles these days. Plus, most tasks through the infotainment touchscreen are pretty easy. The system’s customization options enable drivers to configure shortcuts and widgets to their preferences. However, the dense menus with small text require precise inputs, which makes some interactions a bit difficult while driving.

Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance.

The Compass comes standard with a rear occupant alert system, which is designed to remind the driver, based on rear-door logic, to check the rear seat at the end of a trip to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. Unfortunately, neither a rear belt minder (which would remind rear passengers to buckle their seat belt, and alert the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles during the trip) nor advanced seat-belt technology (such as seat-belt pretensioners and load-limiters) are available for rear passengers.