Overview & Reviews

Most people think of Jeeps as tough off-road vehicles that love to get muddy, but when the Jeep Compass debuted for 2007, it wasn't like other Jeeps. It didn't look rugged, it wasn't trail-rated, and as far as we could tell, it didn't even like dirt. Instead, it was a car-based design built for the majority of small-SUV buyers who wanted a fuel-efficient runabout that was easy to drive around suburbia. Four-wheel drive was available, of course, but it was a single-speed system -- enough to get you through a snowstorm and that's about it.

As you can imagine, Jeep purists didn't much care for the Compass, which they regarded as the antithesis of all things Jeep. The company evidently took this early criticism to heart, because the latest iteration has revised styling and newfound capabilities that edge the Compass closer to "real Jeep" status. Even so, the Jeep Compass faces stiff competition among today's compact, car-based SUVs. Its low base price and interesting features may be compelling at a glance, but for those who dig deeper, its subpar engines, modest cargo capacity and relatively crude driving dynamics will likely prove significant liabilities.

Current Jeep Compass
The Jeep Compass is a compact SUV offered in Sport, Latitude and Limited trim levels. Standard equipment on the base Sport includes alloy wheels, full power accessories, cruise control, air-conditioning and an auxiliary audio jack. Stepping up to the Latitude gets you heated front seats, a height-adjustable driver seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with auxiliary audio controls, while the Limited gets items like leather upholstery, a power driver seat, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, a rearview camera and automatic climate control. Notable options include a navigation system, Bluetooth and a USB port.

Every front-wheel-drive Jeep Compass Sport or Latitude model comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 158 horsepower. A 2.4-liter 172-hp four-cylinder engine is standard on the Limited and all four-wheel-drive Compasses. It is optional on the others. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the Sport, but a six-speed automatic transmission can be specified instead. The Latitude and Limited come standard with the six-speed automatic.

Of the two available four-wheel-drive options, the light-duty "Freedom Drive I" system operates in front-wheel-drive mode under normal conditions and automatically sends power to the rear wheels only when needed. The Freedom Drive II Off-Road package (available on 4WD versions) includes hill ascent/descent assist and a host of other all-terrain equipment, but unfortunately it requires the undesirable continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) -- which also comes standard with the optional Altitude and High Altitude packages.

In reviews, we've found the Jeep Compass to be one of the least appealing compact SUVs. At its core, the Compass still shares its underpinnings with the thankfully departed Dodge Caliber hatchback, and suffers from the same weak and noisy engines. Acceleration is slow regardless of which engine you opt for, though the six-speed automatic does improve on the CVT's whiny, sluggish operation. In terms of refinement (or lack thereof), the 2.4-liter is almost as rough and loud as the 2.0, and neither achieves impressive fuel economy.

To be fair, the Freedom Drive II package makes the Compass an unusually capable crossover in the dirt, but if that's what you're after, there are superior alternatives, including Jeep's own Cherokee. And aside from Freedom Drive II, there's little else to recommend the Compass over its peers. Rear passenger space is adequate overall, but legroom is tight back there relative to the norm, and the harsh, bouncy ride haunts both seating rows. Maximum cargo space behind the front seats also trails the pack.

Used Jeep Compass Models
Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Jeep Compass is in its first generation, but there have been significant changes made. From 2007-'10, the Compass featured different exterior styling that was less indicative of other Jeep models. It was rounder, a little more avant garde, and if we're honest, not very attractive. Prior to an interior overhaul for 2009 that addressed both design and materials quality, the cabin was one of the worst on the market. It was upgraded yet again for 2011, which was also the first year for the current car's more capable Freedom Drive II equipment and "baby Grand Cherokee" styling. The six-speed automatic debuted for 2014 as a considerably more civilized alternative to the CVT, though the underlying shortcomings of the engines were not addressed.

User Reviews:

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  Go with the automatic :() - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By motown_guy - January 16 - 2:51 am

  I went with the manual tranny which I regret. The low torgue requires you to bump up the rpms quite a bit to get this thing going. Once going its fairly responsive as long as you keep the tach above 1800 or so. If you shift at or above around 3200 or so, you feel a LOT of vibration coming back thru the clutch pedal and the reverse gear seems to have been delivered with some rough teeth - sounds like you are grinding hamburger if you go very far in reverse. Handling on the other hand is very good. Its fun to corner with this rig and it stays very flat. Its quite on decent roads and rides comfortably. The center armrest is too short and cumbersome (it moves fore and aft).

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  Why Why would you buy this? - 2008 Jeep Compass
  By Center - November 4 - 3:43 am

  My father just bought this car. We both thought that for the price it was a good buy. How disappointed we both were. In fact so disappointed that after exactly 9 days we returned the car. The interior is horrible. Looks like a cheap fake toy car. Buttons are poorly built. No interesting options (i.e. USB connections etc nothing) Though the car has only 4 cylinders it consumes way more than the design info states. The fact that for this price it 4 wheel drive is not standard is shocking especially when compared to others like the Grand Vitara (for 2 k more than the compass) or the Tuscon (or less or the same price as the compass)

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  2011 Jeep Compass Quality 180 deg off - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By faultycompass - August 31 - 8:32 am

  We have been loyal Jeep customers buying new Grand Cherokee and Compass Limiteds for years. When my wife saw the 2011 Compass redesign advertised on TV she had to have one. We traded our 2007 Compass in on a new 2011. Then the troubles started showing up. The key fobs would not work, then the TPMS system failed on the freeway. The first attempt to repair resulted in a 3.5 waiting room stint with no idea how to fix it. No loaner cars. I left the car at another dealer for a week and still not able to fix it. After 3 weeks of ownership we are totally disgusted. It appears that we now have a safety systems related lemon. Chrysler Customer assistance is of no help and unsympathetic.

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  Horrible Vehicle - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Bad Car - August 10 - 2:00 pm

  I have had my Jeep for 8 months and I have now gone through 3 transmissions and also ABS sensors. I bought this car hoping that it would get me through college and unfortunately it has done nothing but give me problems and make me never want to purchase a Jeep again! If I were you I would not buy a Jeep compass and especially one with a manual!

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  Better face,wrong shoes - 2018 Jeep Compass
  By Mike Schrandt - April 9 - 9:31 pm

  Ive driven both Trailhawk versions of the Cherokee and Compass.The interiors are basically identical,except for the red outlining and hilights in the compass,which really look best with a red exterior,then black,and silver.The huge difference is in the face and tires.The redesigned Compass looks like a smaller Grand Cherokee and a true Jeep.The slopenosed Cherokee does not.The tires and wheels on the Cherokee tho are great.The single combo on the Compass not only look pathetic for a four wheel drive capable Jeep,but no other choice is ironically a and obviously their way to save money by cutting corners.Add to this,the Compass sits lower and will achieve 30 mpg highway,but off road prowess will be less than desirable.The smart camper/hiker will sell the wheels and tire combo on the Compass back to Jeep and have the Cherokees 18 inch combo installed.You can only get the 184 hp 4 cylinder in the Compass which for $31 to $33,000.00 is waay to underpowered.With a max 1500 lb. tow capacity,you should test drive some better suited cars.

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  Needs some work - 2009 Jeep Compass
  By Monica - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Been driving my 2009 compass for 15 months. Been in the shop 3 times now for different issues/defects. passing is difficult, it has not "get up and go" !Its loud, my breaks have squeaked and ground since day one. It has not been reliable for me, and I will be trading mine in within the next few weeks!

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  not good car - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By mike - January 9 - 8:33 pm

  This car always had some problem, I had to have a computer mod replaced twice the breaks went bad after 32k miles the front wheel bearing went bad the ball join, the control arm and the tie rods. This all went bad about a month after the car was out of warranty I would not buy another jeep product. I also have a wrangler that has had a bunch of problems.

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  Jeepy - 2012 Jeep Compass
  By Vehicle Salesman - January 1 - 3:41 am

  Not to bad for price, steering very tight , like a Nascar, to tight for me. Brakes ! mercy still cant get rid of the squeaking when backing up, they were replaced at like 10k , still have noises. believe the rotors get damp and rust over nite ( in garage) , if too early in morning , you need to put lite pressure on brakes as you back up, that helps muffle the squeaks. Problems we had seemed a bit early for miles, latest was the turn signal switch ( whole stick) , when you put left turn on , the interior lites blinked ( no warrranty) R&R stick $94.00 LR Hub Bearing (now warranty ) wear item ( ha ha , fast wear) we have 47740 miles on the vehicle. Bearing $243.00 one not all four. Hope the others spread time out a bit. Replaced original tires at 47140 miles also ( not too bad for factory tires) All in all not bad except for the Hub repair. I sold GMC/Chev/ Jeeps for over 40 years, first Jeep, might be the last. Oh, I called factory customer service , kinda waste time , didnt even ask for Vin Number. Good Luck