2019 Jeep Compass Limited
Distance: 4,063km
Location: Switzerland, France, Liechtenstein, Italy
Date: June 1-15, 2019
Up front: It’s more comfortable than most mass-market crossovers at the $30,000 price point but it’s no luxury car. What it is represents better value than similarly-priced Korean rivals. The leather seats are a nice touch but they are really slippery when they’re brand new and don’t hold you in very well. Case in point: my takeout order departed from the passenger seat and made a mess on the floor after mild braking for a traffic light.
The Apple CarPlay connectivity is good and the controls are intuitive and easy to use. I’ve never been distracted by trying to find where the air conditioning controls were. Speaking of the A/C, it really blows in summer so you won’t have to worry about having a sweaty drive. The tiny centre console is an issue as it is in the Renault Captur, it looks great but doesn’t function as an armrest.
In the back: Four is the maximum capacity I would recommend for this compact crossover. It looks tough and bulky on the outside, but American cars seem to lose space on the inside. If you do choose to put four passengers in, you won’t have enough space in the back for all of their luggage. Japanese and Korean competitors have more space in the back.
Driving: I have been disappointed by the Hyundai Tucson and the smaller Kona, I can safely say that the Jeep Compass has the superior all-wheel drive powertrain. Cheaper front-wheel drive models are available, but then I’m not sure why you’re buying a Jeep at all.
Either get the base model econobox for value or the top of the line Trailhawk for off-road prowess because anything in the middle is neither here nor there. The Compass I drove wasn’t powerful on the highway, the steering wasn’t responsive enough for me to enjoy the twisty alpine roads, and the most off roading most drivers would do are a patch of grass and some gravel. It’s got a lot of toys for off-roading, but I’ve managed more of the same with an older Subaru without fancy electronic systems.
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