Fuel efficiency aside, driving the Compass is pleasant. It is a crossover, but it drives very much like a car. It's easy to handle in any situation and to know that it can go off-road when need be (the nifty little 4WD lock lever is within arm's reach near the middle armrest), the Compass is practical for the average city-dwelling weekend camper.
This vehicle is well-appointed for the price, starting at $18,995 for the front-wheel drive Compass Sport. The interior is spacious and the on-board navigation and entertainment system is easy to navigate and functions well. Steering wheel-mounted controls ensure you keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times. Storage slots and cubbies abound in the front, and room in the back is ample, but not when it comes to getting in.
I picked up a friend during the week. She has a 3-month-old baby girl. With her baby in its infant car seat, she wanted to strap her in the back. To get the car seat there, she had to tilt the seat quite a bit to wedge it through the door—as in, it didn't open wide enough. This seemed odd to me; the Compass is, undoubtedly, Jeep's young-family starter model as it is the smallest, most affordable in the line-up.
What gets me about the Compass is the fact that they're branding it as a way to make yourself unique, to stand out from the crowd, to be something different. I dislike companies that make such bold statements and don't follow through. Especially when their vehicles fall into the mould of every other crossover out there, not to mention being an almost carbon copy of one of its brothers in the line-up (read: Patriot). I believe their statement with the Wrangler. And even with the new Grand Cherokee. But I have a hard time feeling “special” when I'm behind the wheel of a Compass.
This vehicle is well-appointed for the price, starting at $18,995 for the front-wheel drive Compass Sport. The interior is spacious and the on-board navigation and entertainment system is easy to navigate and functions well. Steering wheel-mounted controls ensure you keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times. Storage slots and cubbies abound in the front, and room in the back is ample, but not when it comes to getting in.
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| The interior is spacious and the on-board navigation and entertainment system is easy to navigate and functions well. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
I picked up a friend during the week. She has a 3-month-old baby girl. With her baby in its infant car seat, she wanted to strap her in the back. To get the car seat there, she had to tilt the seat quite a bit to wedge it through the door—as in, it didn't open wide enough. This seemed odd to me; the Compass is, undoubtedly, Jeep's young-family starter model as it is the smallest, most affordable in the line-up.
What gets me about the Compass is the fact that they're branding it as a way to make yourself unique, to stand out from the crowd, to be something different. I dislike companies that make such bold statements and don't follow through. Especially when their vehicles fall into the mould of every other crossover out there, not to mention being an almost carbon copy of one of its brothers in the line-up (read: Patriot). I believe their statement with the Wrangler. And even with the new Grand Cherokee. But I have a hard time feeling “special” when I'm behind the wheel of a Compass.
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