2018 Jeep Compass - Review, Test drive and Walkaround

The new #Jeep #Compass wasn’t designed to look anything like the original Willy’s. Its design is streamlined and mature. It strongly resembles the much larger Jeep Grand Cherokee, which we find a good thing looking at how handsome that big #SUV is! Actually, we’d suggest calling the Compass ‘Cherokee’. Jeep clearly wants to go into the direction of a unified style for their urban models.

The new Compass features stylish swirling lines in in the LED tail lamps and headlights. The roofline is accented with the same shape of swirl in satin chrome, giving the new Compass a distinctly upscale look. The grill and wheel arches are directly copied from its bigger brother which makes the Compass look tough. And Jeep’s 4x4 system made sure that our brand-new Compass didn’t get stuck like our camera car did.

Taking a seat in the Jeep Compass impressed us as much as the outside looks of it! Much attention has gone into the build quality and finish of the Jeep. After all the tiny gimmicks on the Jeep Renegade, of course we went on an instant exploration, looking for tiny jokes in the Compass. First, there is this lil’ lizard that apparently got stuck and painted over during production. We also found the Monster of Loch Ness swimming in the blue ocean of the sky when we looked through the rear window! We also think that this little rectangle in the trunk lid trim might be replaced by a button for a power rear liftgate, which our test model didn’t have.

The first thing we were really curious about: what does a small Grand Cherokee drive like? Well, like a small Grand Cherokee, really! The Compass has an American smoothness to it, which we found fitting with the overall upscale looks of the crossover. It’s very different from the European feel of the Renegade. That is not to say things felt mushy, but driving the new Compass gives you a smooth, quiet ride even on rougher terrains while still holding corners well.

Talking about smoothness, another highlight we noticed is the infotainment system of the Compass. When the iPad came out, people praised it for its smooth and almost instantaneously responding touchscreen. Car makers are starting to understand the importance of a butter smooth user experience with their infotainment systems, and the new touch display in the Compass really shows that off.

What we really appreciate about the infotainment system in the Compass is that is still has physical buttons for often-used items like the climate control. They seamlessly work together with the modern digital user interface. Another thing that caught our eye, or more like, ear; is that the navigation voice mutes one speaker and speaks through that speaker only; while the rest of the speakers continue to play your favorite music. It works really well!

Being slightly bigger than the Renegade and slightly smaller than the Cherokee, the new Jeep Compass is a rather compact crossover. So we put our 6 foot 8 presenter in it to see if it is of any use. The power adjustable front seats are comfortable and gave a surprising amount of legroom. But the real surprise was in the back of the car. It is a rare thing by itself that my knees did not hit the back of the front seat, but there were even a few inches between my knees and the front seat. The Compass furthermore features the versatility that you’d expect from a crossover, with folding rear seats providing up to 59.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Not that the standard 27.2 cubic feet of cargo room is bad, either.

We really liked the fit & finish in the cabin, with accented stitching, piano black accents and very nice front bucket seats in optional leather trim. The wide dash spreads out like eagle wings. We liked luxuries like the tilting and telescoping steering wheel, adjustable headrests, the adjustable armrest in the front and the armrest with cupholders in the back, which Jeep made a part of the rear seatback.

Furthermore, this new Compass is packed with technology like Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Siri can be activated directly from the steering wheel. More technology also translates to more safety, for example in the shape of a lane departure warning system, radars for oncoming traffic and a gazillion airbags.

So, what is our conclusion? Well, we feel that with this new Compass, Jeep really turned their compass to the right direction. Hah! Yeah, we had to say that. The new Jeep Compass is a great compact alternative if you don’t want to buy the big Grand Cherokee. It’s got luxury, technology, great looks and comfort in a small package. All that it needs now, is a nice V6 to get it all moving.