Jeep Compass Review (2017-2020)

The Jeep Compass has its work cut out for it to make an impact in a compact SUV class that’s brimming with household name alternatives. With the Nissan Qashqai, Seat Ateca and Ford Kuga all in the same price range, not to mention the Kia Sportage, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-5, there’s a confusion of choice before you even consider less conventional alternatives, such as smaller (yet still practical) premium SUVs like the BMW X1.

Still, the brash chrome grille and bluff styling has a straightforward ‘proper 4x4’ appeal to it that few of those unashamedly on-road orientated rivals offer. The Compass can also be had with an active four-wheel drive system, called ‘Selec-Terrain’, which offers a front-wheel drive mode for normal on-road use and terrain-specific all-wheel drive modes for tougher conditions.

There’s plenty of space up front in the Jeep Compass, with good visibility and plenty of adjustment to the driving position. Passengers in the back get ample leg- and headroom on the standard 60/40 split rear seats. There’s no seven-seat option, though, unlike the Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tiguan Allspace and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The boot space is adequate; you get 438 litres of space and a variable-height boot floor, which will be fine for a chunky double buggy. If you add a full size spare tyre, you lose the underfloor space and the total boot capacity drops to 368 litres. It’ll still take a chunky buggy, but – whether you go for a spare wheel or not – there are alternatives to the Jeep Compass that have bigger boots. The Peugeot 3008 gets 520 litres, for instance, while the Ford Kuga manages 475 litres of luggage space.

Driving the Compass is a perfectly unexceptional experience. The engine has enough gumption for a smart getaway from a standstill, but you’ll have to row through the rather long-throw gearshift to get much response from the 1.6 MultiJet 120 at higher speeds. If you do a lot of rural road driving and like to be able to execute an easy overtake, you’ll want to look to the more powerful engines in the Jeep Compass range or, better still, a punchier and sharper driving rival such as the Seat Ateca.

Still, the Jeep’s 1.6 diesel engine is hushed on a steady throttle, and ride comfort in the Jeep Compass is cushy, although accompanied by plenty of wallowy body movement. It all combines with the wide, squishy seats and high-set driving position to give this more of an old-school, American SUV character than many of those alternatives that have a more hatchback-like feel.

The interior of the Jeep is fairly disappointing by the standards of those rivals. Sure, there’s a smattering of chrome, the switches are easy to figure out and there’s also an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satnav, digital radio and Bluetooth. But even that bigger 'UConnect' infotainment system is way behind the graphics quality and user-friendly menus of alternatives like the Kia Sportage and Seat Ateca. The dash design and materials also feel a little dated next to the more sleek, minimalist cabin designs of the Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 3008 and many others.

The Compass is well equipped, provided you avoid the entry level Sport model (which is no longer on sale and is rare on used forecourts, as few were bought new). Sport is the only version that doesn’t get the big, 8.4-inch touchscreen, and it misses out on the keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, leatherette upholstery, electric lumbar adjustment, roof rails, reversing camera and ambient LED interior lighting that makes the next trim up – Longitude – our pick of the lot.

The Jeep Compass is priced competitively against its many core rivals when new. It makes most sense if you stick to the lower-end trims and smaller engines, when you’re looking at some £28,000 to £32,000 for a spacious, comfy, safe and well-equipped family SUV depending on which trim and engine you go for. Monthly costs and finance deals are far more compelling than the list prices of the Jeep Compass. There are big dealer deposit contributions available on those mid-spec models that we recommend, making it easy to get a monthly PCP contract with payments of under £300 even on a fairly high spec model, currently with three years free servicing thrown in, a usefully better deal than you’ll get on most alternatives.

There’ll be a big hit of depreciation in the first year or two, as with most cars. But, given the number of excellent nearly-new Jeep Compass examples available with low mileage and high spec, for well under £20,000, it’s a no-brainer to look there before committing to a new car, especially if you’re a cash buyer. Used prices are a little higher on the Jeep Compass than you might pay for a comparable used Nissan Qashqai, with the Jeep’s brasher looks and rarity factor boosting its appeal, but the Jeep is a usefully cheaper second-hand buy than the ever-popular VW Tiguan.

Go for the 1.6 MultiJet 120 II diesel and you’ll likely see fuel economy of around 38 to 40mpg. The 1.4 MultiAir 140 II petrol that’s the other big seller will do more like 35mpg, as will the Jeep Compass Trailhawk with its 168bhp 2.0-litre diesel and four-wheel drive system. There are more efficient family SUVs around; even discounting the plug-in and hybrid alternatives, options like the Skoda Karoq with its small but peppy petrol engines or torquey diesels will be a smoother and more efficient drive when it comes to your MPG figure.

Jeep offers very good servicing deals, with free servicing for three years often thrown in with a new car. Fixed-price servicing deals are also routinely available for new or used Jeeps. Insurance is very comparable to class contenders, too, with the Jeep Compass falling in between group 17 and 22 (of 50) depending on which model you go for. Ultimately, there are family SUVs that will cost less to run in terms of fuel costs, but otherwise – as long as you avoid the expensive top-end models – the Jeep Compass promises to competitive on purchase and ownership costs.

The Jeep Compass gets a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which is better than that you’ll get in alternatives from Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat, although not as good as the longer warranties offered by Hyundai and Kia. Jeep offered a five-year warranty on its cars from July 2018, but that extended warranty was recently rescinded, so it’s worth looking for a used car that was sold with the longer warranty. You can check how much warranty is remaining on a second-hand car you’re considering by contacting a Jeep service department and quoting the reg number.

Jeep sells comparably few cars in the UK next to its chief rivals and, as such, it hasn’t featured in many of the recent used car reliability surveys. However, there have been six recalls in Europe since the Jeep Compass went on sale in 2017, and owners complain of issues with the gearboxes and electrical glitches with the car’s screens, such as the touchscreen or driver’s display not dimming as they should for nighttime driving.

Ultimately, with comparably few Jeep Compasses sold in the UK there’s not as much data as for many rivals. But, with rivals like the Skoda Karoq and Peugeot 3008 both rated very highly for reliability in surveys from What Car? and Driver Power, it’s safe to say that there are more reliable alternatives.