2023 Jeep Compass Limited SUV Review

The Jeep Compass is like a baby Grand Cherokee

The 2023 Jeep Compass takes the Jeep brand’s reputation for off-road prowess and infuses it into a family-oriented crossover that’s aimed at the likes of the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. The burlier Wrangler is still a very strong seller for Jeep, and the vast majority sold are the four-door variant, but the Compass is intended to give you a bit of that Jeep flavour in a far more polished package.

Think of the Compass as less of a tame Wrangler and more of a smaller version of the Grand Cherokee. Particularly in this tester’s Limited trim, this is a Jeep for primarily on-road activities, with the ability to knock off a snowy commute or a gravelly road with aplomb. To that end, the 2023 Jeep Compass gets a new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, replacing its 2.4L naturally aspirated engine. Turbocharging means easy low-end torque, which is why you find it in a broader range of modern crossovers.

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But at heart, the Compass still has to do Jeep stuff when called upon. Here’s how it fulfills its mission, on and off the road.

Priority mission parameter: fit in with a family’s transportation needs. The Compass toes the line in one of the most competitive market segments that exists in the automotive sphere, and its chief rivals often top the list of the best-selling passenger vehicles in Canada. It’s going to be an uphill battle.

The first good piece of news is that the baby-Grand Cherokee flavour of the Compass means that it has a well executed and fairly upscale interior. The tan inserts in this Limited model really classed up the look of the dashboard, and the central 10.1” touchscreen and the digital instrument cluster look fresh — the Compass was updated last year. This Compass is two steps down in size from a Grand Cherokee, but its needle still points towards luxury.

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In terms of outright space, however, this is not the largest offering in the field. With the rear seat in place, 800L of cargo capacity falls short of both the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V by about 20 per cent. The rear seats are also a little shorter on headroom and legroom than the Honda, but only by a few mm — although it should be noted that they don’t fold completely flat. If the Compass doesn’t have maximum room for suitcases, it at least doesn’t shortchange rear passengers on comfort.

Up front passengers will be plenty comfortable, and there are plenty of cubbies for storage and charging ports. The one potential future issue here is the use of piano black plastic. It looks great when new, but is easily scratched and any hard-working crossover (especially a Jeep-branded one) is going to show wear here.

The big story for the 2023 model year of the Jeep Compass can be found underhood, proudly adorned with an all-caps “TURBO” script. The previous 2.4L had perfectly adequate peak power and a great name — who doesn’t want to have a vehicle powered by a TigersharkTM — but smaller-displacement turbocharged engines offer greater efficiency and plenty of low-end grunt.

This new 200 hp 2.0L four-cylinder engine doesn’t exactly transform the Compass, but it does give it a new, zippier character. With 221 lb-ft of torque available from just 1,750 rpm, it scoots along in urban driving with as much vigour as you could want.

Further, there’s nothing of the wandering, clunky charisma of a Wrangler here. The Compass is plenty agile, more than you might expect. This is a fairly boxy machine, and the blacked-out wheelarches and lower body panels make it look as though it rides higher than it actually does. Combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Compass is a surefooted driving companion for the 99 per cent of on-road use that most of these cars will see.

Still, if you’re going to put Jeep on the nose of a vehicle, it better be able to keep going when the tarmac runs out. Depending on your needs, the more burly Trailhawk trim of the Compass might suit more regular rough-road use, but the Limited’s standard all-wheel-drive and basic terrain-selection mode handled some forestry service roads with confidence, if not with comfort.

Blame this Limited’s optional 19-inch wheels, which look fabulous in photos and are like wearing patent leather dress shoes on a hike. The Compass never felt like it was going to get stuck, but it was more stiff-legged than it should have been, for a vehicle that wants to fly the Jeep flag. I’m not sure you need a full Trailhawk for a more balanced off-road/on-road experience, but leave the fancy footwear at home.

Not quite a conventional “feature,” but a smattering of Jeep’s “Easter Eggs” throughout the cabin does make the Compass driving experience a bit more fun. You get little silhouettes of the original Willys Jeep throughout the cabin, just enough to be fun.

In terms of technology loadout, the Compass is basically the opposite of those early bare-bones military donkeys. Wireless Android Air or Carplay handles smartphone connectivity, the touchscreen graphics are bright and clear, and the Uconnect infotainment is sensible and intuitive.

Equipped with more than $7,500 worth of optional extras on top of its $43,895 MSRP, this Limited Tester had everything you could want and more. An Alpine premium stereo kicked out the jams, parking assist helped keep scratches off the $395 pearl paint, and those cushy front seats were ventilated to beat the heat.

But further down the Compass range, the North trim gives you the heated seats and steering wheel you need in winter time, plus standard all-wheel-drive, keyless entry, and wireless smartphone connectivity. With the new 200 hp turbo engine and all-wheel-drive standard across the whole Compass range, keeping this slightly more basic would work well. It is a Jeep after all.

As usual, predicted reliability for any new model is like forecasting the weather: check the trends, but it’s largely guesswork. Happily, for the 2023 Jeep Compass, chances are there are sunny days ahead. Reliability ratings for the Compass have improved in recent model years, to the point where it’s at least average. While the turbocharged engine is new, and more complex than the outgoing 2.4L four-cylinder, it’s hardly an overstressed engine.

The 2023 Jeep Compass gets nearly top marks in crash testing, receiving marginal dings for difficult to access LATCH child seat attachment points. This seems like a minor quibble, as once you’ve struggled to attach your child’s car seat, there it stays for years.

Passive safety extends to a standard backup camera, and blind spot detection and cross-traffic assist comes as optional. This week’s Limited tester came with an optional driver assist package that included automated cruise control, a 360-degree camera for parking, and the ability to recognize traffic signs.

As noted earlier, the Limited version of the Jeep Compass comes off as luxurious, but has a pricetag to match. Adding in options pushed the total list price for this tester to a hair under $52,000 before taxes, destination, and environmental levies. That kind of money will get you into a four-door Wrangler Sport, and isn’t that what you’re really after if you want a Jeep?

The counterbalance to this argument is how polished the Compass manages to be in the kind of driving scenarios most owners will actually use them in. The new engine dials up the premium factor, and the vehicle gets to bask in a little reflected glory from the Grand Cherokee, which has long earned its bona fides as a near-luxury offering. Add in the likes of the Grand Wagoneer at the top end of the range, and Jeep is sure carrying some strong brand equity these days.

Having said that, again, a lower-spec Compass probably makes a lot more sense as a value proposition, particularly if you are looking for a vehicle that can handle a commute, yet has Jeep-like prowess when conditions are poor. There are better options if carrying capacity is a primary concern, but the Compass acquits itself well with practicality and performance.

Building on a recent redesign with a new, more powerful and flexible engine, the 2023 Jeep Compass should be able to hold its own in the segment, if not beat out the sales giants from Toyota and Honda. For Jeep fans, it’s crammed with all sorts of fun nods to the company’s heritage, and it should be able to easily dispense with any light off-roading — if you spec the right wheels.

Having said that, the Compass probably makes the most sense not as a Jeep that can handle the rough-and-tumble, but one that encompasses the upscale nature of the Grand Cherokee in a smaller package (which it pulls off rather well). The Grand Cherokee isn’t quite at the level of prestige as a Land Rover product, but there’s a similar flavour to the two. The Compass takes that flavour and scales it down to a size suitable for a small family. You will have to be a Jeep fan to want one, but if you are a Jeep fan with a family, mission accomplished.

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