When you think “Jeep” (which has been in the car business since 1941), you think on- and off-road performance - both met head on from the comfort of the driver's seat. Well, that’s usually true, since the Jeep is known for its off-road ruggedness, its ability to scale the outdoors and its adaptability to cities, towns and difficult roads. You also cannot help but think 4x4 when you think of the Jeep, it’s like thinking of art when you mention da Vinci.
At first inspection the 2009 Jeep Compass looks different, it has more curves, softer edges, it’s a Jeep in a new leather suit, but still a jeep. Even when it is equipped with the four-wheel drive system, the Compass functions primarily as a front wheel drive vehicle. To be fair, the system is clever, and designed to save fuel. The four-wheel drive system on board the Jeep Compass is reported to be switched on only 10% of the time. You read that right – so, for the remainder 90% of your driving, the on board four-wheel drive system directs power through the front wheels. The reason this should not put you off buying one is because due to this new technology Jeep is using on the Compass, it has become more eco-friendly, running about 25 miles to the gallon, which is pretty good for a small four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle.
The Compass is known to be a tamed beast of a Jeep and as modern as they’ve tried to make it look, it somewhat feels stiff to drive. Rocking all over and bouncing around off-road makes you wonder if Jeep forgot about the suspension all together.
The exterior was sanded down and rounded up; the Jeep Compass lost its strong, boxy, animal-like presence and sort of became a curvy timid house pet. It’s bubbly and doesn’t look like it was made with off-road driving in mind; it’s rather like something you would drive to the red carpet. The interior isn’t all that impressive either. With a standard grey plastic interior (though decent in quality), a poorly designed dashboard (which does it little justice), and for some unknown reason, Jeep added shiny chrome pieces, making the Compass lose that strong rich feel; possibly bordering it on the verge of being called cheap.
The Compass does, however, come on top - as do most Jeeps - when it comes to room and interior cargo space. It has outstanding seating for five persons and great cargo space, with the extra bonus of folding seats. Sure, this may not be outstanding, but at least Jeep kept something everyone liked in its previous models and did not lose that edge.
The Jeep Compass, sadly, lacks in the handling department, though. It loses the SUV feel and seems to handle more like a car in terms of grip, which means the fun factor of driving this timid, so-called 4x4, goes down - way down. If you’re putting your foot down, you’ll notice some under steer on corners depending on the terrain you’re driving in, which is never a good thing. This is where people start considering the competition, which is a shame really since the Compass has a lot of potential.