2007 Jeep Compass

Interior

While the seven-slot grille, round headlamps and bold trapezoidal wheel openings help identify Compass as a Jeep family member and separate it from its Dodge-brand cousin, the interior has much in common with Caliber and Patriot. The center stack is ergonomically arranged with twin rectangular air outlets above the radio at the top, three climate system knobs at the bottom and a shallow bin in between. The fat, stubby shifter protrudes from an angled console with a horizontal slot at its lower end for manual up- and downshifts.


Twin cupholders and two small open trays share the center floor console with the hand brake lever. The armrest covers a shallow box and its underside has a handy flip-open pocket just right for a cell-phone or iPod. The premium sound system's door-mounted speakers use up half of the door storage bins' real estate, but there's a large open bin in the upper half of the passenger-side dash and a glovebox below. The highly visible instrument cluster behind the four-spoke steering wheel contains four round dials, a large speedometer and tachometer flanked by smaller fuel and coolant temperature gauges.


The downside of the Compass interior is a lot of cheap-looking hard plastic surface—not surprising given these vehicles' very reasonable prices. The upside is great flexibility and some innovative features. These include a self-charging lamp in the cargo area headliner that snaps out to become a flashlight; anti-stain, anti-odor "YES Essentials" seat fabric; a removable and washable vinyl load floor; and a pair of speakers (with the optional Boston Acoustics Premium Sound Group) in the rear liftgate that can swing down to face rearward for partying and tailgating.

Performance

The 60/40 split rear seat (with optional recliners) folds nearly flat to provide 53.6 cu. ft. of cargo space, and the front passenger seatback flips forward to provide a flat surface and increase storage to 60.7 cu. ft. The impressive list of standard safety features includes side curtain air bags, ESP stability control, Electronic Roll Mitigation and anti-lock brakes with traction control and brake assist.


Compass is powered by a 172-hp DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter four with dual variable valve timing (VVT), a member of the Chrysler Group World Engine family co-developed with Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Driving the front wheels through the standard five-speed manual, it delivers competitive performance and impressive 26 mpg city, 30 highway EPA economy. The optional CVT2 (continuously variable transmission) automatic lowers those ratings to 24 mpg city, 27 highway, while the Freedom Drive I full-time four-wheel drive option drops those ratings one more mpg. We are not fans of CVTs in general or this one in particular—it feels slower than it is and sends engine speed racing ahead of vehicle speed during hard acceleration—but they are more fuel efficient than conventional automatics. A solid plus is the CVT2's Auto Stick feature, which gives drivers manual shift control and the feeling of six stepped gears.