The Essential, Most Basic Adventuring Tool is a Compass

The world was a different place in 2006. Few of us could have imagined the change that the next 15 years would bring. There’s been plenty of turbulence in the automotive industry alone – from the recession bailouts, which transformed the make and model landscape, through the wholesale market shift towards crossover SUVs, to the advent of mass-produced electric vehicles and autonomous driving features, everything has changed to keep up with the times. Jeeps have changed, too – shopping for a used Jeep Compass is proof enough of that. Today’s Compass Trailhawk is hardly recognizable compared to the 2007 Compass Sport, and the changes the model has undergone illustrate just a few of the ways that manufacturers have worked to adapt over the years.

When the Compass concept was introduced in 2002, it was an exciting 2-door with the Jeep Liberty’s V6 engine and the appearance of a Baja racer with modern rounded styling. Although that vehicle never came to market – from its first production run in 2006, the Compass has always been a 4-door and has never had a V6 – the styling was still informed by the concept of desert-running aggressiveness meeting city living style. Since then, the Compass has always been a popular Jeep with a low cost of entry and road-friendly manners, but its capabilities, features, and styling have evolved, with a 2nd generation coming out in 2016 and significant refreshes in 2011 and 2019. Now we celebrate 80 years of Jeep and 15 years of Compass by looking back on what has – and hasn’t – changed with time.

Jeep DNA, Re-imagined

When we think of a classic Jeep design, certain things come to mind. The Wagoneer, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler: big, purpose-built SUVs ready to own the off-road first and serve as a passenger vehicle second. The Compass is perhaps the first Jeep to flip that script as the very first Jeep crossover, entering into what’s become the industry’s most competitive segment by essentially replacing sedans nationwide. The early years are especially reflective of this, as the first iteration of the Compass had standard FWD and wasn’t available in a Trail Rated configuration. That’s right – until 2011, it wasn’t possible to have a Trail Rated Compass. It’s hard to believe there was ever a Jeep that didn’t meet their own strict standards for off-road performance, but you won’t find any pretenders with the Trail Rated badge, so you won’t find one on any 2007-2010 Compass.

However, those early models stand out for being the most road-friendly editions. Although fuel efficiency isn’t competitive with modern standards, for those model years, the 20-25+ MPG rating was quite good, and the ride quality on-road was appropriate for the intent. Comfortable front seats, good outward visibility – you could almost forget that you were driving a Jeep crossover! The Compass showed its rough-and-tumble heritage as it came standard with a manual transmission (in fact, it still did right up until 2021!), and if the styling was enough to make you love it, it was a great point of entry to the Jeep lineup and culture at large.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

In 2011 the Compass was significantly redesigned, with exterior styling hearkening to the Grand Cherokee and interior material selections that gave it a relatively upscale feel appropriate to a modern Jeep passenger vehicle. Most significantly, the suspension was revised and upgraded to make the Compass one of the best off-roaders in the compact SUV class. Along with this came the optional Freedom Drive features: Freedom Drive I gave the Compass full-time 4WD with locking capability, while Freedom Drive II unleashed the CVT’s maximum 19:1 gear ratio to simulate a low range rock crawling gear.

On the inside, fold-flat seating made the most of the crossover’s relatively small interior, and liftgate speakers that could fold outward are a signature feature making this an attractive model to use for tailgate parties. 2011 also introduced the Uconnect media center, which has evolved into one of the industry’s best in later years. While the CVT of 2011 is panned for sluggish behavior, the system was upgraded in 2012 to behave much better, and Jeep added an automatic transmission to the lineup in 2014 as well.

The Compass’s simple controls for audio and climate systems remain a positive feature today, and late-gen 2016 models feature standard Bluetooth connectivity for the first time. The refreshed first-generation Jeep Compass included a trade-off – fuel efficiency hadn’t changed, which meant the competition had caught up and pulled away – but drivers can hardly ask for a better way to experiment with the off-roading lifestyle thanks to low prices and low cost of ownership!

Metamorphosis

There’re a lot of upsides to the 2014-2016 Compass, but many would advise to look instead for 2017-2019 models, which represent the second generation of the Compass nameplate. This is for a good reason. Not only is the exterior redesigned to even more strongly resemble the Grand Cherokee from the front and the revived Cherokee from the rear, the interior is updated with new technology, and the drivetrain is revamped as well. As a result, the second-generation Compass is slightly more powerful and fuel-efficient while remaining incredibly low-cost next to the competition.

In general, improved off-roading capabilities come at the expense of some on-road comfort, which was demonstrated when the original Compass underwent its 2011 refresh. However, the 2017 Compass sings a different tune with the off-road-oriented Trailhawk trim at the top of the lineup to further emphasize its genuine Jeep pedigree. A fully independent multi-link rear suspension and Koni dampers on the Trailhawk model not only improve off-roading ability, they also improve the on-road experience enough that drivers could forget they’re driving a tuned off-roading machine!

Interior noise is reduced, and the infotainment system is excellent in the 2nd gen. Uconnect 7.0, with a 7” touchscreen and standard Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity options, is easily among the industry’s best infotainment systems from this era. It’s available from 2017 and standard from 2019, with little tweaks and improvements every year. Newer models also herald the arrival of advanced driver-assist features, with adaptive cruise control and other radar-based features becoming optional on the base Sport trim by 2020 and increasing in popularity everywhere.

Pointing to the Future

Highlighted by a new turbocharged engine and the introduction of the Uconnect app for enhanced connectivity options, the latest Compass models from 2020 on demonstrate that Jeep’s direction is clear. The oldest Compass models are relatively fuel-efficient and composed on-road but feature a lack of modern technology. Middle-aged examples earned their Jeep pedigree at the expense of benchmark-setting efficiency and road handling. Young models correct this somewhat, boasting improved handling all around and featuring some of the best infotainment systems on the market while offering modern safety features that are the precursors to full-blown automated driving systems.

Despite their differences over the years, there are a few good things that all Compass designs have had in common. Every Compass is relatively spacious for passengers, though cargo volume is lacking, and while no Compass is the ideal daily commuter, it becomes an extremely compelling choice when frequent off-roading is in the cards. That’s because the Trail Rated Jeep Compass is consistently among the cheapest compact crossovers on the market. With its generally exceptional off-roading capability, drivers with dirt road commutes or an interest in trying their hand at an off-roading hobby won’t find a better bang for their buck.

The production version of the Jeep Compass never has been and probably never will be the V6-powered 2-door off-roading speedster that it was initially imagined to be. Many could also say that Jeep was losing its way when they released the FWD Compass without Trail Rated capabilities in 2007. To be sure, the Compass has always had an uninspiring engine, low-grade interior materials, and limited standard features, but it’s also always been comfortably spacious and a previously unheard of blend of on-road manners with genuine Jeep off-roading pedigree. With every iteration, it keeps getting better, so to our mind, the Jeep Compass is indisputably headed in the right direction. If you are looking to try out a used Jeep Compass for yourself, visit our dealership and see what models we have in stock today.

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