Although one could legitimately credit Jeep as the creator of compact sport-utilities, only recently did the company begin building the kind of small SUV that most of today's consumers want to buy: a small, docile, car-based crossover. Introduced last year, the Jeep Compass represents a huge departure from traditional Jeep values. It's not trail-rated -- meaning Jeep makes no guarantees about its ability to survive California's famed Rubicon Trail. It doesn't have a true dual-range four-wheel-drive system. And the largest engine you can get is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated at 172 horsepower. But unlike most other Jeeps, the Compass really does ride and handle like a car, allowing it to slip easily into the urban grind.
This easygoing nature is a product of its car-based underpinnings. Much of its hardware is also used for the Dodge Caliber, the Jeep Patriot and, to a lesser extent, the Mitsubishi Outlander. Jeep has attempted to differentiate the Compass from its siblings primarily through styling. It features the brand's traditional seven-slot grille and round headlamps as well as more modern design elements. In terms of ground clearance and approach and departure angles, it slots between the street-focused Caliber and the slightly more rugged Patriot. The Compass offers an optional automatic 4WD system ("Freedom Drive I") that allows the driver to lock torque between the front and rear wheels for improved traction on slippery terrain. This gives it light off-road capability, but Freedom Drive is intended mainly for winter-weather use.
On paper, the 2008 Jeep Compass meets the minimum requirements for a compact crossover SUV. It's easy to drive, set up pretty nicely with features and doesn't cost that much. But drive it back to back with other small, relatively inexpensive sport-utilities or wagons and you'll find the Compass falls well short in important areas like acceleration, ride comfort and quietness, interior build and materials quality, cargo space, and overall refinement. Among four-cylinder sport-utilities, the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 are simply superior vehicles. And for the money, six-cylinder versions of the Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage twins, Mitsubishi Outlander, Saturn Vue or Kia Rondo are also solid choices.