Fresh off a complete redesign and working hard to emulate its more attractive, more refined big brother, the Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Compass pairs a compact, affordable package with a host of high-tech options and several upmarket interior features. It ventures into a narrow wedge of market territory between the subcompact Jeep Renegade and the compact Cherokee, an area of the crossover jungle where no direct competitors currently reside. (The new Compass was designed and sized to compete in global markets where the Cherokee is considered too large.) What?s missing is a powertrain that?s as impressive as the rest of the vehicle. The Compass?s only engine choice leaves it slow to accelerate, and the new nine-speed automatic transmission that pairs with the available all-wheel-drive system only exacerbates the problem. Still, Jeep earns props for offering an off-road-ready Trailhawk version at a reasonable price and for making all-wheel drive an affordable option in non-Trailhawk models. While the Compass has almost as many faults as charms, there?s still nothing quite like a Jeep. READ MORE ??
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