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The Jeep Compass is a very popular compact SUV that has a very economical engine and a comfortable interior. Jeep made the Compass available in 2007 and gave it a thorough makeover for 2022. Its interior is roomy and comfortable with a quality entertainment system and LED screen on the center of the dash.
The current model has four doors and comfortable seating for up to five passengers. A rear liftgate gives you access to 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space that expands to 59.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine gives you up to 177 horsepower and enables the Compass to tow up to 2,000 pounds.
A six-speed automatic transmission delivers up to 175 pound-feet of torque to the drive wheels. The Compass gives you an estimated 22 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway. It can do 0-60 in 9.1 seconds.
And you can choose a front-wheel drive (FWD) or 4×4 drivetrain.
Top Three Competing Compact SUVs
The following are three competitors of the Jeep Compass that are especially good compact SUV platforms.
1. GMC Terrain
GMC is renowned for its excellent build quality, strong engines, and comfortable rides. The Terrain gives you all three at a relatively bargain price, which makes it a great option and a top competitor for the Jeep Compass. The Terrain is GMC’s effort to make a more budget-friendly compact SUV while retaining the typical GMC build quality.
The Terrain has four doors that enable up to five passengers to climb aboard. A rear liftgate provides you with access to 29.6 cubic feet of cargo space that expands to 63.3 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat. Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that gives you up to 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque.
A nine-speed automatic sends the power to the front drive wheels or all four with an optional all-wheel-drive system. Fuel economy is estimated at 25 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. It will do 0-60 in 9.3 seconds and can tow up to 1,500 pounds.
Its excellent build quality and a very reliable engine help to make the GMC Terrain a terrific alternative to the Jeep Compass. A roomy and comfortable interior holds more cargo than the Compass. The Terrain’s MSRP starts at $27,900.
2. Toyota RAV4
If you want a compact SUV that has good towing capability, the Toyota RAV4 is a great option. It tows nearly double what the Compass can haul and has a very potent and naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder motor that is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and Toyota offers an optional all-wheel-drive system.
The RAV4’s motor produces up to 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It tows up to 3,500 pounds and can do 0-60 in 9.1 seconds. Fuel economy is an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.
The interior is pretty standard for the compact SUV class but with more cargo space than most competitors, including the Compass. Four doors enable up to five passengers to reach their seats. A rear liftgate lets you load up to 37.5 cubic feet of cargo that expands to 69.7 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down.
The RAV4 enjoys Toyota’s typically excellent build quality and comes with a relatively big and potent inline four-cylinder engine. Its towing capability and relatively large cargo capacity enable you to haul much more than you could with the Compass. It also gets better fuel economy than its Jeep competitor.
Pricing starts at $26,525.
3. Honda CR-V
Like virtually all compact SUVs, the 2022 Honda CR-V has four doors and a rear liftgate. It has a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that gives you up to 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) sends the power to a standard front-wheel drive or an optional all-wheel drive.
The CR-V goes 0-60 in 8.7 seconds and gets an estimated 28 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway. The CR-V can tow up to 1,500 pounds and carries between 37.6 cubic feet of cargo up to 75.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat. It seats five in good comfort and benefits from Honda’s legendary mechanical excellence.
The Honda CR-V compares very well with the Jeep Compass, but with better fuel economy and interior cargo space. The base model has a $26,400 MSRP.
Best of the Rest of the Compact SUVs
In addition to the three compact SUVs listed above, the following nine makes and models also are among the top competitors of the Jeep Compass.
4. Ford Escape
A sporty exterior design gives the compact Ford Escape more of a crossover feel while retaining the four-doors-and-rear-liftgate configuration. The base model is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine with options for a 2.0- or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder motor. Depending on the engine chosen, the Escape gives you between 181 and 250 horsepower and between 190 and 280 pound-feet of torque.
Maximum towing ranges from 1,500 up to 3,500 pounds, and it carries between 34.4 and 65.4 cubic feet of cargo. The fuel economy is estimated at 26 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway. The base model starts at $26,010.
5. Kia Sportage
The stylish Kia Sportage offers two engine choices with a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder powering the base model. The motor produces up to 181 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. An optional turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four increases engine power to 240 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.
A six-speed automatic sends the power to either a front-wheel drive or an optional AWD. The Sportage gets an estimated 23 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. The Sportage can tow up to 1,653 pounds and carry 30.7 cubic feet of cargo that expands to 60.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.
The base model comes with an MSRP of $24,090.
6. Subaru Forester
The 2022 Subaru Forester is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces up to 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. A CVT transmission sends the power to the AWD drivetrain. Fuel economy is an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway.
The Forester is rated for between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds of towing capacity. It can carry between 26.9 and 28.9 cubic feet of cargo with the seats up and 69.1 to 74.2 with the seats folded down. The Forester gets an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway. The base price starts at $25,195.
7. Mazda CX-5
The 2022 Mazda CX-5 is a formidable compact SUV that comes with a naturally aspirated, 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that produces up to 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. An optional turbocharger boosts engine power to 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission sends the power to a standard FWD.
An AWD also is available. The CX-5 gets an estimated 24 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. It tows up to 2,000 pounds and holds 30 cubic feet of cargo that expands to 59.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.
MSRP starts at $25,900.
8. Ford Bronco Sport
The Ford Bronco Sport offers your choice between a 1.5-liter three-cylinder or 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Both are turbocharged and get an estimated 25 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway. They produce between 181 to 250 horsepower and between 190 and 277 pound-feet of torque.
An eight-speed automatic delivers engine power to a standard AWD drivetrain. The Bronco Sport can tow between 2,000 to 2,200 pounds and carries between 29.4 and 32.5 cubic feet of cargo with the seats raised and between 60.6 and 65.2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The base Ford Bronco Sport’s MSRP starts at $28,760.
9. Mitsubishi Outlander
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The Subaru Outlander is a rare compact SUV with a third row of seating that enables it to carry up to seven passengers. The Outlander is powered by a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that delivers up to 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. A CVT transmission sends the power to the standard front-wheel drive.
An AWD drivetrain also is available. The Outlander gets an estimated 24 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway. It carries up to 11.7 cubic feet of cargo that expands to up to 79.7 cubic feet with the seats folded.
It tows up to 2,000 pounds. The base model comes with a $26,095 MSRP.
10. Chevrolet Equinox
A turbocharged 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder motor gives the Chevy Equinox up to 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic sends the power to a standard front-wheel drive, but an AWD drivetrain is available. The Equinox is rated for an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway.
The Equinox carries up to 29.9 cubic feet of cargo that expands to 63.9 cubic feet with the rear seats down. It tows up to 1,500 pounds. Pricing starts at $25,800 MSRP for the base model.
11. Hyundai Tucson
A naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine gives the Hyundai Tucson up to 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the standard FWD or an optional AWD drivetrain. The Tucson is rated for 26 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway.
It tows up to 2,000 pounds and carries an impressive 38.7 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up and 80.3 cubic feet with them down. Pricing for the base model starts at $24,950.
12. Nissan Rogue
A new turbocharged 1.5-liter, the three-cylinder motor gives the 2022 Nissan rogue up to 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, which is a significant improvement over its four-cylinder predecessor. It also gets better fuel economy with a combined estimate of 33 mpg. A CVT transmission sends the engine power to a standard FWD.
An optional AWD drivetrain also is available. The Rogue tows up to 1,350 pounds and carries up to 22.9 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up and 61.1 cubic feet with the rear seats down. Pricing for the base model starts at $24,260.
Choose Your Preferred Compact SUV
There are no mysteries to the compact SUV class. As the many great makes and models mentioned above affirm, they have a relatively standardized design. But they can differ greatly in performance and hauling capability.
You just need to set your budget and determine what you need a compact SUV to do. Then you can make a highly informed and smart decision on a great compact SUV like the Jeep Compass or its many excellent competitors.
Sources:
https://www.jeep.com/compass.html
https://www.gmc.com/suvs/terrain
https://www.caranddriver.com/toyota/rav4
https://www.edmunds.com/honda/cr-v/
https://www.ford.com/suvs-crossovers/escape/
https://www.kia.com/us/en/sportage
https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/forester/index.html
https://www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/cx-5
https://www.edmunds.com/ford/bronco-sport/
https://www.mitsubishicars.com/cars-and-suvs/outlander
https://www.caranddriver.com/chevrolet/equinox
https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/tucson
https://www.nissanusa.com/shopping-tools/build-price?models=rogue