The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Price keeps dropping
- Neat styling
- Decent power
- Great infotainment
Dislikes
- Offensively expensive options
- Some safety concerns
- Not super spacious inside
- Average mpg
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Jeep Compass can be a decent value if you’re careful with options.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Jeep Compass? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Jeep Compass is a subcomapct SUV with standard all-wheel drive. Shop it against the VW Taos, Subaru Crosstrek, and Ford Bronco Sport.
Is the 2025 Jeep Compass a good SUV?
While not the best in its segment, the Compass has personality and performance, plus a great infotainment system. It’s let down by some safety score concerns and eye-wateringly expensive options. It’s a 5.8 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Jeep Compass?
Lower prices compared to the beginning of the 2024 model year help the 2025 Compass seem like a better value than before. This has been something of a trend for the Compass over the last few years; back in 2023, the Latitude trim level cost $34,000. Today, it’s less than $30,000, with minimal changes to its feature set.
That makes the Compass a more appealing SUV than before, though we already liked its pert, mini-Grand Cherokee styling and well-organized interior.
With 200 hp from its fairly large 2.0-liter turbo-4, the Compass has decent power. It’s pretty heavy, but the smart-shifting 8-speed automatic does its best to keep the engine in its power band. While the Compass has a clunky ride, particularly with larger wheel options, it is nimble and has good steering heft. Trailhawk versions have decent four-wheeling ability thanks to a slightly taller suspension and additional drive modes, plus a simulated low range useful for slow-speed plugging.
The Compass is estimated to deliver 27 mpg combined, which is decent given its power output and standard all-wheel drive.
While not particularly spacious inside, the 2025 Compass benefits from nice materials and a generally attractive design. For a hefty price, you can add such niceties as soft leather, heated and cooled front seats, and driver-seat memory, but you can’t pay for more rear-seat legroom. It’s tight back there. The 27 cubic-foot cargo area is definitely on the trim side, too.
The Compass comes with a typical level of driver-assistance tech, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors. Adaptive cruise control is available, albeit bundled in pricey packages.
A four-star rating from the NHTSA is countered by mostly “Good” scores from the IIHS, though that agency noted a concerning “Marginal” score for the automatic emergency braking system.
How much does the 2025 Jeep Compass cost?
The base Compass starts at $27,495, which isn’t too bad given it comes with decent crash-avoidance tech and an 8.4-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Watch those options closely, though, as it’s not hard to pass $40,000. At that point, Jeep’s own Grand Cherokee offers a far better experience.
Where is the 2025 Jeep Compass made?
In Mexico.
2025 Jeep Compass Styling
The Jeep Compass has nice mini-Jeep styling features.
Is the Jeep Compass a good-looking SUV?
It’s nice enough inside and out to score a 7 on the TCC scale. We rather like the 2025 Jeep Compass’ small proportions and nice detailing. It looks a lot like a scaled-down version of the last-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee with its broad grille, bird-like headlights, and chunky fender flares. Trailhawk versions have unpainted plastic and bright red tow hooks, which gives them a rugged appearance. The dressiest models have big 19-inch wheels, which give the Compass something of a Hot Wheels look. They’re a bit much.
If there’s a styling detail we don’t like, it’s the huge rearmost roof pillar, which is just too lumpy looking.
Inside, the Compass has a purposeful, modern cabin, albeit one with few color options. You’d better like black cloth, synthetic leather, or real leather. Both the standard 8.4-inch and available 10.1-inch touchscreens sit up high above a sliver of climate control vents. A handful of climate buttons and audio knobs sit below, and they give way to a simple center console with a drive mode switch. There’s not much excess going on here, but the overall look is convenient and pleasant enough.
2025 Jeep Compass Performance
The 2025 Jeep Compass is quick for a small SUV.
The 2025 Jeep Compass is among the most powerful small SUVs, though it’s also somewhat heavy. It’s a 6 on our scale for its decent acceleration.
Is the Jeep Compass 4WD?
Yes, all-wheel drive comes standard.
The Compass Trailhawk offers impressive utility with a simulated low-range gear, additional off-road drive modes, and a higher ride height. It’s no rock-crawler, but it’s definitely more off-road ready than the rest of the lineup.
How fast is the Jeep Compass?
It’s pretty peppy. The Compass has 200 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque from a big-for-the-segment 2.0-liter turbo-4, which is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This is a fairly refined combination that delivers decent scoot for highway passing confidence. We much prefer the 8-speed automatic here to the 9-speed automatic used in Jeep’s smaller Renegade. It’s a smooth, predictable unit.
If only we could say the same for the way the Comapss rides. It’s stiff but not sporty, resulting in a somewhat clunky and busy feel compared to setups with better damping like the Subaru Crosstrek and Kia Seltos. The Compass rides best with its smallest wheel and tire setup, so we strongly recommend skipping the available 18- or 19-inch wheels.
The thick-rimmed steering wheel is connected to a system with decent heft and quick responses, which gives the Compass a fairly nimble feel despite its curb weight. A well-equipped model will check in around 3,900 pounds, or about 500 pounds more than a Subaru Crosstrek.
2025 Jeep Compass Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Jeep Compass is a tight fit inside.
Most rivals offer more passenger and cargo space for the price than the Jeep Compass. This model gets a point above average for being able to haul more cargo than a sedan with a similar footprint. It’s a 6 on the TCC scale.
The front seats are fine, but nothing special. Power adjustment, heating, and cooling are available for the front seats, as is memory for the driver’s seat. The rear seats allegedly have 38.3 inches of legroom, but we’ve sat back there and wonder just where Jeep found those extra inches. It’s a tight fit made worse by very narrow door openings.
The cargo area offers a small-for-the-class 27.2 cubic feet behind the second row, which pretty much doubles when the rear seatbacks are down.
The cabin has nice materials for the money, however. Soft-touch plastics and nice leather make the Compass almost feel worth its high price tag in top trim levels.
2025 Jeep Compass Safety
The 2025 Jeep Compass is no safety superstar.
How safe is the Jeep Compass?
While the Compass has done fairly well in testing by the IIHS, its four-star overall rating from the NHTSA is worrisome. It winds up at just 5 here thanks to its standard automatic emergency braking system that can detect pedestrians. Our safety score is based on the 2024 model since the IIHS has yet to test the 2025 Compass.
The Compass comes with a driver-attention monitor, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors, while adaptive cruise control is available. Note that the IIHS issued a somewhat rare “Marginal” for the automatic emergency braking system, which struggled to detect motorcycles in its testing.
2025 Jeep Compass Features
The Compass can be a decent buy in its lower trims, but its price climbs far too fast.
The 2025 Jeep Compass is a slightly better buy than it used to be since Jeep has ratched its price of entry downward. It’s still a bit pricey against its rivals, though it counters with decent equipment. The 2025 Compass nets a 7 thanks to its good infotainment system and standard crash-avoidance equipment.
The base Sport trim starts at $27,495 including a hefty $1,595 destination charge. That money buys 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth upholstery, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a somewhat frustrating remote keyless entry/pushbutton start setup.
While the price tag has gone down over the last couple of years, some of the Compass’ options are shockingly expensive. For instance, Jeep wants $1,575 for a trailer hitch and wiring harness, a pair of features that may cost less than $500 on some competitors. And the $3,275 it charges for a panoramic sunroof and Alpine audio system is similarly eye-opening.
The Compass is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty, and Jeep will pick up the tab for the first two oil changes and tire rotations.
Which Jeep Compass should I buy?
The step-up Latitude runs $2,300 or so more and it adds combination leather/cloth upholstery and proximity keyless entry, plus it’s the gateway to such nice features as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate, adaptive cruise control, and a surround-view camera system. Adding those features can push the price tag north of $35,000, though.
How much is a fully loaded Jeep Compass?
Both the Limited and the Trailhawk start at around $34,000. Add leather seats, a hands-free power tailgate, a 10.1-inch touchscreen, navigation, automatic parking, a big sunroof, Alpine audio, and a few other items, and it’s possible to wind up with a $45,000 version of either small SUV.
2025 Jeep Compass Fuel Economy
The 2025 Jeep Compass has decent fuel-economy estimates.
Is the Jeep Compass good on gas?
It can be. The Jeep Compass was estimated at 24 mpg city, 32 highway, 27 combined in the EPA test for the 2024 model year. That’s not bad for a small SUV with this much power and standard all-wheel drive. We’ll update this space when we know its estimates for 2025.
The Compass uses regular unleaded fuel. Its small 13.5-gallon tank will likely mean lots of fill-ups, though.
