The verdict
A struggling compact suv, strong on ownership and held back by performance.
The 2024 Compass is the cheap way into a real Jeep: four-wheel drive is standard on every trim, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless CarPlay comes on the base Sport, and after Jeep's February 2024 price cut the entry sticker fell to $27,495 with stackable bonus and loyalty cash on top. What you give up is the driving: 200 hp and roughly 8.2 seconds to 60 mph through an economy-tuned eight-speed, a raspy engine you hear constantly, and just 27.2 cu ft of cargo behind the back seat when a CR-V holds nearly 40. The bigger caution is safety — IIHS rates the updated moderate-overlap front test Poor and the updated side test Marginal, so there is no Top Safety Pick here — and the 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is the industry floor on a brand that finished last in Consumer Reports' 2024 rankings. Buy it for the standard 4x4 and the discount, or for a Trailhawk that will genuinely go where rivals cannot; look elsewhere if crash scores, quiet, or cargo room are what you are shopping for.
Jump to scoresStrengths
- Four-wheel drive on every single trim
- One of the cheapest ways into a new compact SUV
- Base-trim tech that shames pricier rivals
What holds it back
- Slow, and the transmission makes it feel slower
- Cargo room behind the class
- Crash-test results that undercut the safety gear
Top alternatives
Cars shoppers cross-shop with the Jeep Compass
2.35C+
Hyundai TucsonCompact SUVBetter at: ValueSimilar money buys far more cargo room, a hybrid option, better crash scores and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty against Jeep's 5/60.
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1.71C-
Ford Bronco SportSubcompact SUVBetter at: Off-road valueThe direct rival for the buyer who actually wants the Trailhawk — comparable off-road hardware with more cargo space and a stronger available engine.
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2.56C+
Toyota RAV4Compact SUVBetter at: Long-term ownershipCosts more up front but returns 35+ MPG as a hybrid, tows 3,500 lbs, holds its value, and carries a reliability record the Compass can't approach.
CompareHow it's evolved
10 scored model years · 2017–2026
Subject scores by year
Hover or tap a score to see what moved it versus the year before. A corner mark flags a big swing.
| Year | Performance | Efficiency | Safety | Space | Cost | Reliability | Tech | Use-case | Driving | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 51 | 51 | 39 | 59 | 51 | 61 | 49 | 54 | 53 |
| 2025 | 34 | 55 | 51 | 38 | 63 | 59 | 63 | 49 | 52 | 57 |
| 2024 | 34 | 55 | 51 | 38 | 63 | 59 | 62 | 49 | 51 | 58 |
| 2023 | 34 | 55 | 55 | 38 | 60 | 58 | 61 | 50 | 51 | 58 |
| 2022 | 25 | 47 | 55 | 38 | 63 | 50 | 56 | 48 | 48 | 56 |
| 2021 | 26 | 47 | 40 | 37 | 63 | 52 | 42 | 46 | 47 | 50 |
| 2020 | 26 | 47 | 38 | 41 | 60 | 52 | 40 | 47 | 47 | 51 |
| 2019 | 26 | 47 | 40 | 43 | 62 | 46 | 43 | 47 | 47 | 52 |
| 2018 | 26 | 47 | 39 | 43 | 62 | 40 | 38 | 45 | 45 | 57 |
| 2017 | 26 | 47 | 39 | 40 | 62 | 47 | 44 | 45 | 44 | 55 |
Compare two years
Best fit & conditions
Higher scores mean a better fit for that use case. Learn more about use-case fit →
Subject profile
Detailed scoring by subject
1Performance & PowertrainThe Compass's lowest-graded category.0.26F
The 2024 Compass carries over the single 2.0L turbo introduced for 2023 across the entire US lineup; 200 hp is mid-pack for a compact SUV and well short of segment leaders, landing near the bottom of the 150–550 hp SUV band.
Turbocharging gives the Compass a healthy low-end torque figure for a compact crossover, and it places better relative to segment than its horsepower does.
The two most conservative instrumented figures bracket 8.1–8.3 sec, with one notably quicker outlier; adequate for the class but nowhere near the quick end of the compact-SUV field. No powertrain change from 2023 or to 2025, so the figure is shared across those years.
The 2.0L turbo that replaced the old 2.4L Tigershark for 2023 is a real improvement in flexibility and carries over unchanged for 2024, but reviewers consistently describe it as noisy under acceleration with turbo lag off the line and an intrusive stop-start restart. Mid-band performance for the segment.
The 8-speed torque-converter automatic is a large step up from the outgoing 9-speed and 6-speed units and shifts smoothly, but its economy-biased calibration blunts response and requires deliberate throttle to kick down.
A 2,000-lb rating is typical for a unibody compact crossover but sits near the bottom of the SUV normalization band, which spans up to 8,000 lbs.
Four-wheel drive is standard on every 2024 US Compass — not an option on any trim — and comes with selectable terrain modes plus the low-range-effect Active Drive Low system on Trailhawk. Only the absence of a genuine two-speed transfer case keeps it out of the top band.
The Trail Rated Trailhawk is the most genuinely capable vehicle in the compact-crossover class — extra clearance, underbody protection, a low crawl ratio, and for 2024 proper all-terrain rubber — but it remains a unibody crossover with no locking differential or two-speed transfer case, so it sits in the upper half of the capable-light-duty band rather than with true off-road trims.
One engine, one transmission, one drivetrain — no hybrid, PHEV or EV option and no upgrade engine anywhere in the US range. That is the definition of the take-it-or-leave-it low band.
2Efficiency & RangeMid-pack among this car's ten categories.1.73C-
27 MPG combined is a strong figure for a standard-4WD compact SUV and applies to every 2024 US trim, since all of them share one powertrain and there is no front-drive variant to rate separately.
Turbocharging plus standard engine stop-start keeps city economy respectable for an all-wheel-drive crossover, though hybrid rivals and non-hybrid rivals with front-drive options beat it.
Highway economy is the Compass's best efficiency number — the eight-speed's tall top gears and the turbo four's low-rpm torque work well at a steady cruise.
Good fuel economy is undercut by a small 13.5-gallon tank, so total range lands near the bottom of the 280–600 mi SUV band despite the Compass being efficient — it needs filling more often than larger, thirstier rivals.
Running costs sit modestly better than the middle of the SUV band, helped by 27 MPG combined and by requiring only regular-grade fuel.
Regular 87 octane on a turbocharged engine, with no premium requirement or recommendation and no charging infrastructure to arrange — the cheapest and simplest fuel situation available.
3SafetyGrades below the middle of the scale.1.42D
NHTSA rated the 2024 Compass SUV AWD 4 stars overall — 4 stars frontal (driver and passenger alike), a full 5 stars side (both barrier and pole, front and rear seats), and 3 stars rollover with a 20.4% rollover probability and no tip in the dynamic test. The frontal and rollover results are what hold it a star short of the top.
No IIHS award for 2024. Both small overlap front tests and the original moderate overlap test rate Good, but the updated moderate overlap front test — the one that grades rear-passenger protection — comes back Poor, and the updated side test is Marginal. Poor and Marginal in the two tests IIHS now weights most heavily is bottom-band territory regardless of the older Good results.
The base Sport already carries Forward Collision Warning with active braking and pedestrian detection, Active Lane Management (lane departure warning with corrective steering), Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path detection and a rear camera — a broader standard set than most compact SUVs at this price, since rivals routinely gate blind-spot monitoring behind a trim walk. Adaptive cruise is the one real gap: it is not standard and does not reach the Sport at all.
IIHS rates the Compass only Marginal in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test — one step off the bottom — and it has never been evaluated for nighttime pedestrian detection. An Advanced daytime pedestrian result is the one bright spot and is not enough to lift a Marginal vehicle-to-vehicle score.
Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path detection is standard on every 2024 trim including the Sport, which is better coverage than several compact-SUV rivals that package it. It is alert-only, though — no steering or braking intervention, no safe-exit warning — and the 360-degree camera that would supplement it rides in the optional Driver Assist Group.
Active Lane Management — lane departure warning plus gentle corrective steering on detected drift — is standard on every trim, so the volume buyer gets warning-and-nudge. True sustained lane centering exists only inside Active Driving Assist, which bundles centering with adaptive cruise and driver-attention monitoring on ACC-equipped upper trims. Capable at the top, nudge-only where most Compasses sell.
Full-speed-range Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go exists and pairs with Active Driving Assist for combined lane centering, but neither is standard — the Sport has conventional cruise only, and ACC arrives via the Driver Assist Group or on Limited and above. Competent hardware sitting behind a paywall on the cheap trims lands this mid-band.
No hands-free highway driving system is offered on the 2024 Compass at any trim. Active Driving Assist is a hands-on Level 2 system — it centers the car and monitors driver attentiveness but requires hands on the wheel, and Stellantis had shipped nothing hands-free on this platform for this model year.
IIHS rates the premium LED projector headlamps Good, but those are bundled into upper packages; the standard LED reflector unit on the volume trims rates only Acceptable, and the Sport's lamps rate Marginal. Good is available, just not on the trim most buyers actually take.
The Compass's small backlight and thick rear roof pillars create real over-the-shoulder blind zones that reviewers repeatedly flag, and the standard blind-spot monitor is explicitly the compensation for them. Forward sightlines are fine and the 360-degree camera helps at parking speeds, but it is package content rather than standard equipment.
IIHS rates the Compass's LATCH hardware Marginal for ease of use — the lower anchors sit too deep in the seat bight and are awkward to maneuver around. Two full LATCH sets plus a middle tether anchor cover the basics and the back seat takes two seats comfortably, but three across will not fit and a rear-facing install crowds the front passenger.
4Space & ComfortOne of the Compass's weakest categories.0.48F
Two-row, five-passenger only across Sport, Latitude, Latitude LUX, Limited and Trailhawk — no seven-seat or third-row configuration is offered in the US for 2024.
The upright roofline gives generous front headroom for a compact SUV; the optional dual-pane panoramic sunroof costs 0.6 in.
The manufacturer figure of 41.2 in is short of the 41.5–42.5 in most compact-SUV rivals publish, placing front legroom in the bottom third of the SUV band.
Second-row headroom measures well on paper, though the tapering roofline and high seat base make the back seat feel tighter than 38.5 in suggests.
Rear legroom is a genuine strength of the Compass — competitive with larger compact SUVs and the dimension reviewers most often call out as better than expected.
The Compass is a two-row, five-seat SUV — no third row is available on any 2024 trim or in any package.
27.2 cu ft is respectable against direct compact-SUV rivals but sits near the bottom of an SUV normalization band that spans two-row compacts through three-row full-size SUVs.
Maximum cargo volume of 59.8 cu ft trails most compact-SUV rivals, several of which clear 65–75 cu ft with their rear seats down.
Jeep does provide a height-adjustable cargo load floor, an underfloor tray and four tie-downs as standard, but the cabin itself is the weak point — reviewers single out a small center console and door pockets that will only take small bottles, and there is no household AC outlet or fold-flat front passenger seat.
Front cushions are soft but under-supportive and the head restraints tilt too far forward — a recurring complaint for taller drivers — and on the volume Latitude even the power driver's seat is package content rather than standard.
Reviews split — Edmunds credits the suspension with taking the edge off potholes while noting you feel road imperfections, and Consumer Reports calls the ride overly firm and bouncy; the 18- and 19-inch wheels on upper trims make it worse than the volume Latitude's 17s.
One of the Compass's clearest weaknesses: near-constant engine noise plus significant wind and road noise at freeway speed, compounded by a climate fan reviewers describe as very loud for such a small vehicle.
The content exists but sits behind packages on the trims most buyers take: heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are standard only on Latitude LUX and Limited and are Convenience Group content on the volume Latitude, and dual-zone automatic climate is standard only on Trailhawk and Limited. Ventilated front seats are at least offered for 2024, and rear passengers get standard air vents behind the console.
5Cost of OwnershipThe Compass's best-graded category.2.23C
The 2024 Compass Sport opened the model year at $29,995 including destination, then Jeep cut the whole lineup by roughly $2,500 in February 2024, dropping the entry price to $27,495 — cheap for a compact SUV with four-wheel drive standard rather than optional.
The Sport and Latitude carry the volume of Compass sales, but 2024 is split by the February price cut — a meaningful share of the model year transacted at the higher launch prices — so the representative figure sits above the post-cut Sport sticker and below the Latitude.
CarEdge projects roughly $670/yr of scheduled maintenance through year five (~$3,350) and RepairPal adds about $526/yr of unscheduled repair, which together put the Compass clearly above compact-SUV norms — RepairPal's own comparison shows $526/yr against $429 for a RAV4, $407 for a CR-V and $426 for a Tucson.
Two independent residual estimates bracket the Compass at 56–57% retention, a little below the compact-SUV average and one of the weaker figures inside the Jeep range; the aging second-generation platform is the drag, though the 2024 car's discounted transaction prices soften the dollar loss.
Jeep's 3-year/36,000-mile basic coverage is the industry floor and sits two years behind the 5-year/60,000-mile terms Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi offer against the Compass in the same segment.
Five years/60,000 miles is the bottom of the SUV normalization band and half the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi provide — a real gap for a model whose repair costs run above segment average.
Every 2024 Compass is automatically enrolled in Jeep Wave, which covers two oil changes and two tire rotations in the first 24 months plus 24/7 roadside assistance for the full 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain term, up to $1,000 per occurrence of trip interruption and a no-charge same-day loaner during routine service — genuinely useful perks, but a thinner maintenance allowance than ToyotaCare's 2-year/25,000-mile full schedule or Hyundai's 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance.
$30,500 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (55% retained, or about $16,775) leaves about $13,725 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $20,225 in total.
6Reliability & QualityOne of the Compass's strongest categories.2.00C
Three independent sources put the 2024 Compass at average or a shade better — a genuine improvement over the nameplate's historically poor showing, helped by a clean recall sheet for the model year — but none rate it top-tier, and Jeep's brand-level record keeps a ceiling on the outlook.
Jeep sits in the bottom tier of Consumer Reports' brand rankings and has done so for several consecutive years, finishing dead last in the report card current to this model year. J.D. Power's era-contemporary dependability study is the one bright spot — Jeep landed exactly on the industry average — but it did not hold, and the multi-year picture is bottom-third.
The 2024 model year has a clean federal sheet — zero NHTSA recall campaigns and a modest complaint count roughly two years into service — and the late second-generation years have been far quieter than the generation's early and mid-life years. Held out of the top band because the generation as a whole accumulated substantial recall activity and Stellantis TSB volume runs above Japanese and Korean rivals.
2024 carries over the 2023 powertrain change unaltered: the 2.0L GME-T4 turbo four (200 hp / 221 lb-ft) has been in Stellantis service since 2018 with a mixed record — cracked plastic coolant fittings, premature oil-seal leaks and carbon-fouled wastegate actuators recur, though maintained examples reach high mileage. The eight-speed automatic that replaced the widely criticized ZF nine-speed is a durability improvement rather than a risk, but 2024 is only its second year in this application, so field data is still thin.
The 2022 refresh cabin carries into 2024 unchanged, with soft-touch surfaces on most primary touchpoints and decent switchgear weighting, but reviewers consistently flag thin-feeling plastics, flexing trim panels and unfinished edges in secondary areas — competitive for the price without approaching the class benchmarks.
Assembly on second-generation late-run cars is generally solid and rattle complaints are not a dominant theme in the federal record, but flexing interior trim and Jeep's bottom-of-the-table brand quality standing keep it well out of the top band.
Coverage is a genuine strength — Jeep runs one of the densest franchise networks in the US, so warranty and parts work are reachable almost anywhere. Service satisfaction is the weak half: Jeep does not appear near the top of J.D. Power's mass-market service rankings.
A high-volume nameplate on a widely shared Stellantis small-wide platform means abundant Mopar and aftermarket parts, and measured repair costs come in below the compact-SUV norm with fewer unscheduled shop visits than average.
7Technology & InfotainmentOne of the Compass's strongest categories.2.19C
For 2024 the 10.1-inch Uconnect 5 screen is the only screen offered — there is no smaller base unit anywhere in the lineup, which is better standard content than most compact SUVs at this price.
Uconnect 5 is one of the better mainstream systems — quick, logically laid out, with user profiles and physical climate knobs retained — but reviewers criticize where Jeep put the surrounding hardware controls.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2024 trim including the base Sport — a genuinely class-competitive position, since several rivals still charge for wireless projection or reserve it for upper trims.
Uconnect 5 handles media, climate and destination commands competently and 2024 offers Alexa Built-In, but both the natural-language assistant and native GPS navigation ride inside the Uconnect 5 NAV upgrade rather than being standard on the volume trim.
A six-speaker system is standard everywhere and is adequate rather than good; the nine-speaker Alpine setup with subwoofer is a real step up and is available on all four trims above Sport, but only bundled with a sunroof in the Sun and Sound Group.
A 7-inch colour driver information display flanked by analog dials is the standard fitment on every trim; the crisp 10.25-inch frameless full-digital TFT cluster is real and one of the largest in the class, but it is buried in the top Elite/High Altitude packages rather than being available on the volume trim.
Uconnect 5 receives over-the-air radio software and map updates through the connected-services subscription, but this is infotainment-scope updating — no powertrain, chassis or ADAS software arrives over the air, and no OTA update has added a vehicle feature.
The Uconnect/Jeep app covers remote lock-unlock, vehicle locate, vehicle health and SOS, but remote start is package hardware on the volume Latitude rather than standard, the useful service tiers are subscription-gated after the trial, and there is no phone-as-key.
Front-row USB-A and USB-C are standard on every trim, but the standard second-row provision is USB-A charge-only — USB-C in row two is package content — and wireless charging is likewise optional. Two 12-volt outlets and no household AC outlet round out a merely adequate showing.
Push-button start is standard across the range and Latitude and above get passive entry, but remote start and the hands-free power liftgate are both package content on the volume trim, and no 2024 Compass offers phone-as-key.
A rear camera with active grid lines is standard on every trim, rear park sensors are standard on Trailhawk and Limited, and Jeep offers both a 360-degree surround-view camera and automated parallel/perpendicular park assist — strong availability, but the good stuff sits in optional groups rather than on the volume trim.
No head-up display is offered on any 2024 Compass trim or in any package.
8Use-Case FitOne of the Compass's weakest categories.1.28D
Good rear legroom and a usefully square 27.2 cu ft hold make daily kid duty workable, but IIHS rates the LATCH hardware only Marginal — the lower anchors sit too deep in the seat bight — and the low, squat door openings make loading a child seat awkward.
Standard ADAS content is unusually broad for the price — even the Sport gets AEB with pedestrian/cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring and lane management — but the underlying crash results undercut it: IIHS rates the updated moderate-overlap front test Poor and the updated side test Marginal, and NHTSA gives four stars overall.
Second-row space is fine and cargo swallows a family's bags, but a noisy cabin, a firm ride, USB-A-only power in row two and the absence of any rear climate control or entertainment provision blunt long-haul comfort with the car full.
The compact footprint and light controls help in traffic, but the 2.0T/8-speed calibration is the weak link — the transmission is eager to upshift and lazy to kick down, which makes the car feel down on power in real-world driving, and the brakes are grabby at low speed.
27 MPG combined on regular fuel is acceptable but unremarkable now that most compact-SUV rivals field a 38–40 MPG hybrid; there was no electrified Compass in the US for 2024, so running costs sit above the segment average.
A 173.4-inch footprint and a tight 36.3-ft turning circle suit city use, and a rear camera is standard on every trim, but thick rear pillars and a small backlight leave drivers leaning on the cameras — and park sensors are standard only on the two top trims.
A 2,000-lb maximum tow rating, 200 hp and 59.8 cu ft of maximum cargo make the Compass a light-duty hauler at best — enough for a small utility trailer or a couple of dirt bikes, nothing that counts as a work tool.
2024 is a better-than-usual year for the nameplate — a clean federal recall sheet and roughly average predicted reliability — but Jeep sits at the bottom of the brand reliability tables and the cabin is built to a price, with no fleet-oriented variant or wear-friendly interior option beyond a reversible carpet/vinyl cargo mat.
Four cargo tie-downs, a height-adjustable load floor, an underfloor tray and standard roof rails from Latitude up cover light gear duty, but there is no household AC outlet, no bed, and the Mopar upfit ecosystem stops at racks, hitches and liners.
A 13.5-gallon tank yields only about 364 miles of combined range, and the noisy cabin plus under-supportive front seats work against seat endurance; adaptive cruise with Stop and Go and the Active Driving Assist lane-centering system both exist but are package content on upper trims only.
This is the Compass's strongest use case and 2024 improved it: 4x4 and Selec-Terrain are standard on every trim, and the Trailhawk pairs Active Drive Low's 20:1 crawl ratio, a one-inch lift, skid plates and 19 inches of fording with proper all-terrain tires that were new for this model year.
A 60/40 folding bench, standard roof rails, a height-adjustable load floor with an underfloor tray and an available 2,000-lb hitch cover normal gear duty, but 59.8 cu ft maximum and a narrow-ish 38.1-in span between wheelhouses limit bulky loads against compact-SUV rivals.
9Driving ExperienceGrades below the middle of the scale.1.45D
Secure and predictable in a straight line, but the comfort-biased strut suspension gives up plenty of body roll and reviewers agree the Compass rarely feels settled through a corner.
The electric rack is reasonably quick and light enough to make parking easy, but it is short on genuine feedback — adequate rather than engaging, and numb by the standards of the class leaders.
Vented front and solid rear discs with an electric park brake are competent hardware, but the pedal is grabby at low speed and the instrumented 60-0 stop was longer than expected for a compact SUV on all-season tires.
The 2.0T paired with the 8F30 automatic is the weakest part of driving the Compass: economy-biased shift calibration blunts response, downshifts arrive late, and the standard engine stop-start restarts roughly.
The turbo four is raspy and essentially always audible; it is noise rather than vibration that marks the Compass down, and it intrudes at light throttle as well as under load.
A tight turning diameter for the class and one of the Compass's real everyday assets; the Trail Rated Trailhawk is tighter still at 35.3 ft.
An upright, commanding seating position with generous front headroom and retained physical climate knobs, undercut by scattered control placement, forward-tilting head restraints, awkward door openings and a power driver's seat that is package content on the volume Latitude.
Capability off pavement is the Compass's character; on road it is a soft, noisy, slightly clumsy appliance, and no reviewer recommends it for driving pleasure.
10Value & Market PositionMid-pack among this car's ten categories.1.87C-
Even the base 2024 Sport includes four-wheel drive — a $1,400–$1,600 option on nearly every compact-SUV rival — plus the 200-hp 2.0L turbo, a 10.1-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a full standard driver-assist suite (forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure steering assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert). Heated seats, a heated wheel and remote start were still trim-locked for 2024 (they became standard on the Latitude only for 2025), and adaptive cruise remains optional, which keeps it out of the top band.
Standard 4x4 and 200 hp is a real pitch, and the February 2024 price cut of about $2,500 improved it mid-year — but for most of the model year the Sport listed near $30,000 and the Latitude above $34,000, while the Compass returns only 27 MPG combined from its single turbo four with no hybrid option. Cross-shopped hybrids at similar transaction prices deliver 35–40 MPG with more cargo room and better refinement, so the content-per-dollar case is fair rather than strong.
Five trims — Sport, Latitude, Latitude Lux, Limited and Trailhawk — span roughly $8,000 post-cut, and the Trail Rated Trailhawk is a genuine hardware step rather than an appearance package. But 2024 deleted the Altitude, High Altitude and (RED) trims, and there is exactly one engine, one transmission and one drivetrain across the range with no FWD, hybrid or PHEV option, so all the breadth is in trim rather than mechanical configuration.
Calendar 2024 was the second generation's high-water mark: about 111,700 US sales, up 16% year over year and the third straight year of double-digit growth, achieved while Jeep brand volume overall was falling. That is a solid six-figure mid-pack result in a very crowded segment — far behind RAV4 (~475k) and CR-V (~400k), but ahead of most of the rest of the Jeep range.
Jeep still carries one of the strongest off-road halos in the industry, and standard 4x4 plus a Trail Rated Trailhawk let the Compass trade on it more credibly than most compact crossovers — but the Compass sits at the soft end of the badge, and Stellantis' slide in quality and customer-satisfaction rankings through 2024 thinned the premium the name once commanded.
The 2024 Compass was one of the easiest compact SUVs in the market to buy well under sticker: Jeep cut MSRPs across the lineup by about $2,500 in February 2024 in response to slow-moving inventory, then stacked bonus cash, loyalty cash and subvented financing on top of the lower price. Scored for buyer benefit, which is high, even though the underlying cause is a late-cycle model needing help to move.
2024 is the eighth model year of the MP/552 second generation that launched for 2017. The 2022 interior and Uconnect 5 update and the 2023 switch to the 2.0L turbo are the last substantive changes; 2024 itself is a carry-over year whose only updates are a new grille insert, new wheel designs and new Trailhawk all-terrain tires. The replacement was still years out for US buyers, so there is little imminent-redesign risk but also no current platform tech.
Professional reviewers place the 2024 Compass in the lower half of the compact-SUV field — Edmunds' tested expert rating is 6.6/10 and KBB's expert rating 3.9/5, with the recurring criticisms being a stiff ride on pavement and cargo capacity behind the class — and it holds no NACTOY, Car and Driver 10Best, MotorTrend SUV of the Year or IIHS Top Safety Pick recognition. Owner sentiment is markedly warmer than the professional verdicts, which lifts aggregate scores such as U.S. News' 7.8/10.
