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CNET editors' take
- Reviewed on: 04/08/2009
The 2009 Jeep Compass is available with a cabin tech package that we've come to love: Chrysler's UConnect system. With hard-drive-based navigation and media storage, there's a lot to like about the UConnect suite.
However, even the option of UConnect doesn't do much to overcome the bad first impression made by the Compass' chintzy interior and poor performance.
On the road
Our Compass was fitted with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (172 horsepower, 165 pound-feet of torque), which is the larger of the two engines available. On the road, the Compass felt seriously underpowered, its engine wheezing and whining as the vehicle lethargically made its way up hills. At highway speeds, mashing the accelerator or slapping the Autostick shifter caused the continuously variable transmission (CVT) to select a lower virtual gear and make considerably more mechanical noise, but actual acceleration was all but absent.
Odd whistling and rattling coming from the engine bay with only 4,000 miles on the odometer had us questioning the Jeep's build quality.
Being a 4x4 model, our Compass was equipped with Jeep's electromagnetically controlled Freedom-Drive I full-time four-wheel-drive system. During highway driving, the system sends nearly 100 percent of available torque to the front axle in a bid to boost stability and fuel economy. When things get slippery, the system is capable of instantly transferring torque to the rear wheels if necessary.
If a lack of power wasn't enough to discourage spirited driving in the Compass, the suspension is also ill suited for all but the most leisurely driving patterns. While the sloppy suspension and uncommunicative steering don't give the driver any valuable information about the vehicle's grip, they do transmit quite a bit of noise and harshness into the cabin. Hitting a bump midturn unsettles the suspension, making handling unpredictable, even with the 4x4 system.
The Compass severely needs a larger engine option (or perhaps better gearing of the CVT), but, unfortunately, the only other engine option available is a smaller 2-liter power plant that makes even less power (158 horsepower, 141 pound-feet of torque). This smaller engine is only available in the 4x2 configuration.
Our 4x4 Compass with the 2.4-liter engine is EPA rated for 21 city/24 highway mpg. Stepping down to the less powerful 2-liter 4x2 configuration will push the Compass to 23 city/27 highway mpg. The thriftiest Compass configuration is the 2.4-liter engine paired with a 4x2 manual transmission, which nets 23 city/28 highway and causes us to question why Jeep even offers a 2-liter configuration.
In the cabin
Jeep/Chrysler's UConnect suite of cabin tech is available on the Compass. UConnect tunes and studios add a 30GB hard drive for digital-media storage and Sirius satellite radio, respectively. UConnect nav brings GPS navigation with traffic data supplied by the system's Sirius integration, and UConnect phone adds Bluetooth hands-free calling to the mix. As the newcomer to the suite, UConnect web adds a 3G wireless connection and an Autonet router for rolling Wi-Fi access. UConnect web and studios are subscription-based services.
