2020 Jeep Cherokee vs Compass: Which One Is Better?
Jeep, eager to be voted Most Popular SUV, brought the Compass into their lineup. However, is it too similar to the Cherokee?
When reading that SUVs are dominating the tops of sales charts across manufacturers, most of us are no longer surprised. Companies that have never had an SUV in their lineups now have them to keep relevant – some of them good, some of them bad. Though, what is surprising is when a company brings along a new model to sell to a growing market when they already have a car that sells well. For instance, the Jeep Cherokee, a veteran in the Jeep SUV market and never a bad seller, has a newly redesigned sibling: the Compass. However, from looking at the two head on, they look more like twins. Which begs the question: which one is the better one if they’re so strikingly similar?
Dan Ilika, a Road Test Editor for AutoTrader Canada, aims to answer that question. Now, the Jeep Compass first became available for purchase in 2007. When it first come out, though, the design was more like a Wrangler and a Cherokee did some inbreeding. That’s not to poke fun at Jeep, but it’s just to point out that design was unique. Looking at the 2020 Compass next to the Cherokee, though? From far away and a first glance, they appear to be the same car. As Ilika says, though, after spending some time with each one, they’re both shockingly different. Let’s dig in.
Features & Price
As Ilika first points out, the Cherokee is the bigger and more expensive of the two. The base model FWD Cherokee would cost around $33,000 in Canadian currency whereas a base model Compass costs around $27,000. Additionally, the Cherokee comes with either a 2.0 turbo inline four or a 3.2-liter V6, while the Compass only comes with a 2.4 inline four. To make matters more confusing, the Compass comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission as opposed to an automatic as standard. For the Cherokee, a manual transmission isn’t even an option, while 4WD is. Odd.
One thing he’s quick to point out too is the fact that the Cherokee comes in a lot more flavors than the Compass. The version Ilika drives in the video is the High Altitude version, which would cost Canadians around $51,000. Granted, that’s with the trove of features that are optional to buyers, like lane keep assist and a panoramic sunroof. Or a self-parking system, which isn’t available in the Compass. While it helps explain the price tag, it still doesn’t justify it just yet. Especially when some SUVs of this stature have those features for a lot less.
“That is no small sum of money, and definitely a big pill to swallow,” notes Ilika. “Especially in comparison to other vehicles in this segment that tend to cost in the mid forty-thousand dollar range.”
Though, Ilika theorizes the price is semi-justified in the ride. While it’s not as soft and smooth like the Grand Cherokee, he deems it similar enough to call it the “Baby Grand.”
“It has a real weightiness to it, it feels premium,” says Ilika. “It drives almost like a Mercedes Benz in the way it cruises down the road. There’s a heft to it that gives it a good ride and handling.”
Also comparable to the likes of BMW and Mercedes is in the interior space and design. While the Cherokee isn’t marketed as a luxury feel, the way the interior makes the driver feel challenges that. Though, he does step back from the luxurious idea when the buttons and infotainment center are concerned. For example, this year’s Cherokee comes with delicious creature comforts like heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and ventilated seats. As cool as the features are, there aren’t any buttons among the other cheap looking buttons to activate the heated steering wheel or seats. Which means a driver would need to navigate the touch screen to do that. And, if there isn’t a passenger to do that, could throw safety into question.
Interestingly enough, though, Ilika finds himself partial to the interior of the Compass. While he does acknowledge the presence of glossy black plastic as compared to the black, smooth leather in the Cherokee, it seems a lot more refined and aesthetically pleasing. The Cherokee is also a lot wider than the Compass, so there’s more space for a bigger center console and more space between the driver and the passenger. With the Compass being more narrow, it means the center console is small and space is a little more limited, but Ilika still prefers being inside the Compass. Even without a sunroof. Most importantly, Ilika also feels like the visibility in the Compass is also the better of the two.
Jeep Tech-Talk & Dimensions
As previously mentioned, the Cherokee comes with two different engine options: the V6 or the turbo four, while the Compass is available with the four-cylinder engine only. Though, for some Jeep enthusiast the deciding factor would come down to the transmission options. The base model Compass has the option for a six-speed manual. Though, the higher a potential goes on the options list, only Jeep’s six-speed auto is available. While the Cherokee is advertised to have a fairly high towing limit, Ilika is wary about using the turbo four motor to tow. That’s not because there’s a shortage of power – 270 hp and 295 lbs-ft. of torque – but that means that four-cylinder would have to tow what’s behind it, as well as the car’s own weight. Which is a little over 4,200 lbs.
Moreover, the High Altitude Cherokee that Ilika tested did come with 4WD, though when the car’s many computers detect that the car is riding smoothly, a majority of the power is transferred to the front. Making it mostly FWD until the computer decodes 4WD is necessary, or if the driver manually engages it. In a Compass, should the driver opt for the 4WD configuration, it would operate the same.
Despite the Cherokee being 10 inches longer than the Compass from bumper to bumper, Ilika says that the Compass is actually the roomier of the two. Even when the back seats are folded down in the Cherokee, the Compass still winds up with the higher numbers. While the numbers aren’t that much different, it’s something Ilika advises a buyer to take into account if cargo carrying is something that would be a semi-regular thing. Also, Ilika was surprised to find that he was a lot more comfortable in the back of the Compass instead of the Cherokee with no changes to the driver seat’s position.
Verdict
Overall, Ilika didn’t have any staggering problems with either vehicle, though it was made obvious that Jeep designed the two similar vehicles for two very different audiences. The Cherokee is bigger, wider, has more engine options, a more luxurious interior, and more features than the Compass. However, it can cost a lot more than most vehicles in the same class depending on how many features a consumer chooses to add to the vehicle. Even though the Cherokee and the Compass Ilika tested had the same nine-speed automatic transmission, the one that was in the Compass felt a lot more confident and didn’t short shift once, while the Cherokee did many times.
Whereas the Compass was smaller and more narrow, the cargo and interior space was more accommodating than the larger Cherokee. The interior, though obviously more budget-friendly for FCA, was a lot more stylish for Ilika. Though the lack of creature comfort features (like a sunroof, ventilated seats and a self-parking system) was left out of the Compass recipe, it still can be more expensive for SUVs of the same caliber. With that, a major downside is that the Compass only comes with the 2.4 liter inline four, and not the turbo inline 4. That, Ilika says, would have made a huge difference for the car – especially since the transmission was a lot more responsive.
In all, the Cherokee seems to appeal more toward a crowd that doesn’t mind paying a hefty price to say they have a Jeep. It’s capable, it’s roomy and it’s large with a lot of fancy features – but there are a lot more vehicles a person could buy with the same money. Whereas the Compass is still a bit pricey, but it’s basically a smaller (and somehow roomier) Cherokee. To put it simply, a person simply need to look at it this way: with a Compass, you sacrifice engine choices, interior space and design quality, a sunroof, and self-parking. With a Cherokee, you’re sacrificing cargo space, and a better quality transmission.
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