Exterior

The Compass simply looks like the child of a Liberty and a Grand Cherokee. From the front, it most resembles the Liberty, while the rear bears Grand Cherokee-style taillights. However, the side has creased fender bulges that recall the Dodge Dakota pickup. Is it possible the Dakota delivers the mail to the Jeep household? Just a thought....

In this sea of look-alike crossover vehicles, what distinguishes the Compass — or at least the Limited trim level — is aluminum-look trim on the exterior. It's anchored by a rear-bumper overlay that's debossed with the Compass name. A similar panel is on the front bumper, minus the name. The doors have matching moldings that dress up a deliberate accent groove.

Even on the Limited, the side mirrors and door handles are black rather than body-colored. The standard wheels are 17-inch aluminum; the Limited has 18-inch aluminum wheels, which are an option on the lower trim level. The Limited's also come in chrome.

    See also:

    Active Head Restraints — Front Seats
    Active Head Restraints are passive, deployable components, and vehicles with this equipment cannot be readily identified by any markings, only through visual inspection of the head restraint. Th ...

    Cargo
    The Compass boasts a hard-floor cargo area as a plus. Personally I prefer carpet back there, mainly because my dog — a boxer — hates standing on the slick plastic when the back seats are flipp ...

    Rear Center Lap/Shoulder Belt Retractor Lockout — Four-Door Models Only
    This feature is designed to lock the retractor whenever the 60% rear seatback is not fully latched. This prevents someone from wearing the rear center lap/shoulder belt when the rear seatback is n ...