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New Consumer Reports in the mail!

9K views 41 replies 13 participants last post by  Chris Jacobs 
#1 ·
And they panned the Jeep Compass...
I was choosing between the Forester and the Compass, as I could find them with almost equal price. My wife and I decided on the Jeep since it seemed to be higher (although it wasn't rated as high) and seemed to be more SUV for the money.

I guess according to consumer reports I'm wrong!... In the compact SUV category they rated the Subaru forester 2.5i Premium the best #1 (with a score of 84) and the Jeep Compass Latitude dead last (with a score of 50). Also for some reason they list the Subaru forester as 27 k and the Compass as 30k.

The paragraph blurb about the compass:

"The Compass, which slots above the REengade and below the Cherokee, is not competitive with its peers. Power comes from a 180-hp 2.4 L four-cylinder, an engine we found to be unrefined and sluggish. Most versions have the nine-speed automatic, which is neither smooth nor responsive. Handling isn't agile although the Jeep is secure when pushed. The ride is rather stiff and jittery. The rear seat is too low and flat. The optional 8.4 inch Uconnect infotainment system is excellent. Available safety features include forward-collision warming, lane-departure warning and blind-spot warning. The Trailhawk is designed to look more off-road-ready, but the Compass is not intended for such demanding conditions. Overall, other than the allure of the Jeep brand, the Compass trails the competition in several important metrics. " - Consumer Reports April 2018

Reliability (Poor) Satisfaction (neutral) Road-test score 56, MPG 24 Overall score 50



Why does it seem like they have it out for Jeep (or any FCA) brand? We test drove the subaru and it didn't even seem to be in the same class as the Jeep. What are these guys smokin'?
 
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#2 ·
I've owned my Compass for almost a week, and I truly love it. (My wife bought one the same day and she loves hers too!) I've seen some of the beatings that they've got by the automotive world (I did quite a bit of research before we bought the pair) and I'm not sure what the bad rap is about. For what it is, it's a nice compact SUV. Not the fastest or most luxurious, not the roomiest. But it's NOT a Grand Cherokee, and doesn't claim to be.
If a Subaru is a "better" choice, guess I screwed myself x2. Lol
We are loving our mini-Jeeps, and after reading actual CUSTOMER/OWNER reviews and driving the Compass, I believe we did well.
 
#3 ·
I am no longer impressed with Consumer Reports and I feel like they have became the same type whores as others that claim to be reporting on the automotive industry.

We started off looking at the Subaru Forester as well and yes they are a nice station wagon. We at some point went to the same Jeep dealership we bought our Trailhawk from just to look at the space available in the new Compass then walked away deciding it did not have enough cargo room for our needs.

We were also still somewhat dazzled by the videos of Subaru's AWD. I wanted a manual subaru 2.5i forester premium. We found out quickly that we would have to order it then wait forever to get it. I looked into their CVT transmission and decided I wanted nothing to do with it. Then I discovered all those neat videos were Automatics which get a much better AWD systems than the manuals get. In fact a Subaru with a manual trans would fail all those fancy roller test just like their "Competition" does. But note they don't put Jeeps up against them.

Somehow we started looking back at the Compass it has a nicer look inside and out. It has more creature comfort and you get more for your money. Then to boot you get a real 4wd system that performs equally well regardless of transmission choice. But then I decided to test drive one and was surprised. It was not what all the reviews had lead me to believe. It was not dangerously slow and would easily out run a Forester with the CVT trans. The 9 speed was smooth and while taking it a moment to get into the right gear now and then was still better than that CVT in the Subaru. I quickly changed my mind and decided the Compass was my new favorite. As for the cargo space we found ways to deal with that. The Jeep compass hands down beats both the Subaru Crosstrek and theForester.

Yes Jeep has had some reliability issues but Subaru has had issues that were ignored by most of the automotive reporting agencies. Over 10 years of head gasket issues that spending another 10 bucks for the gaskets would have fixed. Around 3 years worth of cars that burned huge amounts of oil. Then the whole CVT transmission issue. All vehicles have some sort of issue or something that is problematic. If they are going to hold Jeeps issues past and present against it should they not do the same for every vehicle they review.

Now let's get real what is driving these people so nuts on the new Jeeps the Compass,Renegade and Cherokee. Well the fact is these vehicles when equipped with 4wd have no direct competition They are in their own market class. These are true Rugged off road capable small SUVs. If you looking for a little cute ute that can handle some snow and a dusty road here and there one could pick a better SUV that gets a bit better MPG.

If your looking for something that can handle worse driving conditions and take one some fairly rough terrain for around 30k there is nothing else out there and the Trailhawk trims are unbeatable. If you want something that meets or beats these little Jeep's capability your going to have to bump up your budget another 10-15k minimal. This is driving some people to nit pick that these Jeeps are not as fast as some of the other little SUVs,don't have the same room as others or get less MPGs than others. Yes it is all true. Some are faster,some have more room in them,and others get better MPGs. But after spending 11 days in our Compass Trailhawk both on the road and off the road my wife and I know none of the other little SUVs would have made us as happy. Now with snow in our forecast we can't wait to see how it does in the white stuff.

I did not use CR at all to inform me what they wanted me to buy. We did our homework we hit the forums and we talked to real owners. We talked with the service people and learned about the things to look out for. The only thing now is to keep driving it and hope it holds up well and that would have been the same concern had we bought a Subaru,Mazda,Chevy, Ford,Land Rover or anything else!

So whatever they are smoking let them have at it and let us continue to enjoy our Jeeps!!!!
 
#4 ·
It was not dangerously slow and would easily out run a Forester with the CVT trans.

Yeah this I don't get where they come up with the Jeep being underpowered. I thought the Subaru was slower after having both with my family of 4 in them. (I only test drove manual transmissions). But even when you look at the numbers, the jeep has 10 more hp and 1 more torque. It's only 5 lbs heavier on curb weight so it still winds up with a greater power to weight ratio. No mention in the subaru forester of it being slow, they call it responsive!

I too have had three subarus (all legacy) over the years and not only going through engines and transmissions but I've had to replace a catalytic converter out of warranty and it was almost 4 grand, and I ate through tires. I just think that people who own subarus are inherently less likely to say anything bad about them, and despite having to make repairs will check off that they're super reliable. Some type of reverse-buyers remorse, like buyer's denial or something.

I didn't use consumer reports to make my decision either. I just think something is fishy with the way they review. I wouldn't be surprised if you went to Consumer REports headquarters and they're all getting into subarus!
 
#5 ·
They are a rag that rates appliances. This is why vehicles that have all the character, charisma, and enjoyment of a refrigerator rank the highest. Admittedly, Subaru would very likely prove to be more reliable, BUT....... they ruined their own rating system years ago by admitting that there was little difference between the best and worst rated in their surveys - something like a few percentage points. So, their rag isn't worth using as lining for a birdcage. My "unrefined, unresponsive, and sluggish" engine seems to be plenty smooth, shifts right at the point when I would think it was a good idea to do so, and keeps up with traffic just fine. Buy the one you and your wife like, and throw that stupid magazine in the recycle bin where it belongs.
 
#6 · (Edited)
they ruined their own rating system years ago by admitting that there was little difference between the best and worst rated in their surveys - something like a few percentage points.
I never heard of this? My father is the one who actually buys me the subscription. He believes CR is the only trustworthy entity to rate anything, and he always uses it to make car purchases.

It seems to me they list features that I don't care about (lane assist, auto braking, other mumbo jumbo that they don't put in Manual transmission cars) when they praise subaru, but don't mention that it's slower or looks dumber than jeep.

Then for jeep they just complain about it being slow, when I drove many competing cars and it seemed to be fastest to me. Maybe because I was looking at MT but not CVT? Also jeep can have many safety features, but they don't tout these for a whole paragraph like they do in the subaru. Why is having a car press the pedals for you all of a sudden a GOOD thing? What happens to these systems after 5 or 10 years or 100,000 miles are they reliable at all?

I find it funny too that crosstrek was rated #1 when this was the slowest thing I drove, and many people complain how slow it is. How does it still maintain #1 (in sub-compact SUV).

I still think CR must be payed off by Subaru or they all own them or something. It seems so grossly bias.

They describe Jeep Compass as "unrefined and sluggish" despite the fact that I merge no problem onto highway in 3rd gear with plenty of power.
The crosstrek, that I could barely get up to speed before end of the onramp they describe as "gets the job done, but it won't set your heart on fire".

Like seriously that's some bias editing.
 
#7 ·
Its just full of buzz words.

Is it's 0-60 Great.... No.. But it is also not bad. It's just another plodder in that sense, like a Forester.
Is there any issue with the 9 speed...... No in fact this probably has the best implementation of it with only at HWY acceleration for passing its only weakness. It's acceleration from a stop to city speeds is quick with the smoothest gear changes I have experienced. It get good but not great gas mileage while cruising and its worlds better than getting a CVT.
Does it struggle off road..... No. This is the weirdest part of that article. It isn't a Wrangler, true. But trashing a car for not having the best off road capability while being miles ahead of actual competition seems weird.

The the rest of its low rating probably has to do with perceived FCA reliability that honestly it doesn't look like FCA is beyond yet. But when you look at the numbers even if it's more likely to have issues, the numbers are skewed and most cars will be problem free. Down rating a car without actual data seems like a terrible idea.
 
#10 ·
And exactly what makes you think FCA is any worse for reliability than any other vehicle out there at the same price point? I keep seeing all these write ups about poor reliability of FCA vehicles yet when one diggs into it there seems to be nothing that points to issues with FCA that are any worse than any other brand and in fact many things that are better designed and executed.

Right now there are tons of vehicles being sold with well known problems. CVT transmission failure,Poorly designed direct injection systems causing valve issues. Cars with anti-theft ignitions that will leave you walking because your key is worn just a little. Oh and airbags that may shove a piece of shrapnel through your skull! You know what many of these vehicles end up being top picks how does that work?

So please tell us how our 2nd generation Jeep Compasses are not as reliable as other vehicles. The 2.4 Tigershark is a good engine design and if you Google about it's reliability you find no real issues. The 9 speed transmission was a bit of an issue to get sorted out true. I would take the worst 9 speed in a FCA before I would even touch most others CVT! But the issues with these transmissions have been ironed out. Let us not forget this transmission is made by ZF Transmissions who build some of the best transmissions in the world. The issues with them was software and not hardware I expect they will prove to be just fine in the long run.

So right off the bat FCA in these vehicles have a really great drivetrain. So where is the reliability issue? I have seen a few post on parts of the 4wd system but no more than on anything else we researched before recently buying our Jeep. Electronics well again no more bugs than what others are having. If you want to make the comment that FCA is not as reliable as others then you really need to back it up with something!

"consumer product comparison results" Please tell us what are people comparing to anything in the Jeep lineup. I think most of us all agree if your in the market for an SUV/crossover just to have the SUV look and a more space than most cars Jeep is most likely not the best choice. Because of their capability and ruggedness the Jeeps have slightly less MPGs as other brands and don't ride as smooth or handle as well as some of the others.

But as soon as you enter the true realm of what a SUV should be Rugged and capable for around 30k the little Jeeps start to shine. Then look at bang for your buck the Jeeps slot right into the middle to top of the pack of what has been a already thined out herd. And I have yet to point out as you said about design and capabilities. Unless you want a SUV or crossover that is really just a car that looks tougher than it is the Jeep lineup is nearly impossible to beat and is as reliable as most of the other choices and more reliable than many others!
 
#14 ·
I drove a Cross-Trek before purchasing my Trailhawk. Under powered was one reason I did not purchase it, the other is the Cross-Trek I tried out could not make it up this dirt hill I go up occasionally. The Trailhawk made it up first time and not even in rock mode. Same day, Same hill only a couple hours apart.
That's what sold me on the Trailhawk. Now I did have a transmission leak from day one, that (to make a long story short) that ended up with a transmission replacement.
But with 25,000 plus miles now on the Jeep and 20,000 on the transmission without any issue, I feel confident those problem have been taken care of.
As for CVT transmission. I occasionally get the opportunity to operate some big machinery CAT 972M it has a CVT transmission.
 
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#17 ·
WisHawk, I don't work with heavy equipment so I did not know CVTs had made their way into them. I had to do a quick study to see what's up. LOL

The type of CVT in the CAT seems to be a hydro static type CVT and are being used for different reasons than CVTs in the automotive industry. In there case I think they operate outside of the perimeters of what would make a good automotive transmission and even if they did not sure in their case if they could be scaled down to fit automotive applications. However from what little I have seen on them so far they are really cool!
 
#28 ·
Much Respect Chris.
I was only mentioning not trying to compare Industrial CVTs to Automotive CVTs. Though they differ slightly in design the way they function and how they operate are very similar. So if a CVT can be made to hold up in a tractor producing several hundred pound of torque pulling/ plowing/ lifting sometime several thousand pounds. The auto industry should be able to make one the functions well and is reliable.
I owned a Ford Freestyle with a CVT front wheel drive version and put well over 200,000 mile on it with out any transmission service. (me bad)
And it performed as well at di when it was new. Now I have to agree after driving the Subaru with the CVT I dislike it and sure sis not have enough power when you need that all wheel drive the most.(going up a dirt and rock back road hill.) I think a Subaru with a stick would have been better and I do believe with the stick they divide the power 50/50 between the front and back wheels.
As for Consumer Reports it should be used as a tool for research but people need to go out and research the product they plan on purchasing and visit forum and such and not take just take the word of a magazine.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I bought my Compass for the design, the interior quality, the comfort, the manual transmission, and most importantly, the value. I knew going in it wasn't the most fuel efficient or reliable option and I have no regrets. It's a good vehicle that isn't going to win consumer product comparisons for those reasons.

I am frankly baffled by your attitude regarding reliability. Jeep, as a brand, is consistently in the bottom quarter of every brand reliability ranking I've ever seen. FIAT is consistently below it. The Compass hasn't been out long enough for their to be reliable data on the model specifically but its just a mashup of an established platform with an established drivetrain. I understand that most Jeep issues are with the 9 speed auto and with the infotainment, neither of which concerns me, but that doesn't account for FCA's brands consistently being at the bottom of these surveys.

I don't even think the Toyota 4 runner can compete with the Jeep non-Trailhawk Compass off-road
I want some of your cool aid.
 
#19 ·
I bought my Compass for the design, the interior quality, the comfort, the manual transmission, and most importantly, the value.
not to rain on your parade but the Jeep scored very poorly in both front and rear seat comfort. I disagree with this, and find the seats to be roomy & also comfortable.

I think that the issue with CR review is that you have no clear way to know what is a result of consumer survey, and what is result of a single "tester".

Also the Jeep Compass is much larger than forester. Noticeably so, as my wife said, she is taller than the forester when standing next to it, but the Jeep compass is taller than her. This despite the forester having 8.7" ground clearance and Jeep 8.2". I don't know where they measure but looking at them side-by-side the jeep seems to be "jacked" up more and also a larger taller vehicle all around.

I am interested in the long-term reliability, but are these results tabulated from repair logs at dealerships or from consumer self-reporting? If it is the second then I think that it may come down to the type of person that owns the car and what their threshold for "problem" may be. I know many people who are in denial that their car is terrible, even though they have many repairs that I would not put up with. Maybe jeep or FCA owners are more honest with themselves and on reporting surveys than the typical Subaru owner. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy, they heard subaru is reliable so the fact that they burn oil and had to replace a head gasket and rebuild an engine isn't really that unreliable right?
 
#24 ·
This article isn't that far off. It's underwhelming tiger shark 4 cylinder which I have yet to obtain over 20MPG for over 5 months of ownership is really putting a dent in my wallet. I'm lucky if I get 250 miles to a tank. I would say the best MPG I got was 23MPG but that was it going down a mountain with a tail wind and a midget pushing it while mostly off the gas pedal. My v8 Mustang gets better mileage than this thing. The start stop feature and it's inability to shut it off permanently is highly annoying and I've been to the dealership in more times with this car due to infotainment system issues and random electric gremlins than all of the other cars I've ever owned combined.
 
#25 ·
I'm sorry to hear that you have trouble. I have read quite a few things about problems with the technology in this forum. I cross my fingers every day that my Uconnect will not start acting up.

I too am not impressed with the MPG, I learned long ago that I should only look at the "city" mileage estimates from EPA. Despite living in rural PA (not a city by any means), I am living in lots of hills with many farms and windy roads. No vehicle that I have owned has gotten "highway" mileage.
 
#36 ·
wish my mountains were more like your mountains =(

surprisingly enough my best stint of driving with the highest MPG was when I drove route 209 between stroud and Milford in PA. I was just cruising in 4th gear the whole way, and got 32 mpg.

I think because of the weight of vehicle and the low power of this engine, there is huge differences in MPG depending on where you live and how you drive. Hills kill my MPG, I can be at high 20's maybe 30 MPG, but the second I start heading over ridges and valleys it drops. My "all time" if I calculate correct is 23 MPG, that is toward the low end of EPA estimate.

I would have liked a 6 cylinder option on the Compass, but when you look at the EPA estimates for the 6 cylinder jeeps they are all 17-21, so it would likely be much worse than what we get now with the inline 4's.
 
#37 ·
I made the decision not to post anymore on this thread till we spent some time on the interstate so we could really see not only how true highway MPG is but also how well the little Jeep would do accelerating at higher speeds merging into traffic or being able to move from lane to lane in traffic. I will say again there is nothing underwhelming about the engine or transmission in our 2018 Compass Trailhawk. It does much better than I expected after reading a lot of reviews.

However I did discover that at speed if you want to get the 9 speed to kick down and really move you do have to get somewhat aggressive with the throttle pedal. At no time have I ever felt the need to floor it however jabbing the pedal results in the best kick down with the transmission. If you just keep smashing the pedal downshifts are slower and did not tend to skip any gears. I would bet that this is actually part of the programming. It is designed to constantly be in higher gears for the best MPG. So a slow steady mash of the pedal just tells it hey you want to speed up but your in no real rush. However more rapid pedal movement sends the message to the ECM you want to speed up and get there now. So I find that interesting.

I have noticed somewhat of a trend of those complaining of their Compass being too slow also tend to complain about MPG. This leaves me to think the following. Maybe some are indeed having a mechanical issue. I have read the post about a member having a faulty throttle body so something like this could affect power and MPG. But I also think there are people trying to over drive these little Jeeps. They feel their Compass is slower compared to a Mustang,Camaro,a Civic or whatever as a result they simply drive it harder most of the time thinking it is a 4 banger so the MPG will not suffer that bad. Hey I have been there in my younger days. Move from a really quick vehicle with poor MPG into a 4 cylinder eco box then end up not getting the MPG I thought I would be rewarded with. A few times I actually got worse MPG out of the eco box than with my v-8 speed demon. You can't over drive a smaller engine to make up for it having less power and get the best MPG That is just the way it works because of engine work load vs efficiency.

But I think in the case of the Compass and why some like myself say the MPG and power are fine verses those complaining about one the other or both something else is also at play. That is Trailhawk vs. non-Trailhawk. We all know the Trailhawk gets some things to make it do much better off-road. One thing we get is 4.33 axle ratio the 4wd Sport and Latitude get 3.83 the Limited looks to be 3.73. This gearing on the Trailhawk also means better acceleration so we don't have to run the engine as hard to make it really go from a start or in the midrange. This could be part of the reason some are getting better MPG and feel their Compass is not lacking in power for what they are.

Now to MPG
On our trip last evening I played around with speed vs MPG. Again around town and my wife's work commute that is not MPG friendly we see between 21-22 MPG. I found that at 60ish MPH on some decent rolling terrain over a few miles the MPG showed 27 MPG Speeding up to 70-75 pushed MPG back to 25 MPG. This stands to reason as climbing pushed RPM up to the 3000-3500 RPM range depending on speed.

Transitioning to a more gentle rolling terrain at 70 we got back up to 26-27 MPG dropping down to 60 yielded mid 28 MPG. The over 200 mile round trip the average was 26.6 MPG wich was mostly interstate but some city tossed in. We are very happy with these numbers and I could see at the right speed over flat ground 30 or so MPG is very possible.

We really love this little Jeep!
 
#40 ·
My wife has a 2010 forester and the one thing that seems to be a big difference it feels way lighter under throttle and the transmission doesn't seem over burdened by the weight. Going up hills sometimes I find myself in 3rd to get over the peak of some mountain roads. Is the Compass a steel frame and the forester aluminum? Anyway, I am satisfied so far with the compass and keep my cars for at least 8 years so I hope this one will do a good job. The interior is better in the compass just wish they put some thought into storage of the cell phone and a sunglasses holder. I know are you bitching about sunglasses holder.... SMH!
 
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