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Just drove home a 2018 Jeep Compass Latitude, the nicest vehicle I've ever owned. It's my first Jeep, but I previously owned an 07' Dodge Nitro until, well... earlier today. Looking forward to the shared knowledge.
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Welcome, PATRICKisLEGEND! It's nice to have you on the site. I hope you like your Compass. Friendly advice, if you aren't aware some of 2018s had oil consumption issues. Not all but a significant minority. FCA has just issued a recall for those affected. Meanwhile, keep an eye on your dipstick. I've had two of the second generation Compasses--the first got +/- 2000 miles/quart, the second has been fine.
Overall I like mine. It is comfortable on the highway and it has decent cargo space.
Overall I like mine. It is comfortable on the highway and it has decent cargo space.
- I think the acceleration is adequate though some on this site seem disappointed that it's not a rocket.
- Fuel economy with the OEM tires is great which is my biggest concern. I'm at 40,000 and overall fuel economy is 31.8MPG. I've even squeaked out 39MPG on a nice easy trip; every tank has been above 27MPG.
- Winter/snow performance is my next priority. The OEMs fell short so I bought dedicated snow tires for winter and so far so good (third winter). Fuel economy dropped by about 5MPG, however. Probably a combination of the tires, colder temperatures, and winter blend fuel.
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I think the oil consumption thing was cleared by a computer update just before I got it (if I read the CarFax correct), but I'll keep an eye on it. This is my first vehicle that's not a V6, so I can feel it a bit in the pedal, but not enough to get excited about. I live in a city, and am a father of two... I'm not drag racing anyone. Winter will be a big test. I live in Western NY where we can get a couple feet of snow overnight. But I'm a cold weather trained driver for a couple decades, I think I'll be ok.
Oh don't go getting his hopes up 😆 Many of us only average 25-28 MPG day to day real world mileage, Jasmine tends to drive 5 MPH under the speed limit in some ideal conditions and then puts up big MPG numbers.
He's right about the oil consumption issues, though. You will want to check your oil level once per gas fillup for the first 6-8 tanks. Check it the exact same way each time. Shutting off at the pump and then taking a look after you've pumped your gas is usually about right, per the owner's manual they want you to shut it off warm and give it a few minutes for oil to settle. You are not supposed to check it cold in the morning before leaving as it will read low, and if you mix cold and warm readings you will definitely trick yourself into thinking its burning oil. Keeping a couple quarts under the cargo floor would be smart too.
The oil consumption issue cannot really be fixed by a computer update, but it probably makes the car respond to a low oil situation in a more safe manner. We don't fully know what that update changes yet but the reason some of them burn oil is entirely mechanical, deep in the engine. If your CarFax shows the oil level as an issue more than once... you might have bought somebody's old oil burner but statistically, probably, hopefully not
Most of my driving is a mix of state highways or the interstate -- hardly any stop & go in the city. As with any vehicle I get the best fuel economy on a good state highway at 55-60MPH. On the interstate at 70MPH the fuel economy drops by at least 5MPG. Ideal conditions? NH is loaded with lakes, rivers, and hills -- scenic yes, but also tedious. Slow down for the curves, speed up on the straight stretches, build momentum for a hill, then use the gears going down the other side. I get great fuel economy going down the hills; not so good going up.
Snow certainly reduces fuel economy, too, and that's on the radar screen for half the year. It's nice to have AWD, but power going to all 4 wheels uses more fuel and of course the snow on the road is slushy and offers enough resistance to force the 9-spd into lower gears. Cruise control is often useless and with the 9-spd it does a lot of gear-hunting. The tranny in my 2019 is more stable than my 2018 was, but there's still a lot of gears shuffling around. The EVIC is remarkably accurate in it's fuel economy readings.I checked the oil the first week I had my 2018 and it was barely on the stick.
After that I kept an eye on it and the consumption gradually improved to about 3000 miles/quart before it got wrecked. I was just resigned to carrying a couple extra quarts with me. My 2019 uses hardly any oil.Yeah, I really wonder what a software update can do to solve a hardware issue. Makes about as much sense as a software update to change the paint color.The oil consumption issue cannot really be fixed by a computer update, but it probably makes the car respond to a low oil situation in a more safe manner. We don't fully know what that update changes yet but the reason some of them burn oil is entirely mechanical, deep in the engine. If your CarFax shows the oil level as an issue more than once... you might have bought somebody's old oil burner but statistically, probably, hopefully not
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Roger that. Synthetic 0w-20 correct?
Yes. The super-thin oil may be part of the problem. However, we've got to use it because the motor oil is used by the hydraulic lifters, and as a lubricant it is sprayed not squirted. Thicker oil probably won't perform as well and could lead to premature wear.
I don't mean to frighten you. Most Compasses don't have a problem. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.
Probably your biggest key to MPG success, don't use the cruise!
Same here, its not usually an issue but if you are aware of it you can catch it much sooner before it gives you issues. Yours should be fully broken in assuming it has a few thousand miles so it will either be really obvious in the first 6-10k miles or more likely it won't be an issue at all. I guestimate that only a very small fraction of these cars are using oil fast enough to cause owners a problem. They are designed to use a little bit as a tradeoff for reduced internal friction leading to better power and MPG, but they are not supposed to use enough to end up low between oil changes (and most don't).
Lots of info and discussion on this forum, I won't repeat it here, the search should turn it up if you are really curious but mainly just keep an eye on it for a little while at first and likely you will find your motor is always full of oil and no problem.
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Did the first fill-up, checked the oil and we appear to be ok. I'm keeping a quart in the back just in case, and will continue to check each time. Looks like I got 22mpg on the first tank which was a mix of city/highway. No complaints here, as my '07 Nitro was down to about 11mpg.
Minor quibble... the cup holders do not securely hold an 8oz RedBull, which is about the only thing I drink (while driving). Looking for some inserts currently.
Minor quibble... the cup holders do not securely hold an 8oz RedBull, which is about the only thing I drink (while driving). Looking for some inserts currently.
The Compass is my third jeep, and one of the things most noticeable about them is their amazing handling capabilities in all sorts of weather and road conditions. I find their 4 x 4 traction and control to be superior of other vehicle manufacturers. The Jeeps have always pulled me through. I'm looking forward to buying my fourth sometime soon.
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