2021 Jeep Cherokee vs 2022 Jeep Compass

The 2021 Jeep Cherokee's styling had evolved since its debut, and while the short grille opening and swept-back headlights were initially polarizing, they became more accepted over time. The Cherokee's appearance varied significantly depending on the trim level. The entry-level Latitude with 17-inch wheels and FWD looked quite basic, while the 80th Anniversary Edition with 19-inch Granite Crystal wheels and painted lower body cladding offered a more upscale look. The Cherokee's optional panoramic sunroof was a standout feature, covering the entire top surface and adding to its unique appeal. Overall, the Cherokee's design helped it stand out in a crowded SUV market, bearing a resemblance to the larger Jeep Grand Cherokee from the front.

In contrast, the 2022 Jeep Compass received exterior updates and new wheel designs but retained much of its look from the 2017 redesign. The High Altitude test vehicle featured 19-inch multi-spoke wheels with a dark sparkly finish, giving it an upscale appearance despite its smaller size. Inside, the Compass High Altitude impressed with a new dashboard design, updated digital instrumentation, and luxury-grade leather seats. The cabin's soft-touch surfaces and added sound deadening contributed to a more sophisticated feel. The High Altitude trim, the most expensive in the lineup, offered a range of premium features, making the Compass a more convincing premium SUV.

The 2021 Jeep Cherokee offered three engine options. The base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine produced 180 horsepower, while the 3.2-liter V-6 delivered a more robust 271 hp. The top-tier 2.0-liter GMET4 turbocharged four-cylinder engine generated 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, making it a strong performer. Despite these options, none of the engines provided outstanding acceleration, with the V6 and turbo-four models achieving 0-60 mph times of around 7.2 and 7.4 seconds, respectively. All Cherokee models came with a nine-speed automatic transmission, which had improved over time. The Cherokee Trailhawk model excelled in off-road capability, thanks to features like Jeep Active Drive Lock and Selec-Speed Crawl Control. However, the availability of FWD in the Cherokee aimed to keep prices competitive, especially for rental fleets.

The 2022 Jeep Compass, on the other hand, came with a single engine option: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing 177 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque. This "Tigershark" engine lacked the power and acceleration of its competitors, making it feel sluggish. The Compass featured a nine-speed automatic transmission for AWD models and a six-speed automatic for FWD models. The transmission aimed to maximize fuel efficiency but often resulted in a busy and unrewarding powertrain character. The automatic stop/start system was slow to re-engage, leading to hard engagement when accelerating from a stop. The Compass High Altitude averaged 23.8 mpg in testing, slightly below the EPA's estimate of 25 mpg. The Compass AWD had 8.1 inches of ground clearance, making it suitable for light off-roading, while the Trailhawk trim offered enhanced off-road capabilities.

The 2021 Jeep Cherokee positioned itself between the smaller Renegade and the larger Grand Cherokee, competing with compact crossovers like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. However, it fell short in terms of utility, offering only 26 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 55 cubic feet with them folded, placing it at the bottom of its class. The Cherokee provided about 102 cubic feet of passenger volume, making it competitive in that metric. The interior layout was simple and businesslike, with trim levels significantly affecting the cabin's quality. The Latitude trim featured basic rubberized black plastic, while the Trailhawk and Latitude Lux offered more upscale materials like suede seat inserts and perforated Nappa leather upholstery.

The 2022 Jeep Compass shared similar interior dimensions with the Renegade and Cherokee, making it spacious enough for four adults and their luggage. The Compass High Altitude trim elevated the interior with eight-way power-adjustable front seats, heating and ventilation, a heated steering wheel, and heated rear seats. The Elite Interior Group option package added premium leather upholstery and light-gray contrast stitching. The redesigned dashboard featured a new Uconnect 5 infotainment screen, integrated air vents, and updated primary controls. The Compass offered 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 59.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded, surpassing the Cherokee in cargo capacity.

The 2021 Jeep Cherokee featured the Stellantis Uconnect infotainment system, praised for its user-friendly interface and climate control integration. The system was available with a 7-inch touchscreen on lower trims and an 8.4-inch touchscreen on higher trims. Both screens supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though only via wired connections. The Cherokee also offered a 4G WiFi hotspot, Amazon Alexa integration, and remote start. The Uconnect system's consistency across Stellantis vehicles was a significant advantage for Cherokee buyers.

The 2022 Jeep Compass introduced the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, which was five times faster than its predecessor. It came with an 8.4-inch touchscreen as standard, with a 10.1-inch touchscreen available as an upgrade. Uconnect 5 supported wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, satellite radio, and voice text-to-reply capability. The system also offered over-the-air updates, a navigation system, connected services, a WiFi hotspot, and a wireless device charging pad. The voice recognition system was fast and accurate, though it had some limitations in specific scenarios. Overall, Uconnect 5 impressed but wasn't as user-friendly as the best technology in the industry.

The 2021 Jeep Cherokee did not earn a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS but received top "Good" scores in every crashworthiness category. The Cherokee's headlights received mixed ratings, with upper trims rated "Acceptable" and lower trims rated "Marginal." The NHTSA awarded the Cherokee a four-star overall safety rating, with a slight demerit for front driver side crash protection. Standard safety features included lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring. Adaptive cruise control with stop and go was available only on higher trims.

The 2022 Jeep Compass improved its safety features, offering forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert as standard. The Compass would add Highway Assist later in the model year, pairing adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance for highway driving. Additional available features included a parallel and perpendicular parking assistance system and a 360-degree surround-view camera system. During testing, the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems worked well, though the lane-keep assist was overly insistent at lower speeds. The forward-collision warning system occasionally produced false positives. As of the review, the IIHS and NHTSA had not published safety ratings for the updated 2022 Compass, but the NHTSA carried over the previous three-star rollover resistance rating.