2022 Jeep Compass vs 2022 Chevrolet Equinox

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox underwent noticeable styling updates, including a new grille, LED headlights, and LED daytime running lights. These changes, paired with subtle tweaks to the rear fascia, created a semantically more modern and cohesive look. The new headlights, bisected by trim pieces extending from the grille, resulted in a sleeker aesthetic. The grille itself appeared more upright and was flanked by large fake air intakes, making the Equinox look chunkier compared to its predecessor.

Chevrolet chose not to emulate the rugged styling seen in models like the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, which attempt to mimic older, truck-based SUVs. The Equinox maintained its car-based crossover identity, but its tall roofline and puffed-up front fascia gave it a slightly less car-like appearance than rivals such as the Ford Escape. This middle ground could appeal to buyers seeking a balanced aesthetic. However, some critics wished for more distinctive styling elements akin to the Hyundai Tucson’s innovative front lighting.

Inside, the Equinox featured a dashboard designed with two petal-like elements, placing a touchscreen and large air vents at the center. The creative layout and decent materials made the interior cohesive, especially given the vehicle’s price point. Cloth seats were standard across most trims, with perforated leather upholstery available. The RS model introduced black exterior trim, darkened 19-inch wheels, a black interior with red stitching, and a model-specific shift knob. While the exterior trim offered added personality, the black interior felt too subdued, reminiscent of a taxi cab.

The 2022 Jeep Compass, despite its updates, retained a similar look to its 2017 redesign. Comparable to a downsized Grand Cherokee, our High Altitude test model sported appealing 19-inch multi-spoke wheels with a dark sparkly finish that matched the paint, lending the small SUV an upscale appearance.

Intended as a premium SUV, the Compass High Altitude felt credible in this role due to a newly designed dashboard, updated digital instrumentation and infotainment systems, and luxury-grade leather seats. Soft-touch surfaces and additional sound deadening significantly elevated the vehicle’s sophistication.

The High Altitude represented the peak of the Compass lineup, starting from the base Sport trim and moving through Latitude, Latitude Lux, Limited, Trailhawk, and finally High Altitude. Prices ranged from $26,020 to $35,085, plus a $1,595 destination charge from the factory in Toluca, Mexico. The test vehicle came with standard AWD, as well as the Elite Interior Group and Driver Assist Group 1 packages, bumping the MSRP to $40,470, including destination.

In 2022, Chevrolet streamlined the Equinox’s powertrain offerings, leaving only a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivered 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, available in both FWD and optional AWD configurations.

While the Equinox boasted more torque than many of its competitors, it lagged in horsepower. For instance, the Honda CR-V’s 1.5-liter turbo-four produced 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque, and the Nissan Rogue’s 1.5-liter three-cylinder churned out 201 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque. The Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, with their naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines, delivered 182 hp and 176 lb-ft, and 203 hp and 184 lb-ft, respectively.

In stop-and-go traffic, the Equinox’s torque was advantageous, giving it quick acceleration from a standstill. With torque peaking between 2,000 rpm and 4,000 rpm, city driving was smooth. However, the lack of horsepower became evident at higher speeds, where the engine felt coarse and underwhelming during highway overtaking maneuvers. The automatic transmission’s shifts were also somewhat rough.

Despite its sporty RS trim, the Equinox was not intended for dynamic driving. Enthusiasts might prefer the Mazda CX-5 for fun driving dynamics. The Equinox lacked the solidity and refinement of the Honda CR-V, although it remained reasonably comfortable on rough roads.

The 2022 Jeep Compass was powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 177 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 172 pound-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm. Dubbed the “Tigershark,” this engine missed the mark on performance, producing underwhelming acceleration for an SUV weighing around 3,500 pounds. A turbocharged engine would likely improve its performance, especially for high-altitude driving.

The Tigershark engine was also noisy at higher revs, which was frequent due to its high power peak. However, Jeep paired it with a nine-speed automatic transmission (in AWD models) instead of a CVT, which is a small consolation. FWD models had a six-speed automatic transmission.

The transmission favored fuel efficiency, leading to a reluctance in downshifting and a hurried upshift pattern in both urban and suburban environments, resulting in a busy and unrewarding driving experience. The automatic stop/start system was slow to react, making acceleration from a stop frustratingly sluggish.

The Jeep Compass came standard with Jeep Selec-Terrain, offering Auto, Snow, and Sand/Mud modes. The Active Drive AWD system could transfer all power to the rear wheels when necessary and featured a driveline disconnect to save fuel. The EPA estimated the Compass High Altitude would achieve 25 mpg in combined driving, though we averaged 23.8 mpg during our test.

With 8.1 inches of ground clearance, the Compass handled light off-roading and snow well. The Trailhawk trim was equipped for more intense off-road adventures, featuring the Active Drive Low AWD system with a low range and a 20:1 crawl ratio, hill descent control, skid plates, and increased ground clearance of 8.6 inches.

The Compass High Altitude’s 19-inch wheels improved grip on pavement, and its compact dimensions made it nimble in urban settings. However, the short wheelbase created a bouncy ride on uneven roads, and speed bumps revealed its dated suspension. While quieter than previous models, the Compass’s driving dynamics still required improvement.

The Equinox accommodated five passengers across two rows. Its headroom in both rows was competitive, though some rivals offered more front seat legroom and better overall ergonomics. The lack of a telescoping steering wheel and limited legroom made it difficult for some drivers to find a comfortable position, even with an optional power driver’s seat.

The Equinox offered a high seating position for good forward visibility thanks to a sloping hood. Rearward visibility was slightly hampered by large rear pillars and a small rear window.

The dashboard clustered climate controls beneath the touchscreen, which was a bit awkward but ensured easy access without delving into touchscreen menus. Chevy’s cargo space, at 29.9 cubic feet with the seats up and 63.9 cubic feet when folded, was on the lower end of the segment. A power liftgate was available, but the lack of a sliding second-row seat or additional cargo-area storage bins detracted from its utility.

The Compass shared similar dimensions with the Renegade and Cherokee, each targeting different segments. This meant the Compass was spacious enough for four adults and their luggage but lacked additional space for more.

The High Altitude’s interior upgrades for 2022 included eight-way power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated rear seats. These, along with the dual-pane panoramic sunroof and premium leather upholstery, added to its premium feel.

A redesigned dashboard housed the new Uconnect 5 infotainment display. Jeep smartly integrated air vents into the layout, significantly boosting perceived quality and sophistication. The new center console doubled storage capacity but left the armrest bin small. The Compass provided 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 59.8 cubic feet with seats folded, slightly more than the larger Cherokee.

The Equinox came standard with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. A 3.5-inch screen in the instrument cluster was standard, with higher trims offering an 8-inch touchscreen and 4.2-inch cluster display. Navigation and a Bose 7-speaker audio system were optional.

The infotainment system was praised for its responsiveness and user-friendliness, featuring large smartphone-like icons and good graphics for its price. The inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was a major advantage. Multiple USB ports and power outlets, including rear-seat USB charging ports, were also standard, though the center-console phone slot was too small for many smartphones.

Jeep’s new Uconnect 5 system boasted loading and input response speeds five times faster than its predecessor. Standard systems included an 8.4-inch touchscreen, with a 10.1-inch version available. Uconnect 5 supported pairing two devices via Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa skill, satellite radio, and voice text-to-reply capabilities. Over-the-air updates kept the system current.

Jeep also offered a navigation system, connected services, a WiFi hotspot, Alexa Built-In, and a wireless charging pad. A nine-speaker Alpine premium sound system was available.

Despite the voice recognition system’s accuracy, especially in adjusting cabin temperature, it struggled with specific navigation queries like finding the nearest hospital without filtering irrelevant results. Overall, Uconnect 5 impressed but didn’t surpass the best systems on the market.

The 2022 Equinox received top “Good” ratings in most IIHS crash tests but earned a “Marginal” score in the updated side crash test. It achieved the highest “Superior” rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front-crash prevention and an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian situations. NHTSA awarded it a five-star overall rating, with five stars in frontal and side crashes, and four stars for rollover resistance.

Jeep enhanced the Compass's safety for 2022, adding forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert as standard.

Later in the model year, Jeep planned to introduce Highway Assist, combining adaptive cruise control and lane-centering for safer highway driving. Parallel and perpendicular parking assistance and a 360-degree camera system were also available.

While not available during our test, the basic adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems generally performed well, though the lane-keep assist was noticeably intrusive at low speeds. Forward-collision warning occasionally gave false positives, and adaptive cruise control struggled with smooth acceleration.

Neither IIHS nor NHTSA published updated safety ratings for the 2022 Compass, but the NHTSA’s carryover three-star rollover rating and previous IIHS headlight performance suggested areas needing improvement.