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2007 Jeep Compass – Comfort

Front Comfort
The 2007 Jeep Compass’ seats are firm but supportive, though a squeeze of the insubstantial lower side bolsters quickly reveals the hard backing underneath. Lower cushions are short and flat, with the backrests only a smidge better thanks to slightly improved bolsters. Plastic-wrapped open-loop headrests serve a purpose but are lacking in the comfort department, as is the center armrest that slides forward for a custom fit but is decorated in -- you guessed it -- hard plastic. That same material is used on the door sills and armrests, though the former are low and wide enough for resting forearms. Drivers will appreciate the tilt steering wheel and height-adjustable seat.

Rear Comfort
Hospitable is one way to describe the Compass’s rear seat. It’d be the wrong way to describe it, though, given the flat and stiff bench seat, the foot room that’s hampered by ugly and obvious front seat brackets, knee-banging hard front seatbacks, and legroom that comes up short of generous. Add in doors that fail to open wide and you’ve got the makings of a rather inhospitable ride. However, there are some pluses, including a contoured headliner that makes room for the ol’ noggin and plenty of space for ten toes once you get your feet planted between those seat brackets.

Interior Noise
Huh? What’s that you’re saying? Sorry, we couldn’t hear you over the excessive road and tire noise, not to mention the engine’s harmonic dissonance. That little four-banger bangs out some high-decibel racket under normal conditions, and the continuously-variable automatic transmission goes one better by eliciting peaky, unrefined revs whenever the throttle is goosed a bit, while things get downright frenetic when the go pedal meets the floor.

Visibility
Taken as a whole, visibility from within the 2007 Jeep Compass is only so-so. On the plus side, there are large exterior rearview mirrors that aid in the cause, as well as small rear quarter windows which help shed some light on what’s traveling beside your tail. And then there are the negatives, like those wide rear pillars, the jumbo rear headrest that consume more than their share of valuable viewing area out the back window, and thick A-pillars which are responsible for limiting the front quarter view. Add in a steeply raked windshield, and you’ve got all the ingredients for some poor visibility pie.