Compare the2022 GMC TerrainVS 2022 Jeep Compass

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/04/29

For enhanced safety, the GMC Terrain’s rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Jeep Compass doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Terrain are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Compass doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Terrain and the Compass have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Terrain	Compass
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	159	196
Neck Injury Risk	17%	41%
Neck Stress	190 lbs.	445 lbs.
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	38 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	363/349 lbs.	326/489 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	36%
Neck Stress	153 lbs.	235 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	92 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	264/236 lbs.	299/387 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Terrain	Compass
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	55 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	630 lbs.	928 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Terrain, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 1.7% to 4.2% less likely to roll over than the Compass, which received a three-star rating.

Warranty

The Terrain’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Compass’ (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Terrain has a standard 700-amp battery. The Compass’ 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Terrain’s reliability 36 points higher than the Compass.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 3 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 172) than the Compass’ 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Terrain gets better mileage than the Compass:

			MPG
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
Compass
	FWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy

The Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (14.9 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (15.6 vs. 13.5 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Terrain higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Compass (6). This means the Terrain produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Compass every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Terrain has larger standard tires than the Compass (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Terrain SLE/AT4 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Compass Sport.

The Terrain has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Compass doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Terrain’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Compass (107.3 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Terrain is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Compass.

The Terrain Denali AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Terrain offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Compass doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Terrain uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Compass doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Terrain has 3.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Compass (103.2 vs. 99.6).

The Terrain has .8 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Compass.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Terrain’s rear seats recline. The Compass’ rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Terrain has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Compass with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 27.2 cubic feet). The Terrain has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Compass with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 59.8 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Terrain’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Compass doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Terrain’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Compass’ (1500 vs. 0 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Compass doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Compass does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and tachometer readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Compass doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Terrain’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Compass’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

On a hot day the Terrain’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Compass can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Terrain has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Compass has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited.

When the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Compass’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Terrain’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Compass offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Terrain’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Compass Sport doesn’t offer automatic air-conditioning.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Terrain is less expensive to operate than the Compass because typical repairs cost less on the Terrain than the Compass, including $197 less for front struts.