Compare the2022 Jeep CompassVS 2021 Volkswagen Golf

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Compass’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Golf doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Jeep Compass has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Golf doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Compass offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Golf doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Compass’ lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Golf doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited offers an optional Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Golf only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Compass and the Golf have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras 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 Jeep Compass is safer than the Volkswagen Golf:

	Compass	Golf
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	172	256
Neck Injury Risk	36%	43%

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Compass is safer than the Volkswagen Golf:

	Compass	Golf
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	185
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1.2 inches
Abdominal Force	134 G’s	217 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	368
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	63 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	663 lbs.	674 lbs.

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

Warranty

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Compass 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Golf. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Golf ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Compass’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Golf’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 oil changes) on the Compass for 1 year and -20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Golf (3/unlimited vs. 2/20,000).

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Compass’ warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Compass’ engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Golf’s camshafts. If the Golf’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Compass has a standard 650-amp battery. The Golf’s 480-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 24th in reliability. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep 5 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Compass’ 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 30 more horsepower (177 vs. 147) than the Golf’s 1.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the Compass and the Golf Auto have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Compasses have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Compass has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Golf doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Jeep Compass comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Golf.

A nine-speed automatic is optional on the Jeep Compass 4x4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Golf.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Compass’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Golf:

	Compass	Golf
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.3 inches
Rear Rotors	10.95 inches	10.7 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Compass has larger standard tires than the Golf (215/65R16 vs. 205/55R16). The Compass 4x4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Golf (235/45R19 vs. 205/55R16).

The Compass 4x4’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Golf’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Compass 4x4 offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Golf’s largest wheels are only 16-inches.

The Compass Trailhawk has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Golf; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Compass’ drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Golf doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Compass’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Golf’s (59.6% to 40.4%). This gives the Compass more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

The Compass has 6.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Golf (99.6 vs. 93.5).

The Compass has .8 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Golf.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Golf doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

Standard Trailer-sway Damping on the Compass uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Golf doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Compass offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Golf doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When two different drivers share the Compass Limited/Trailhawk, the optional memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Golf doesn’t offer memory seats.

The Compass’ power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Golf has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Compass has a standard rear variable intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Golf only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Compass (except Sport) detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Golf doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Golf doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Compass has standard extendable sun visors. The Golf doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Compass and the Golf offer available heated front seats. The Compass Trailhawk/Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Golf.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Compass Limited/Trailhawk keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Golf doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Compass’ optional (except Sport) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Golf doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Compass (except Sport)’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Golf doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Compass (except Sport)’s optional automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Golf doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Compass (except Sport) offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Golf doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Jeep Compass (except Sport) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Golf doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Compass (except Sport) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Golf doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Compass’ optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Golf doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Compass is less expensive to operate than the Golf because it costs $645 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Compass than the Golf, including $135 less for a water pump, $2 less for a muffler, $2 less for front brake pads, $344 less for a starter, $91 less for fuel injection, $55 less for front struts, $53 less for a timing belt/chain and $225 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Jeep Compass outsold the Volkswagen Golf/GTI by almost seven to one during the 2021 model year.

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