Compare the2023 Mazda CX-30VS 2022 Jeep Compass

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Jeep Compass doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda CX-30 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Compass doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Rear Smart Brake Support that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Compass doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-30. But it costs extra on the Compass.

The CX-30’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Compass doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-30 and the Compass have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 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 Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	CX-30	Compass
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	148	196
Neck Injury Risk	26.7%	41%
Neck Stress	216 lbs.	445 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	38 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	201/172 lbs.	326/489 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.5%	36%
Neck Stress	172 lbs.	235 lbs.
Neck Compression	85 lbs.	92 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	CX-30	Compass
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	102
Hip Force	275 lbs.	335 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	525 lbs.	928 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	355
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	583 lbs.	663 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 CX-30, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 4.7% to 5.9% less likely to roll over than the Compass, which received a three-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-30 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Compass is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Reliability

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 CX-30’s reliability 49 points higher than the Compass.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 19 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Jeep.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda first in overall reliability. Jeep is ranked 19th.

Engine

The CX-30’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (191 vs. 177) and 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 172) than the Compass’ 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 73 more horsepower (250 vs. 177) and 148 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 172) than the Compass’ 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-30 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Compass:

	CX-30	Compass
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	10.5 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.3 MPH	76.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-30 gets better mileage than the Compass:

			MPG
CX-30
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
Compass
	FWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Compass doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-30 stops much shorter than the Compass:

	CX-30	Compass
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	147 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-30 is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Compass.

The CX-30 Premium handles at .83 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-30 Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Compass Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The CX-30’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Compass’ (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Passenger Space

The CX-30 has .5 inches more front hip room and 4 inches more rear hip room than the Compass.

Ergonomics

The CX-30 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction 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 CX-30’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Compass’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The CX-30 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Compass doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The CX-30’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Compass’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-30 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.

The Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-30 Premium’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

When the CX-30 Preferred/Carbon/Premium 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 CX-30’s optional 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.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Mazda CX-30 as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Compass isn't recommended.

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