The Compass’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
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 Compass are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Compass has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Jeep Compass achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Nissan Kicks Play has not been tested.
The Compass has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Compass Trailhawk’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.
The Jeep Compass has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.
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 Kicks Play only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
The Compass has standard SiriusXM Guardian, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Kicks Play doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Compass and the Kicks Play have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.
The Jeep Compass weighs 869 to 935 pounds more than the Nissan Kicks Play. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.
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 Nissan Kicks Play:
|
|
Compass |
Kicks Play |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
| HIC |
172 |
326 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
36% |
79% |
| Neck Stress |
235 lbs. |
392 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
92 lbs. |
138 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 Jeep Compass is safer than the Nissan Kicks Play:
|
|
Compass |
Kicks Play |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
102 |
139 |
| Chest Movement |
.8 inches |
.9 inches |
| Abdominal Force |
134 lbs. |
172 lbs. |
| Hip Force |
335 lbs. |
347 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
101 |
318 |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Max Damage Depth |
12 inches |
12 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

