The ride from the Jeep Compass was quite simple and smooth, as one would expect from a crossover sitting atop a sedan platform. Interior noise was minimal—not even a squeak sounded from the pebble beige leather seats! The front seats have sufficient lumbar and adequate side bolster supports as well, to help make a sportier distinction from the run-of-the-mill ride that is expected. A child seat fit just fine in the center of the rear seat as well and the restraint system allowed for a quick swap from the currently owned 2004 Ford Escape we drove to the lot. Headroom for five (prospectively) passengers was ample, despite the Compass’s outward appearance of being somewhat small.

This overall impression holds true for the entire inside—it doesn’t appear as roomy on the outside looking in, but once you are seated, the spaciousness sets in. Jeep has done a fine job of control placement as well, to make sure amenities are not far from hand. Stereo and cruise controls are placed behind the front of the steering wheel, waiting to be found by dexterous hands. For the gadget-minded, there is even an A/C power socket conspicuously placed beneath the armrest of the center console. The armrest itself has a foldout section on top of it to hold most any mobile device, such as an iPod, mobile phone, GPS unit, etc. while in transit. For the most part, everything on the inside flowed quite well for all occupants.

That said, there is one reservation we had: rear window visibility was not all that great. When peering into the rearview mirror or craning one’s neck around to peek through the halo-style headrests, we found that there is not much room to see out the back at all. The egg-shape design and decreased body size (in comparison to larger crossovers and SUVs) attribute much to this minor shortcoming, but it is definitely not enough to be a deal breaker.