Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Jeep Compass

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Compass doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Impreza 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, all wheel drive, 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 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 Subaru Impreza is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Impreza	Compass
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	41%
Neck Stress	267 lbs.	445 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	265/291 lbs.	326/489 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	170	172
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.8%	36%
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	235 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	92 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	291/273 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Impreza	Compass
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	6 lbs.	335 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	423 lbs.	928 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	254	355

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Impreza is much safer than the Compass:

	Impreza	Compass
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	154	189
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis	GOOD	POOR
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	1517 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	194	202
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.65 in	2.13 in
Shoulder Force	424 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.73 in	1.77 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	14 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	937 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Impreza, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 11.1% less likely to roll over than the Compass, which received a three-star rating.

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 Impreza’s reliability 56 points higher than the Compass.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Jeep is ranked 19th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Jeep Compass:

	Impreza	Compass
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	87.5 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Compass doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Impreza
	AWD	2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
Compass
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy

The Impreza has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (16.6 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Impreza has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Compass. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Impreza has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Compass doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport/RS’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Compass:

	Impreza Sport/RS	Compass
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.95 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Compass are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops much shorter than the Compass:

	Impreza	Compass
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	195 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	149 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Compass Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Compass Limited’s optional 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Compass (105.1 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Impreza RS handles at .81 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Compass Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Impreza’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Compass 4x4 Sport/Latitude/Limited’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Impreza may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Jeep Compass.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Impreza has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Compass uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Impreza uses 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.

Passenger Space

The Impreza has .6 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 4 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Compass.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Compass’ liftover is 31.1 inches.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Compass. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Jeep. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 34% lower rating, Jeep is ranked 21st.

Ergonomics

The Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Impreza’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.

The Impreza’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.

The Impreza has a standard 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. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Compass and isn’t available on the Compass Sport.

The Impreza’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.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Compass isn't recommended.

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