Compare the2024 Jeep CompassVS 2023 Subaru Impreza

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Compass Trailhawk’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Impreza doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.

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 Impreza 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 a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Impreza’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Compass has standard Rear Cross Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Impreza and its not available on the Base.

Both the Compass and the Impreza 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The Jeep Compass weighs 470 to 644 pounds more than the Subaru Impreza. 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 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 Subaru Impreza:

	Compass	Impreza
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	165
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	134 lbs.	293 lbs.
Hip Force	335 lbs.	400 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	363
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	663 lbs.	824 lbs.

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

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Compass for 2 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 2 visits). Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Impreza.

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Compass has a standard 180-amp alternator. The Impreza’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Compass has a standard 850-amp battery. The Impreza’s 530-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Subaru.

The Compass’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 48 more horsepower (200 vs. 152) and 76 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 145) than the Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Compass is faster than the Subaru Impreza (automatics tested):

	Compass	Impreza
Zero to 60 MPH	7.9 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.1 sec	17.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.6 MPH	83 MPH

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Compass’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Impreza doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Impreza doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

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

	Compass	Impreza	Impreza Sport
Front Rotors	12 inches	10.9 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	10.95 inches	10.8 inches	10.8 inches

The Compass stops shorter than the Impreza:

	Compass	Impreza
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Compass has larger standard tires than the Impreza (215/65R17 vs. 205/55R16). The Compass Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Impreza (235/45R19 vs. 225/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Compass has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Impreza. The Compass Limited’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Impreza Sport.

The Compass has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Compass flat and controlled during cornering. The Impreza base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Compass has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

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 Impreza doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For greater off-road capability the Compass has a 3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Impreza (8.1 vs. 5.1 inches), allowing the Compass to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Compass Trailhawk’s minimum ground clearance is 3.5 inches higher than on the Impreza (8.6 vs. 5.1 inches).

The Compass has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Impreza 5-door with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 20.8 cubic feet). The Compass has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Impreza 5-door with its rear seat folded (59.8 vs. 55.3 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Compass’ liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Impreza doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Compass Trailhawk with Towing Package offers up to a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Impreza has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control 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 Impreza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Impreza doesn’t offer memory seats.

The Compass’ instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Impreza does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Compass’ power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Impreza 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.

The power windows standard on both the Compass and the Impreza have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Compass is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Impreza prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Compass’ power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Impreza’s power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Compass’ optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Impreza’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Compass’ LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Impreza’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the Compass’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Impreza’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Compass’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Impreza’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Compass 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 Impreza has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The Compass’ standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited.

Both the Compass and the Impreza 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 Impreza.

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 Impreza 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 Impreza 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 Impreza doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Compass and the Impreza offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Compass has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Impreza doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Impreza doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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

The Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited’s 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 Impreza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Compass is less expensive to operate than the Impreza because it costs $563 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Compass than the Impreza, including $33 less for a water pump, $186 less for a starter, $108 less for fuel injection, $16 less for front struts, $68 less for a timing belt/chain and $80 less for a power steering pump.

The Jeep Compass outsold the Subaru Impreza by almost three to one during 2022.