DECEMBER 2017 MOTORTREND.COM COMPARISON | 2017 Jeep Compass VS. 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport VS. 2018 Subaru Crosstrek TWEENERS All three of these CUVs slot between subcompact and compact crossovers. Expect more to join them in the coming years. NO MAN’S THESE “JUST RIGHT” CROSSOVERS PROVIDE CITY-FRIENDLY, OFF-PAVEMENT-READY TRANSPORT THAT WON’T BREAK YOUR WALLET LAND Words Christian Seabaugh Photographs Jade Nelson There was a time in the not too 2000s. Vehicles such as the Jeep Cherokee, distant past when gas-guzzling Nissan Xterra, and Subaru Forester all proudly SUVs were reserved for the sported city-friendly dimensions and some occasional snowstorm or off-road real off-road capability. But their modern excursion and sedans served as the vehicle of equivalents have grown by a half-foot or more, choice for family-friendly daily driving. Our ballooning not only in size but also in price. tastes have changed, though. Compact SUVs Although a new generation of subcompact have displaced both as our go-to do-it-all crossovers could seemingly backfill that size transportation tool. and price gap, most are still smaller than Those compact SUVs have evolved with us. yesteryear’s compacts—and in some cases, the BILLY GOAT The Trailhawk is the most off-road- Take a look at what was offered in the early on-road comfort and off-road credentials of capable member of the Jeep Compass family. COMPARISON these new subcompacts are lacking, as well. its power to its torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive So what’s a crossover buyer to do when system through a CVT. looking for that “just right” fit? The Crosstrek comes standard with Thankfully, Jeep, Nissan, and Subaru Subaru’s X-MODE off-road assist system and have entered into this no man’s land of the automaker’s new Apple CarPlay– and budget-friendly crossovers that straddle the Android Auto–friendly infotainment suite unclaimed dimensionality between subcom- for $27,210. Our tester was loaded up with pact and compact crossovers with the Jeep Subaru’s EyeSight active-safety package, a Compass, Nissan Rogue Sport, and Subaru moonroof, and a premium audio system for Crosstrek. Bonus: All three are new to the an out-the-door price of $30,655. market this year. The winner of this comparison must balance The new Jeep Compass Trailhawk is the on-road manners with light off-road capability most off-road-capable trim level of the while delivering good fuel economy and an second-generation Compass lineup. Built MOMENTUM GAME You better keep moving in slippery conditions in the Nissan Rogue Sport. interior that belies its wallet-friendly price. It on Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Small-Wide In our tests, it had a hard time getting going again from a stop in sand. must also have the most practical and all-around 4x4 architecture, the Compass straddles the nicest cabin, and perhaps most important, it gap between the subcompact Renegade and must represent the best value in its segment. compactish Cherokee. View 360-degree camera system and a driver- Using the Mojave Desert—a perfect no and display, which washed out in direct 60–0 braking tests, the Rogue Sport needed It shares not only its platform with its selectable all-wheel-drive lock switch. With man’s land metaphor if there ever were one— sunlight. The cabin itself is comfortable, 137 feet to come to a stop, though it’s worth stablemates but also its drivetrain—it’s the addition of a handful of option packages as our staging ground and off-road course, borrowing components from the upmarket mentioning that we suspect the Nissan is powered by a 2.4-liter I-4 that produces 180 containing radar cruise control, lane depar- we’d hit the road and use our arduous SUV of Rogue. However, it’s a bit claustrophobic capable of stopping shorter—conditions were hp and 175 lb-ft of torque and comes mated ture warning, and a slew of other active safety the Year drive loop to suss out a winner. for passengers; saddled with a tight second far from ideal during brake tests for all three to ZF’s infamous nine-speed automatic. tech, our Rogue Sport stickered for $31,625. row, our sunroof-equipped example also lost of our competitors. Figure-eight performance That 2.4-liter engine, both the biggest and Rounding out our trio of tweeners is THIRD PLACE Nissan Rogue Sport SL precious front headroom. for the Rogue Sport was a respectable-for- most powerful of our trio, is paired with a the redesigned second-generation Subaru an impressive test-best 8.7 inches of ground AWD: Fair-Weather Friend Although “Sport” is in this Rogue’s name, the-segment 29.6-second lap averaging 0.53 Trailhawk-specific all-wheel-drive system, Crosstrek Limited. Although it’s easy to clearance, and Stablex dampers designed to There are two ways to look at the Nissan buyers might want to check their expecta- g. On the fuel economy front, all-wheel-drive which includes a shorter axle ratio to allow dismiss the Crosstrek as a lifted Impreza hatch allow the Subaru to absorb hits from punishing Rogue Sport: on its own merits and against tions at the driver’s door; the sportiest thing Rogue Sports are EPA-rated at 24/30/27 mpg the gearbox’s first gear to mimic a true four- (with which the Crosstrek shares its new conditions both on- and off-road. the competition. The Rogue Sport SL’s about this sport-utility vehicle is its flat- city/highway/combined. wheel-drive vehicle’s low range. chassis and powertrain), a lot of engineering The Crosstrek’s power comes from a 2.0-liter sheetmetal is attractive, and despite having bottomed steering wheel. The acceleration Out in the real world, “smooth” might be The Trailhawk also includes off-road tires, work goes into differentiating the two models. flat-four pushing out 152 hp and a comparison- not changed since its debut as the Qashqai run from 0 to 60 mph takes the Rogue Sport a better word than “sport” to describe the a minor suspension lift giving it 8.5 inches The most obvious difference is the Crosstrek’s low 145 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual is overseas in 2014, it has aged well both in and a poky 9.8 seconds, and the quarter mile falls Nissan. Dip into the throttle, and the Rogue of ever-important ground clearance, and a suspension lift, which gives the crossover standard on the Crosstrek, but our tester puts out—save for the dated infotainment system in a leisurely 17.5 seconds at 80.6 mph. In our Sport strolls forward, steadily building speed Selec-Terrain system to ensure the Compass’ all-wheel-drive system has traction on a variety of surfaces. Compass Trailhawk prices start at $29,690 with standard fare such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compat- ibility, but our nearly loaded model, which includes forward collision alert, lane keep assist, and other options, stickers for $34,060. Our tested Nissan Rogue Sport SL AWD is new to the States but has been a known quantity overseas for years. Called Qashqai (CASH-kye) in Europe, where it’s one of Nissan’s best-sellers, the Rogue Sport slots between the smaller Juke and larger Rogue in the automaker’s U.S. lineup. It marries the styling, interior, and practicality of the larger Rogue (Nissan’s best-seller) with more city- friendly dimensions, measuring a foot and change shorter than its big brother. Its sportier Juke brother gets a 188-hp turbocharged I-4, and its big brother gets a 170-hp four-cylinder, but the Rogue Sport inexplicably gets saddled with a 2.0-liter I-4 that makes a mere 141 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque—the lowest horsepower in our test. The Rogue Sport sends its power through a The winner of this comparison must balance standard CVT to an optional all-wheel-drive system. Our Rogue Sport SL AWD tester on-road manners with light off-road capability comes pretty well equipped at its $28,380 base price. It has 7.4 inches of ground clear- while delivering good fuel economy and an ance and features such as Nissan’s Around interior that belies its wallet-friendly price. 2 MOTORTREND.COM / DECEMBER 2017 DECEMBER 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 3 COMPARISON as the CVT fakes a traditional automatic’s COVERING THE BASES The Jeep Compass gets high marks across the board. Up front we really liked the snappy infotainment system and visibility, shifts at redline. Steering feel seems to have JEEP COMPASS TRAILHAWK 4X4 but we wish there were more storage cubbies. In back the Jeep is the only SUV here with both HVAC vents and USB chargers for passengers. been an afterthought for the Rogue Sport’s engineers, but the team did do its homework on the suspension, which features impres- sive ride quality in a variety of conditions. “It rides better than expected, especially on concrete freeway expansion joints,” associate editor Scott Evans said. “It’s bouncing, but the shocks are doing a good job of isolating me from the bumps.” Part of our testing included a 1.34-mile light off-road course. This course featured a variety of terrain designed to simulate real-world conditions, such as a long, rutted, and twisty dirt road you might experience at a national park, a deep sand pit that effectively simu- lates how a vehicle’s all-wheel-drive system handles wet and deep snow, and a silt-covered hill, which mimics a vehicle’s ability to climb steep grades in low-traction conditions.