Newer-Than-Average SUVs: 2015 Jeep Compass vs 2018 Fiat 500X

The average age of cars on US roads just keeps getting older. There are a couple reasons for this: old cars tend to last longer than they once did, and new cars just keep going up in price. I favor older cars on here because, well, I favor older cars. But for today, I thought we’d take a look at a couple of vehicles that are actually newer than the twelve-year-old national average.

Yesterday we looked at a Datsun truck with a dump bed and a Dodge truck with a convertible roof. I knew the Dodge was going to be a hard sell, considering its price, and I was right: you all preferred the mini dump truck by a pretty healthy margin, even with its sketchy description in the ad.

I like the idea of the Datsun, but I also know that places that sell gravel and mulch and whatnot will deliver for a fee, and that just makes life so much easier. Besides, that thing has about eighty horsepower, and I bet the hydraulic dump mechanism adds five hundred pounds to it, which cuts into its cargo capacity. It just feels like the wrong truck for a dump bed. And I have always liked the Dakota convertible. I’ll just try to talk the seller down some.

The average age for a car in the US is about twelve years old. The newest car in our household fleet is that age, a 2013 Chrysler 300 with about 86,000 miles on it, and it is just now starting to show its age a bit. Its electronics are getting a little glitchy, and the transmission isn’t as silky-smooth as it once was, and there’s a rattle in the dash now and then. But still, it doesn’t feel old. I’ve sent cars to the junkyard that were newer than it at the time, and at least one with fewer miles on it. “They don’t make ’em like they used to,” the older generations are fond of saying, but I’m beginning to think that’s a good thing. Cars are expensive; they should last.

So today, we’re going to look at some newer cars for a change. I chose two fairly run-of-the-mill crossover SUVs, the sort of thing that sells like hotcakes these days. Could you drive either of them for a good long time yet? Probably. Would you want to? Well, let’s take a look and see.

2015 Jeep Compass Sport SE – $4,999

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Burleson, TX

Odometer reading: 164,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Probably no car brand has been more diluted over the past few decades than Jeep. “Jeep” used to mean stick axles, a rough ride (even in the “luxury” models), and the ability to traverse pretty much any solid ground. You bought one because you needed that capability, or wanted to look like you needed it. Now, in many cases, it’s just a grille design and a badge. Yes, I know the Wrangler is still more or less a proper Jeep, but then you have this little front-wheel-drive poseur.

I’ve actually never driven one of these, so I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on it. They’ve been a staple of rental car fleets for years, but somehow I always ended up with something else. This is a basic Sport model, with a 2.0 liter version of the Global Engine Alliance four, backed by a Jatco CVT. It’s basically the Applebee’s Appetizer Combo of drivetrains – a bunch of stuff nobody really wants, but everyone will pick at if there’s nothing else. It runs and drives fine, the seller says, and everything works.

It looks fine inside, and since it was a fairly cheap car new, it doesn’t have half its controls on a touchscreen. Looking at this photo, I’m reminded of why I don’t typically feature cars this new, and why there’s no way I could report on new-car news. I’ve just got nothing to say about it. Modern car interiors have become as homogenized as waiting rooms, all function and no personality – not uncomfortable, but not a place that inspires you to spend a lot of time there.

Jeep restyled the Compass in 2011 to look more like the Grand Cherokee, and less like a bug-eyed alien. It’s handsome enough, and this one looks like it’s in good condition. The real reason this type of car is so popular has nothing to do with styling, however – it’s all about that tall seating position for visibility, and a big hatch in the back for stuff. And if you want a car to fit into your life, rather than define it, it makes a lot of sense. I guess.

2018 Fiat 500X Urbana Edition – $5,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, nine-speed automatic, AWD

Location: San Francisco, CA

Odometer reading: 89,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

When Fiat came back to the US market in 2010, it was with the 500 subcompact, a retro-styled shot directly across Mini’s bow. It was a big success, so of course, all Fiat’s subsequent models had to be called the 500 something, because everyone loves a franchise. First there was the 500L, a four-door version of the 500 that looked oddly inflated, and then this car, the 500X, came along, with better proportions and all-wheel-drive, but still clearly a 500.

A 4WD Fiat isn’t as new a concept as it may seem to Americans. The little Panda that was never sold here was available with 4WD way back in 1983, and before that, Fiat made a Land Rover-esque SUV called the Campagnola. The 500X probably doesn’t have the goat-like off-road abilities of those two, but I bet it does well in the snow. Powering its all-wheel-drive system is a 2.4-liter “Tigershark” inline 4 and a nine-speed ZF automatic. You could get a 500X with a manual, but only the base model, and only front-wheel drive. This one runs and drives great, and doesn’t have many miles on it.

This one isn’t all that exciting inside either, especially compared to the small 500’s stylish interior, but it looks functional enough. It looks like it’s in good shape in the photos, but we don’t get a clear view of the driver’s seat, which always gets the most wear and tear. I’m not saying that the seller is necessarily hiding anything, but they could be. I’ve gone to look at cars before that didn’t show the driver’s seat in the ad, and found popped seams and worn-out fabric. They do say everything works as it should.

It’s the Urbana Edition, which apparently accounts for the blacked-out trim and gunmetal gray wheels. (I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Urbana, and I don’t recall that being the fashion there, but whatever.) It has the requisite crossover SUV black wheel arches, but at least Fiat was fairly restrained with them; they’re not big flares sticking out or anything. It’s in good condition, especially for being a city car; I don’t see any door dings or scuffs on the bumpers that you might expect from a life in the concrete jungle.

I have to be honest: neither one of these is very inspiring to me, but from a pragmatic point of view, I can understand why someone would want one. They just work as transportation, and sometimes, that’s all you need. So what do you think? If you had to choose between a Jeep that’s not really a Jeep, and a Fiat that’s only kind of a 500 (and you do; that’s how the game is played), which one will it be?