Compare the2025 Nissan MuranoVS 2025 Jeep Compass

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Murano 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.

The Nissan Murano has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Compass doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Murano Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Compass doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Murano has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Compass doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Murano 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Murano weighs 573 to 818 pounds more than the Jeep Compass. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Nissan Murano is much safer than the Compass:

The Nissan Murano has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Compass is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 7 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Murano’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (241 vs. 200) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 221) than the Compass’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Murano is faster than the Jeep Compass:

The Murano has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (18.7 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Murano, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Compass.

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

The Murano’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 Murano stops much shorter than the Compass:

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Compass (255/55R20 vs. 215/65R17). The Murano’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Compass (255/55R20 vs. 235/45R19).

The Murano’s 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.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Compass Sport/Latitude. The Compass’ largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Murano has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Compass doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the Compass (111.2 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 6 inches wider in the front and 6.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Compass.

The Murano Platinum AWD handles at .77 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Murano Platinum AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (28 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Murano has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Compass (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Murano to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Murano uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Compass doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Murano has 12.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Compass (112 vs. 99.6).

The Murano has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front hip room, 4.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 7.7 inches more rear hip room and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Compass.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Compass with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 27.2 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Compass with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 59.8 cubic feet).

The Murano’s cargo area is larger than the Compass’ in every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Murano. The Compass doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Murano’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Compass’ (1500 vs. 0 pounds).

The Murano Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Compass doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Murano’s standard Intelligent Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Push Button Start standard on the Compass only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. Push Button Start is not available on the Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Murano to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Compass doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Murano SL/Platinum is put in reverse, the rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Compass’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Nissan Murano and Jeep Compass offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Murano offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Compass’ foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Murano Platinum has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Compass.

The Murano 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 Murano’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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Murano has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. Only the Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

The Murano is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Compass doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.