The Compass’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Kicks doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
The Compass has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kicks doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Jeep Compass achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Nissan Kicks has not been tested.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Compass. But it costs extra on the Kicks.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Compass Trailhawk’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Kicks doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.
Both the Compass and the Kicks 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, 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 and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Compass is safer than the Nissan Kicks:
|
|
Compass |
Kicks |
| OVERALL STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
| HIC |
196 |
476 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
41% |
43.8% |
| Neck Stress |
445 lbs. |
476 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
38 lbs. |
76 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
| HIC |
172 |
338 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
36% |
67.5% |
| Neck Stress |
235 lbs. |
253 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 Jeep Compass is safer than the Nissan Kicks:
|
|
Compass |
Kicks |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
102 |
124 |
| Hip Force |
335 lbs. |
371 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
101 |
206 |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Spine Acceleration |
39 G’s |
48 G’s |
| Hip Force |
663 lbs. |
797 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

