Types Of Gas A Jeep Compass Takes (All Generations)

On this blog, we do a lot of research regarding specific questions about different cars. Today we’ll take a look at Jeep’s Compass and answer what kind of gas it runs on. To answer this question, we have gone through the owners’ manuals of the Compass produced since 2007. Here’s a quick answer:

The Compass comes with a 2.4 L Tigershark inline four-cylinder gas engine designed to meet all the emission norms and provide optimum fuel economy and performance while using the high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline with an octane rating of 87.

Well, it isn’t the complete story of the fuel requirements of the Jeep Compass. Below we dig deeper and find out more information about the kind of gas used for the Jeep Compass. We would also be discussing what types of gasoline are better or harmful for the durability of the engine and its performance. Read on!

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Fuel Requirements Based On Engine Type

In this section, we will look at different variants of Compass over the year and what type of engine and fuel are required in them according to the engine type.

2021 – Present

The present-day Jeep Compass comes with a 2.4 L Tigershark inline four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 180 horsepower at 6400 rpm and comes in an FWD and a 4WD transmission option. This 2.4 L gasoline engine requires high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or higher.

2007-2016

The initial Jeep Compass came equipped with a 2.4 L engine that delivered 172 horsepower and came with an option of 2WD and 4WD transmission and a 2.0 L gasoline engine that produced 158 horsepower and came with only FWD transmission option. These gasoline engines also use high-quality unleaded “regular” gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or higher. The usage of premium gasoline will provide no benefit over high-quality regular gasoline, and in some circumstances, it might result in poorer engine performance.

What Type Of Gasoline Can And Can’t Be Used?

Other than the conventional “Regular” gasoline, there’s a wide range of gas that is available in the market. Many of these types of gasoline are not recommended for use and can affect the fuel tank and the engine of your Jeep Compass. Let’s take a look at them –

E85 Flex Fuels

While researching what type of gas the Jeep Compass takes, we went through almost all of its user manuals since 2007 and found out this one standard line in each one is “Do not use E85 Flex Fuel.” So clearly, E85 Flex Fuel or any other fuel with ethanol blends that have a composition greater than 15% should not be used.

If the Compass is inadvertently filled up with E-85 fuel with more than 15% composition of Ethanol, the engine will show some or all of these symptoms:

• Operate in a lean mode.
• OBD II “Malfunction Indicator Light” on.
• Poor engine performance.
• Poor cold start and cold drivability.
• Increased risk for fuel system component corrosion.

Gasoline with Added Materials

Along with using unleaded gasoline with the proper octane rating, gasoline with detergents, corrosion, and stability additives is highly recommended for the Jeep Compass. Using gasoline with these additives will help in improving fuel economy, reducing emissions, and maintaining vehicle performance.

Gasoline with detergent additives helps prevent the deposits on the engine resulting in a healthier and long-lasting engine life.

Reformulated Gasoline

In many parts of the country, the requirement is to use cleaner-burning gasoline referred to as “Reformulated Gasoline”. Reformulated gasoline contains oxygenates and is specifically blended to reduce the emissions from vehicles and improve the air quality. The use of reformulated gasoline is recommended in the user manuals of the Compass. Properly blended reformulated gasoline will provide improved performance and durability of the engine and the fuel system components.

MMT in Gasoline

MMT stands for manganese-containing metallic additive. It is blended into some gasoline to increase the octane rating of the fuel. Gasoline blended with MMT provides no performance advantage above the regular unleaded gasoline of the same octane number without the addition of MMT.

Gasoline blended with MMT often reduces the spark plug life and reduces emissions system performance in some vehicles. It is recommended that gasoline without MMT should be used in the Jeep Compass.

The MMT content of gasoline may not be indicated on the gasoline pump. Therefore, one should ask the gasoline retailer whether the gasoline contains MMT. It should also be duly noted that MMT is prohibited in Federal and California reformulated gasoline.

CNG and LP Fuel System Modifications

The engine, emissions, and fuel system components may be damaged due to the modifications that allow the engine to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquid propane (LP). Problems arising from the use of CNG or LP are not the company’s responsibility and may void the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Octane Rating

Octane rating helps us to determine the fuel rating. The octane rating, sometimes known as the octane number, is a scale from one to one hundred that describes a fuel’s ability to resist compression and avoid knocking. The octane number is not a measurement of the fuel’s energy content (that is, its calorific value), but rather how linearly it will burn when ignited rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner.

Jeep recommends using regular octane with a rating of 87. If we use an octane rating lower than 87, then you can hear a persistent heavy knocking sound. At worst, it can also damage the engine. Also, if you use a higher octane rating than recommended, it may deteriorate the performance.

Oxygenated Blends

Some fuel suppliers mix unleaded gasoline with oxygenates such as 10% ethanol, MTBE, and ETBE. In some parts of the country, oxygenates are required to reduce carbon monoxide emissions during the winter months. Your vehicle can run on fuel that has been combined with these oxygenates. While MTBE is a Methanol oxygenate, it does not have the same adverse effects as Methanol.

Although fuels blended with these oxygenates may be used in your vehicle, the company does not take responsibility for problems that may arise from using gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol (E-15) or gasoline containing Methanol and may void the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

What If There’s A Knocking Sound From The Engine After Refuelling?

When the vehicle is refueled with the specified gasoline, i.e., with the required octane number, and you hear a slight knocking sound from the engine, then it is not a reason for concern. However, if the engine starts making a heavy knocking sound, one should immediately see the dealer as it can affect the engine adversely.

And Long-term usage of gasoline with a lower than recommended octane number could cause engine failure and may void the vehicle’s limited warranty.

Poor quality gasoline can also cause other problems, such as hard starting, stalling, and hesitations. If any of these symptoms are experienced, try another brand of gasoline before opting the vehicle out for service.

Always refuel with the recommended octane rating fuel to tackle this issue.

Does The Jeep Compass Have A Good Gas Mileage?

In this, we will look at the different models of Jeep Compass over the years and discuss the mileage given by these models on city/highway and combined.

2021 – Present

The Present-day Jeep Compass comes equipped with a 2.4 L Tigershark inline four-cylinder engine with the option of FWD and 4WD. The Compass gives a fuel economy of 22 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and a combined fuel economy of 25 mpg.

Engine	Transmission	City MPG	Highway MPG	Combined MPG
2.4 L	FWD	22 MPG	31 MPG	25 MPG
2.4 L	4WD	22 MPG	30 MPG	25 MPG

2007 – 2016

The initial models of Jeep Compass came equipped with a 2.4 L and a 2.0 L gasoline engine with the drivetrain options of 2WD and 4WD. The 2.4 L engine with 2WD transmission gave 21 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and a combined mpg of 23. At the same time, the 2.0 L engine with 2WD transmission gave 23 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and a combined mpg of 24.

The 2.4 L engine was also offered with a 4WD automatic transmission, which gave out a 20 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. In comparison, the manual transmission gave the mileage of 22 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway. The combined mpg of the 4WD considering the automatic and manual transmission varied between 22 to 24 mpg.

Engine	Transmission	City MPG	Highway MPG	Combined MPG
2.0L	2WD	23 MPG	27 MPG	24 MPG
2.4 L	2WD	21 MPG	25 MPG	23 MPG
2.4 L	4WD (Auto)	20 MPG	24 MPG	22 MPG
2.4 L	4WD (Manual)	22 MPG	27 MPG	24 MPG

What Is The Gas Tank Size Of The Jeep Compass?

The Jeep Compass, since its first production in the year 2007, has always come with 13.5 gallons or a 51 liters gas tank size. The gas tank of Compass, if filled up to the full capacity, may give a driving range of 337.5 miles.

How Much Does It Cost To Fill Up A Jeep Compass?

The gasoline tank size of the Jeep Compass is 13.5 gallons. So, on average, it would cost up to $45.72 to fill up the Compass tank once in Texas, the state with the cheapest gas in the US. At the same time, it would cost you around $ 61.38 to get your tank filled once in California, the state with the costliest gas price in the US.

Also read: Jeep Compass Transmission: Overview, Problems, Fluids

 Sources

• Gas Prices
• Fuel Economy of Jeep Compass
• 2017 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Compass
• 2021 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Compass
• 2019 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Compass
• 2018 Owner’s Manual of Jeep Compass