The Jeep Compass cabin is roomy and comfortable. The front bucket seats are very comfortable without being soft. The cloth seats that come in the Sport use a rugged fabric that's smooth and stain repellant. The front seat jacks upward, which is nice because the long dash makes it hard to see the ground in front of the car, even though the hood is short. The long dash is a result of the sloped windshield.

The cabin layout is functional and roomy. It isn't very exciting to look at, trimmed in a lot of two-tone vinyl (boring in beige but better in gray), but what mostly matters is room for your stuff, including your elbows and legs. The front door pockets are short but deep enough to get your hand in, at least. They're short to make room for big stereo speakers in the doors.

The gauges are clean and pleasant, white on black with a symmetrical layout against a simple silver background. The four-spoke steering wheel is solid to grip. The center stack is wide and intelligent: rectangular vents on top, over the one-disc AM/FM/CD, over a slot that might hold a paperback book. Below that are three climate control knobs, some buttons and then the shift lever at the driver's right knee. Both the automatic and manual transaxle levers are mounted in this practical high forward position, introduced by Honda after being copied from rally racing cars, where ergonomics matter.

Moving rearward between the front seats, there are two fixed cupholders, the emergency brake handle, and a flip-up center console containing a slot for a cellphone or MP3 player. The console top is an armrest, and can be slid three inches to accommodate drivers of different sizes.

Legroom is good, both front and rear: 39.4 inches in the rear. The Compass will be a fine vehicle for a family trip, with reclining rear seats, optional on Sport and standard on Limited. There are cupholders in the rear but no net pockets on the front seatbacks, which would be nice. Grab handles make it easy to climb out.

The rear 60/40 seats fold flat with the touch of a finger on each side, as easy as it gets. The front seat on the Limited model folds flat, making a table. The rear cargo area, a decent 53.6 cubic feeet with the rear seats folded, is covered by a rugged vinyl mat that's removable for washing. The space-saver spare tire is neatly stored under the mat. One innovative feature on the Limited is the removable rechargable LED flashlight mounted in the headliner above the cargo area.

The one-piece liftgate has panels for structural integrity, and the rear bumper has a non-skid rubber surface for stepping onto.

NEXT - Driving the 2007 Jeep Compass