Not every small SUV that looks rugged can actually handle the rough stuff. The Subaru Crosstrek, Jeep Compass, and Mazda CX-30 all wear adventurous styling, but only some of them back it up with genuine off-road hardware. If you plan to leave the pavement behind, the differences between them matter a great deal.
Kristen Brown
Ground clearance, all-wheel-drive systems, low-range gearing, and skid plates separate a real trail machine from a soft-roader dressed up for the part. Here is how the Crosstrek, Compass, and CX-30 compare when the road turns to dirt, and which one is the most off-road ready.
Jeep
Specs and pricing
| Specification | Subaru Crosstrek | Jeep Compass | Mazda CX-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Standard symmetrical AWD | All-wheel drive, 4×4 in Trailhawk | Available i-Activ AWD |
| Ground clearance | 8.7 in (9.3 in Wilderness) | 8.1 in (8.6 in Trailhawk) | About 8.0 in |
| Off-road hardware | X-Mode, all-terrain tires (Wilderness) | Trail Rated, low-range 4×4, skid plates (Trailhawk) | None |
| Off-road drive modes | Dual-function X-Mode | Selec-Terrain | None |
| Starting price | About $27,000 | About $28,000 | About $26,000 |
A Jeep Compass and a Subaru Crosstrek open within about $1,000 of each other, but their off-road ability is far further apart than that.
Kristen Brown
How off-road ready is the Jeep Compass?
Trail hardware is the Compass’s ace, at least in the right trim. In Trailhawk form, it is the only vehicle here to earn Jeep’s Trail Rated badge, adding a low-range 4×4 mode with a deep crawl ratio, extra skidplate protection, improved approach and departure angles, and Selec-Terrain drive modes.
Jeep
That low-range gearing is a genuine off-road tool neither rival offers, letting it crawl slowly and deliberately over obstacles where the others would struggle. Its 8.6 inches of ground clearance in Trailhawk trim trails the Crosstrek Wilderness, and the Trailhawk is a limited-availability trim, but for technical terrain it is the most seriously engineered of the trio.
How off-road ready is the Subaru Crosstrek?
Clearance and everyday capability define the Crosstrek. Every version comes with Subaru’s standard symmetrical all-wheel drive and a dual-function X-Mode with hill descent control plus Snow, Dirt, and Deep Snow settings, and even base models offer 8.7 inches of ground clearance, more than a standard Compass.
Kristen Brown
Step up to the Wilderness, and clearance grows to 9.3 inches, the most in this group, alongside all-terrain tires and a higher 3,500-pound tow rating. It lacks the Compass Trailhawk’s low-range gearing, so it is less suited to slow rock crawling. But for dirt roads, trailheads, and light-to-moderate trails, it is superbly capable straight off the lot and the better all-rounder.
How off-road ready is the Mazda CX-30?
Off-road ability is not really the CX-30’s remit. Mazda offers a competent i-Activ all-wheel-drive system that predicts and prevents wheel slip, which helps on wet roads and light gravel, but that is where its capability ends.
Chase Bierenkoven
With around 8.0 inches of ground clearance, no low-range gearing, no off-road drive modes, and no skid plates, it is a road-biased crossover that happens to have all-wheel drive rather than a genuine trail vehicle. It is the most engaging of the three to drive on pavement, but it should stay there.
So which one is the most off-road ready?
The Jeep Compass is the most off-road-ready, especially in Trailhawk trim. Its Trail Rated hardware, low-range 4×4 gearing, skid plates, and terrain drive modes make it the only vehicle here engineered for genuinely technical off-roading, giving it the capability that the others cannot match on difficult ground. For anyone planning to tackle serious trails, it is the clear pick.
That said, the Subaru Crosstrek runs it remarkably close and is the better choice for most buyers, with standard all-wheel drive on every trim, more ground clearance in Wilderness form, and excellent light-to-moderate trail ability without paying for a specialized trim. The Mazda CX-30 is a distant third, a stylish, road-focused crossover with all-wheel drive but none of the hardware required for off-roading. For outright off-road readiness, though, the Compass Trailhawk wins.
About the author
Kyle Edward
Editor-in-Chief, Autoblog