[vb-san]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I don't think they should target these customers at all. Thats the point. Its like saying Jaguar should have a base model that targets customers of the Elantra or Civic.

Ecosport, Brezza, Nexon are Economy grade / mass market cars. Jeep is a premium brand. One mistake of incorrectly placing the brand in a segment has ripple effects on the brand value that affect their costly products also. Check Tata HEXA. Its a premium product, but nobody accepts the premium-ness as it is from an economy brand.

A few points on this:

• Firstly, Jeep is no Jaquar. It just happened that it had two exorbitantly priced models in their portfolio.
• The lastest or rather the first mainstream product from Jeep (Compass) is placed between the Creta and Tucson in terms of pricing.
• Jeep’s premium models prior to the Compass hardly moved out of the showroom.
• The Compass is really a good, and I am deeply impressed with the overall package and what it offers for the price. But it doesn’t feel anywhere close to luxury players when it comes to premium or plush feel. I would say that the Ecosport is not far behind (or on par with) the Compass when it comes to Interior quality.

I feel Jeep is in the right playing field with the Compass and the Renegade will be right addition to its portfolio if priced alongside Creta or slightly lower (A pricing coup like the Compass will really help their cause).

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by vb-san

A few points on this:
[*]Firstly, Jeep is no Jaquar. It just happened that it had two exorbitantly priced models in their portfolio.

It was an exaggerated analogy. However, the placement of JEEP brand is targeted to be "Premium" and not mass market. That is certain. If the Renegade sells in the numbers as an EcoSport - FCA doesn't even have enough service stations to cater to the number of customers at the moment.

Originally Posted by vb-san

[*]The lastest or rather the first mainstream product from Jeep (Compass) is placed between the Creta and Tucson in terms of pricing.

I won't be too surprised if the prices climb after the initial marketing of few months to take it in a more premium territory. To me somehow the current pricing seems too aggressive & hard to sustain.

Originally Posted by vb-san

[*]Jeep’s premium models prior to the Compass hardly moved out of the showroom.

They were mainly imports and impractically costly - thats what worked against them. Compass is made in India and so cheaper.

Originally Posted by vb-san

[*]The Compass is really a good, and I am deeply impressed with the overall package and what it offers for the price. But it doesn’t feel anywhere close to luxury players when it comes to premium or plush feel. I would say that the Ecosport is not far behind (or on par with) the Compass when it comes to Interior quality.

The engines and drive-train don't really compare much. I'll reiterate. For the underpinnings, I won't be surprised if FCA hikes the price of the Compass in short time intervals in small slabs to reach a stable price in few months' time.

Originally Posted by vb-san

I feel Jeep is in the right playing field with the Compass and the Renegade will be right addition to its portfolio if priced alongside Creta or slightly lower (A pricing coup like the Compass will really help their cause).

I certainly hope so too! We need good vehicles at realistic prices to make it a good competitive segment. But I just find it a bit hard to be realistic at least for now . I have been in a Renegade & trust me it is a much more robust & capable vehicle compared to a CRETA, which is just another urban soft-roader. No offense, but the two don't really compare much in my opinion.

[IMP]

Just came across the test mule, on our roads, it looks nice, squat and rugged from the behind, the front looks okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXnV1q811Gw

[Sebring]

Checked out Renegade in Dubai. Came away underwhelmed as space is definitely at a premium and one needs to 'climb into the rear cabin'. Prices starts at AED 90K (15 Lakh). Dash looks utilitarian and rugged.

Brochure is a 'fat book', with nice 'feel' to the cover! Compass would be my choice (to be launched here in 2018)

[jaganpec2002]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Checked out Renegade in Dubai.

Unlike Compass it doesn't invoke a Wow feel.

[procrj]

Its interesting to see how discussions are focused on form and not functionality. Its so much of a dejavu as there were similar discussions on the TUV thread when it was spotted testing and even when it was launched.

• The fact that it looks weird doesn't mean that it will not drive well. I have been checking out reviews of the 1.4L petrol and most official review channels and owner reviews close out by saying its a fun ride.
• Irrespective of form, there is always a market for functional products. There will always be folks out there who might not be willing to pay a premium just because it has a 'H' badge. They might just chose to live with a good product and not so wide spread service network vis a vis OK product and great service network
• Yes FCA doesn't have as many service centers as Ford but then does it mean that they will not open new ones? Given the initial success of the Compass, they might just be forced to open new ones if the Renegade also starts doing healthy numbers
• Great service network does not mean great service. Maruti service is nothing great and pretty damn expensive.
• No doubts that the first few compass & renegade customers will have to struggle and live with mediocre service but then if the product works, the larger section of public will drift towards it. (eg. TUV, I see so many on the road today in Bangalore and it sells a steady 2.5K units a month)
• If the space inside is similar to that of the brezza/ecosport/creata, it might still sell decently as long as the price is decent

I am quiet excited to see & experience the renegade for the following reasons:

• A very good petrol engine. Most of the sub compacts in India dont have decent petrol engines and what you see on roads are mostly diesel versions
• Decent ride and handling - if the compass is anything to go by
• Fair introductory price - even the ecosport was launched at a very mouthwatering price before greed kicked in
• More choice - always good from a consumer point of view. If nothing else, it might just bring in some price correction to Brezza/Creta/Ecosport

So lets not look for cracks in the egg even before it has been laid

[AccordSport]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

It was an exaggerated analogy. However, the placement of JEEP brand is targeted to be "Premium" and not mass market. That is certain. If the Renegade sells in the numbers as an EcoSport - FCA doesn't even have enough service stations to cater to the number of customers at the moment.

Atleast here in US, Jeep's pricing is more or less in the range of Honda/Mazda if we consider Renegade vs HRV vs Mazda CX3.
So I believe if they want to succeed they should not cross Creta pricing (which itself is overpriced) for Renegade.
Size wise as well it is similar and presence wise it is a tiny crossover.
I hope they price it 10-14 lakhs and I think they wont bother to bring the Trailhawk version which will fall into compass pricing.

[motorworks]

I think Compass truly deserves the price segment it has been bracketed in, its size, Fit and Finish justify the price, although I feel features are a tad less.

On the other hand the Renegade comes across as a little "kiddish", may not be able to pull off the same price point as a Creta, for example. I'm not sure, but the Renegade looks like a fantastic alternative to the Duster, so they should target the Duster variant to variant and not the slightly more expensive Creta.

[octane_100]

Originally Posted by AccordSport

I hope they price it 10-14 lakhs and I think they wont bother to bring the Trailhawk version which will fall into compass pricing.

On the contrary, I believe a Trailhawk version may help Renegade appeal to niche audience who are starved of a proper offroader which they can drive to office everyday. To me it makes more sense than a Compass Trailhawk since that would go in to Fortuner/Endeavour territory.

[igp_79]

From Jeep's pricing of the Compass, it is obvious Jeep know pretty well where they stand in the market.

In the American market, Jeep is more lifestyle brand than luxury brand. In India too, the clever positioning of the Compass screams ,"We are giving you something different and classy, not necessarily expensive." If they were interested in projecting themselves as a luxury brand, they would have positioned the Compass above the Tuscon, would have thrown in all the bells and whistles, the American equivalents come with and would have justified the premium they were asking for( a la, the Volkswagen Tiguan). But no. That's not what Jeep did. They put in a couple of unique features, not really available in the segment below or above, took of some arguably gimmicky features, and straddled two segment.

In my books, they cooked the Compass just right!!

If we are to go by that yardstick,
1. The Renegade would be placed slightly above the Ecosport and Scorpio, will match the Duster/Kaptur, the Nissan kicks and the Creta and would tuck below the Xuv 500, the Hexa, and of course the Compass. Something like a starting price of 12 lakhs on road and the Limited 4x4 costing about 18 lakhs on road

2. Offer AWD, but no Trail hawk, since we are not really an adventure oriented nation like the Americans. They would consider Trailhawk only if they found the Compass limited AWD flying of the shelves, which is unlikely.

3. Would probably go with the 2.0L diesel in a slightly lesser state of tune, as the 1.6L does not really make sense, considering that the S Cross is the only other car that will use that engine and that car is doing paltry numbers. In contrast, the rumour mill has it that the 2.0L diesel is being courted by Tata and Suzuki.
Also with the new emission norms kicking in, diesel engines will become more expensive to manufacture. There will be a decrease in market share for diesel tech. Thus having two diesel engine lines with dwindling numbers may not be a great idea.

4. All spyshots show fabric upholstery, the 5.0 inch U connect unit, absence of cruise control, no soft touh plastics. Pretty much everything the Compass has without the percieved 'premiumness' and maybe a couple of airbags less!

5. If 75% of the Compass bookings translate to sales, and if they settle into a decent monthly average of 1500 units, they will ramp up their service network in time for their more mass market Renegade and will continue to add to their network. The Compass being a success is likely, considering interesting variants for every type of customer is confirmed and in the pipeline...read, petrol automatic, diesel automatic and maybe trailhawk too.

Our Suv crazy country definitely needs a global Suv maker apart from our very own Mahindra. And Jeep, I feel, is thinking and moving just along those lines.

[amit1agrawal]

Jeep Renegade looks too utilitarian and cabin space is at real premium so I don't think it will be appreciated by most folks. Even if they price at par with Ecosport, it might not sell much. I would any day pick Ecosport instead of Renegade.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by amit1agrawal

Jeep Renegade looks too utilitarian and cabin space is at real premium so I don't think it will be appreciated by most folks. Even if they price at par with Ecosport, it might not sell much. I would any day pick Ecosport instead of Renegade.

Interestingly, I have an Ecosport, and will gladly trade it for the Renegade! Pricing it correctly be a big point - a marginal price difference with the Compass might kill this product (a la US..). It has to be significantly cheaper. A sub 10 lakh starting point, which I think will not be the case.

[arit.mondal]

Unfortunately, as per Autocar article, the launch date seems to be late 2018 or even 2019. A bit disappointed as I can't wait that long, but at the same time makes it an easier decision to go with the new Verna.

P.S.: I know it's apples vs lemons, but Petrol SX Verna is just too much value compared to Jeep renegade!

[SVK Rider]

even i am waiting for the Renegade. however if it launches after 2018 it will be too late for me.
But again lets see how FCA prices the Renegade.

[Axe77]

The one odd thing about this segment is that the Compass (at 20-25 lakh) is already half a size smaller in space than cars like Creta and Duster that are a clean segment below on price.

If the Renegade is even smaller than Compass I guess it'll sit alongside the Duster / Creta on price and will be closer Ecosport (just guessing) on size.

Although the Compass size is still palatable a size smaller than that is going to make the decision even tougher to opt at the corresponding (presumed) price point.