[reddevilgautam]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

The rated approach and departure angles at 30 and 34 degrees respectively are decent enough for its use as a softroader. It is not intended to be used for hard core offroading.
Although the unladen ground clearance is a healthy 221mm, due to Govt regulations, the laden ground clearance (with 4 people and 90% full tank) needs to be reported which is at 178mm.

Actually the Compass website mentions the laden GC as 150 - 155mm. That's much lower than the 178 mm mentioned in most places.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

According to a whatsapp forward, they are delivering 60 Jeep Compasses today in Hyderabad.

PS: Sorry for the inverted video, that's how I got it on whatsapp.

Another video of the event. Thanks to BHPian a4anurag for the forward.

https://youtu.be/VZo0zUGEjyc

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Compass has hill start assist in all variants, you won't need to use handbreak.

I took a Compass Longitude on a test drive in Bangalore (Showroom on Intermediate ring road) and while doing a u turn the engine stalled. I had this unnerving feel of slipping backward (could be imagined), however, while moving forward, had to keep looking down to see if the amber LED indicator of 'electronic hand' brake was on or off. Seeing it on, I tried pressing the button to turn it off, which seemed to work. I was told, press foot brake pedal and it automatically switches off.

Otherwise, I drive an Innova and am thankful to the 'mechanical hand' brake! My observation about this feature is that it might require getting used to. Personally, I think its ok to have gadgetry of this sort on gaming consoles, but not when I am in this real box of metal on a real road. I dare not imagine driving on a narrow ghat section as newbie to this feature. The vehicle designers might have taken care with 'hill assist' but, I might continue to make mistakes by compensating the feature with a misunderstanding of how something is supposed to work, which can put me in jeopardy.

Pardon me for this rant, but I decided this vehilce is not for me due to the electronic hand brake alone! Nevermind that some may label me a luddite.

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

I mean its just a switch : 0/1

Its a big switch though, my point of view. I say '0'!

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

To deter me from buying the Compass, you may have to shut down this thread.
The Ecosport's warranty expires next month. Am a bit scared to keep a car beyond warranty.

Well you already have your answers. Just one issue, I will in fact trust a out of warranty car as it has already proven itself. And anything else that comes up for repair is just normal. That said, if I was in your position I would buy a barely used top end Compass next year under my budget and spend the remaining on it.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by dhuli

Pardon me for this rant, but I decided this vehilce is not for me due to the electronic hand brake alone! Nevermind that some may label me a luddite.


Its a big switch though, my point of view. I say '0'!

Personally, this is one of the things we need to get used to, and at times it is for the better.
These electronic handbrakes ensure that the car is never driven with the handbrake kept up, or the car never rolls back/front of the handbrake isn't properly engaged.

I've witnessed both these issues: a friend's polo was driven by a newbie with the handbrakes engaged which resulted in the brake line snapping.
And a friend's old Octavia rolled down the slope and hit a wall as the handbrake was not properly engaged.

This mitigates both such issues.

In terms of safety, I have a bigger issue with touch screens for everything as those are more distracting for a driver as compared to switches.

Heck I've seen newbie drivers leave their car in gear (more relevant to automatics) and step out and the car start to roll away in D1. An E-brake ensures that such incidents are also minimalized as it detects such motion and applies to parking brake pronto.

[The Hurricane]

Mass Deliveries by Pride FCA dealerships in Hyderabad. Nice to see FCA doing deliveries with such fan fare .

[procrj]

The Jeep Showroom is right across the road from my place and hence decided to walk in & check out the Compass. KHT Prime Yeshwantpur is just being setup and they only have a Silver Compass 2.0L, 125 Linea & Urban Cross as display cars. I spent a little more than 2 hours at the showroom talking to the Sales Exec Syed(who was quiet knowledgeable when compared to Hyundai/Maruti Sales Reps) and he did walk me through the features and functionality of the compass 2.0L. When asked about the Multijet, he wasn't sure about when they might get a display or test drive car but did know that its a 160 BHP 1.4L Turbo petrol. Syed also talked about their 3 day training with the Compass and how they had to drive through some pretty bad terrain in the 2WD 2.0L Compass and it did very well.

Most of the TDs shared here have covered a lot of the salient points but here are some that really stood out for me:


Positives

• NVH in cabin is brilliant. You just dont hear a thing. I was at 2500 RPM in 2nd gear and all I could hear was a mild grunt from the engine that is sweet music!
  
  
• Soft clutch + short & sure throws ensure that you have no issues when it comes to changing gears
  
  
• Turbo starts spooling at 2000 RPM and that is when the engine shines. You will have no difficulty driving this in 2nd gear in B2B traffic but if you are looking to make a quick getaway, then you will need to wait for 2K RPM
  
  
• In the turbo range,the engine really kicks a$$ and you will be left grinning. I was so tempted to take the car onto NECE road and floor it in 6th Gear!
  
  
• Beautiful breaking which is nice and progressive, should take care of most things that the Indian road throws at it
  
  
• Even though the seat height adjustment is not very long, its easy to find a driving position. I am 6ft tall and on the very heavy side (110+ kgs) and still found the seats to be super comfortable in the short drive. Lumbar support is missing though and hence will need to see how it fares during longer rides.
  
  
• Back seats are also very very comfortable and there is enough and more head room. Also rear is easier to climb into when compared to the front.
  
  
• The soft touch semi rubberized buttons on the console and steering wheel feel very premium
  
  
• Dash plastics feel very premium with its rubberized coating on top
  
  
• Doors are really heavy and close with a nice thud. Also the doors open almost 90 degrees and that is good news for people like me
  
  
  
• Last but not the least, the drive quality in general is very good irrespective of which part of the car you are seated in. Yes there is a bit of bounciness, yes there is a bit of body roll but if you are doing 25+ kmph, the Compass just swallows just about everything from small pothholes, uneven road surface, small speed breakers, sharp drops etc. Ride quality is very close to that of the Hexa.
  
  What could have been better
• Spare wheel is not full sized spare. Limited version was shod with 225/60 R17 but the spare was 215/65 R 16, which is the tyre spec for the Sport version
  
  
  
• The Aero flap is very low and I did scrape while driving over one of the monstrous speed breakers. Its not very flexible plastic either, which means this could crack or break.
  
  
  
• When driving under 20 kmph on uneven roads, you will feel the car bounce around and throw about a bit. Just like any other SUV.
  
  
• You dont climb into the Compass. Neither do you slide in. You actually have to step down into the Compass. Driver seat height is actually lower than what I had expected it to be (for a 6 footer after adjusting for right driving position). If you have a big gut and are 6 feet tall, you kind of have to fold yourself into the compass. Not something one would expect from an SUV
  
  
• While Jeep does provide full plastic wheel cladding, the plastic is very flimsy when compared to that of the 125 Linea that was standing next to it. Linea cladding was rock solid.
  
  
• Lots of joints in the engine compartment were just taped over with insulation tape. Not sure if production models will also see similar treatment but not something one would expect in a 20L car.
  
  
  
  Smaller things
• 60:40 Split rear seat. Seat does not fold down to a flat floor because the rear headrests are not removable
  
  
• Boot also gets air vents. Do notice the scratches on the hard plastic in the boot. Boot also gets hooks for luggage nets
  
  
  
• Boot lamps on both sides of the door
  
  
  
• Storage space on either corner of the boot. Can be used to store coolant bottle etc.
  
  
  
• Beautifully integrated lamps for the rear passengers
  
  
  
• Very clean engine bay where all the things that need replacement are easy to reach.
  
  
  
• Wiper are semi frameless/frameless. More expensive to replace
  
  
  
• Front grill honeycomb plastic is not perforated. Its a complete plastic unit that doesn't allow air passage
  
  
  
• Door beading on top has 2 layers. First layer of felt like material and then your second layer of standard door beading. Is this the secret for the brilliant NVH of the Compass?
  
  
  
• Rear door child locks are not user friendly. Will need to use a screwdriver of something similar to turn the plastic dial.A letdown given the safety focus of the Compass
  
  
  
• Window & Rear glass dont seem to be UV cut or 70% VLT but they do have a slight tint on them.
  
  
  
• Max load of 390 Kgs. 5 Adults of 75 kgs = 375 Kgs, Which means only 15 more Kgs of Luggage? Don't understand the logic.
  
  
  
• People with big feet might find their left foot brushing the dead pedal. I wear size 11 footwear and while using the clutch, I had to adjust my feet to prevent from brushing the dead pedal. There isn't a lot of room to the right either as the pedals are spaced quiet close to each other
  
  
• Rear doors dont get a scuffplate, which means a lot of dirty footmarks on black plastic.
  
  
• Not sure if this is just me but the A pedal range from zero to full throttle seemed very small. Much smaller than that of the TUV or any other Marutis that I have driven.

The Conversation
There was a long wait for the TD as there was only 1 TD vehicle and lots of folks walking in to check it out. Heard a lot of folks dismiss the petrol as its only 1.4L. Got chatting with a Father (60+ yrs old) Son(30 ish) duo who were checking out the Compass. They drive a 7 year old Skoda Laura L&K which was beautifully maintained and were looking at the compass as an additional vehicle for their long drives to Kerala. They were more than happy with the Laura but very a little weary of its ground clearance and hence wanted an SUV which can handle the pot holes and humongous speed breakers.

Highlights of Pre test drive conversation between Father & Son

• No electronic seat height adjustment/memory function. Our 7 year old Laura has it!
• No cruise control and only 1 variant with automatic?
• Car looks a little small for 22L?
• Very comfortable front and rear seats. Even though it looks small, space in the back is not a problem at all
• Even luggage space is small when compared to our Laura
  
  I got talking to them and we started discussing their Laura, the Compass, the 1.4L engine and so on. Their turn for the TD came and I asked if I can ride along. They asked me to join them and I decided to test the back seat comfort of the Compass.
  
  Highlights during test drive - Son Driving
• There is lag till 2K RPM. Even after that its not like the laura [this is after flooring the pedal right from the get go]
• Body roll is also there but the brakes are good
• Back seat posture is good and leg room/comfort is much better than what I thought it would be [when father took over the wheel]
  
  Highlights during test drive - Father Driving
• If only this was an automatic
• Not quiet as smooth as the Laura
• Need to take the speedbreakers head on unlike the laura[experience roll when he drove the Compass sideways on a speed breaker]

Post drive neither of them seemed convinced if the Compass was a right buy for them. Asked them if they test drove the Hexa and they were surprised that I was comparing the Compass and the Hexa. Told them to try it and then decide.

I do think the Compass will do decently well as I did see a lot of folks drool all over its looks from the front and the comfort of the car. Yes it drives well, Yes its a looker in Red, Yes its very comfortable and cozy on the inside but IMHO, I dont think its great value for money. I did ask the Sales folks about service costs and they were not sure about the same but were quiet positive that it would be lower than that of Maruti & Hyundai. Obviously you need to take that statement with a pinch of salt and talk to Linea owners before making the decision to invest. On the whole, FCA has a decent package than could get them some momentum in terms of market share.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Actually the Compass website mentions the laden GC as 150 - 155mm. That's much lower than the 178 mm mentioned in most places.

Definitely to encash on the additional tax savings.
The general trend these days is to show the GC below 170mm just to save an additional 3% tax which the Govt has imposed on SUVs with GC above 170mm.

I'm sure they haven't made any changes to the suspension, just must have fiddled a bit with some plastic/rubber part (most likely the front air dam) to keep the lowest point at 150-155mm to keep it well within the 170mm GC bracket.

Its similar to how Mahindra show the GC of the XUV as 160 mm (not by actually lowering the suspension but just tweaking some lowest point to be at 160 mm), just to keep it below 170 mm.

[wordsworth]

My wife went to see the creta and asked me reasons as to why we should not consider the creta instead of compass what with the 6+ lakhs difference in the on road price of petrol automatic. I could think of following:
- powerful engine
- better dynamics
- leather seats
- better safety

But do the above explain the price difference. Creta has a great image in the market and backed by Hyundai service after sales. But is lacks a bit of a soul and character compared to compass.

I drive an i20 for the last 5 years and completely satisfied with the product.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

But do the above explain the price difference. Creta has a great image in the market and backed by Hyundai service after sales.

I drive an i20 for the last 5 years and completely satisfied with the product.

I find convincing my wife about car/bike buying logic, the hardest of tasks ever.

I think it all depends on your budget. A lot of people opted for Creta instead of Ecosport inspite of the higher price because they felt Creta was worth the higher pricetag. I am sure the same will happen with Creta and Jeep.

I find Creta excelling almost in all areas except driving dynamics. Yes, even the performance of 1.6 satisfies you. It is the best looking compact SUV IMO.

[46TheDoctor]

After going through Compass thread, i cant help but wonder about the following points:

1. How come there is so much fan following about Compass which is essentiallly a product from FCA who normally gets bitten from all the sides when it comes to Fiat products. People normally complain or give excuses about A.S.S. of Fiat to avoid a fiat car during their purchase decisions, but are not they about to go to the same service stations now with Jeep?

2. For an anology, Fiat Urban Cross/ Avventura with 1.4 turbo petrol engine (and optional designer interiors) has better acceleration numbers than any of the Compass variants, has same level of mechanical brilliance, ride handling set up, similar off roading ability (in case of 4x2 Compass), same seating capacity, attractive looks, etc. The only factors where it's lagging behind are seat space, few more additional safety features, slightly better interior materials, few more luxury features, etc. But, it is also priced at the 40-50% mark compared to Compass especially for top end variants. So, how come there are not any buyers for the UC but so many interested in Compass? How can the market ignore the same level of mechanical brilliance in a VFM product but line up for booking twice an expensive product for the same qualities and even from a same manufacturer/dealer?

3. And as per my understanding, Compass is not even a true Jeep by it's DNA as it is a Jeep developed on a Fiat product platform (correct me if i am wrong), so is it not a logical thing to expect UC to sell multiple times than any of the Compass 4x2 MT variants, especially when you are bound to get the similar kind of after sales experience in both the cases?

Disclaimer: I am neither a fan/critic of any of the brands nor criticizing/appreciating anyone's decisions here. Just that these market reactions sometimes take me by surprise, so just wanted to mention those here.

[vishnurp99]

I think better looks ,better suspension, road presence, much better diesel engine, build quality are advantages that Jeep enjoys over the fiat UC.

However I do think it's an interesting question. For eg why does creta sell so much when compared to Scross which is mechanically superior, has better ASS and is currently much cheaper than Creta.

Guess it has something to do with looks and presence.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

My wife went to see the creta and asked me reasons as to why we should not consider the creta instead of compass what with the 6+ lakhs difference in the on road price of petrol automatic.

There was a similar discussion between myself and BHP'ian 'vb-san' earlier on in this thread.

If you're really looking to convince your wife, all you need to do is to take her to the showroom. Ladies in particular get really impressed with build quality and road presence and the Compass has both in bucketloads as compared to the Creta.

If it doesn't work - try the infamous (by now!) bonnet trick!

[procrj]

Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor

After going through Compass thread, i cant help but wonder about the following points:

1. How come there is so much fan following about Compass which is essentiallly a product from FCA who normally gets bitten from all the sides when it comes to Fiat products. People normally complain or give

SUV - the magic words that generate interest. Check any SUV thread over the last 7-8 yrs and you will find tonnes of interest. And the best part, its brand agnostic

[dhuli]

My 2 cents from a test drive and inspection of the Compass.

• I agree with others here about excellent NVH at 2000RPM levels.
• Very smooth gear shift - butter smooth.
• Except kept stalling on reverse. Also, pulling the cup like thing to engage reverse feels odd...like operating a folding umbrella!
• Already mentioned in another post about how the 'electronic hand' brake was a deal breaker (or 'braker') for me.
• Slipped while entering the vehicle (see pic) where my foot almost slid in like a toddlers slide! I am so used to the flat floor on the Innova, this step down was uncomfortable. Not sure if this is common in certain class of vehicles.
• Lastly, kept on switching the wipers while trying to turn on turn indicators. Again, habit from Innova, where the turn indicator lever is on the left. Guess it requires getting used to.