[hillsnrains]

FCA delay on pricing of Compass is the only reason for these wide price range speculations. This delay may help to judge the market pulse, but may also create un realistic expectations. I have seen everybody who came to check Compass are asking sales advisor about price, which is quite natural. His answer is something like this "Top end variant may cost around 28L on road Bangalore and pricing may be announced in first week of August".

It looks like FCA is following Tata Hexa launch strategy (which is not successful as expected). All the hype and hoopla vanished immediately after price announcement of Hexa. I honestly want Jeep to succeed but this much delay in price announcement is not going to help them at all.

[thesilentone]

There is no news regarding the bookings made after they announced the number 1000. Any further updates?

[zulfi hansi]

Another 6 days guys, have patience. It's not like they are going to start delivering the cars, ask the customers to use it, experience it, may be for a week or two. And then ask them how much do they think it is worth and how much they want to pay for it. That would be great, out of the box thinking, radical, new gen!

[aviraj]

How will GST play out on the rates?
The Petrol model is over 4m and under 1500cc engine capacity
The Diesel model is over 4m and over 1500cc engine capacity
Does this mean that the diesel models will be benefited more by the price cut or do they take into consideration that the 1.4L engine is a turbo charged engine? I have not seen any GST article mentioning anything about turbo charged engines

[Shwet]

I think we need to Understand that the Compass is actually a better product than Creta. Reliability is something which we don't know yet, however the Compass is a very well built vehicle with a pleasant cabin and an actual 4 wheel drive.
Creta is just a fat hatchback which sits a little higher up (No Of fence to Creta Owners). I looked at the Compass at the Gurgaon Showroom and this comes across as Muscular and Butch. Might be a little shorter than Tucson but is actually heavier and very well built compared to the Koreans.

This is the first real compact SUV in Indian Markets, in reality Creta can't be termed as an SUV, it is priced a good 3-4 lakh above it's ideal price. The Duster is too bare-bones and although the AWD is capable it looks ancient next to the Compass.
If we as a people have been paying through our nose for a product like Creta ? then there is no reason to not pay a premium for Compass. However i think there needs to be a price correction so that manufacturers don't fleece customers. Anything starting from 15-16 Lakhs is apt for Compass in the present scenario.

[saildrive]

Originally Posted by Shwet

I think we need to Understand that the Compass is actually a better product than Creta. Reliability is something which we don't know yet, however the Compass is a very well built vehicle with a pleasant cabin and an actual 4 wheel drive.

Creta is just a fat hatchback which sits a little higher up (No Offense to Creta Owners). I looked at the Compass at the Gurgaon Showroom and this comes across as Muscular and Butch. Might be a little shorter than Tucson but is actually heavier and very well built compared to the Koreans.

This is the first real compact SUV in Indian Markets, in reality Creta can't be termed as an SUV, it is priced a good 3-4 lakh above it's ideal price. The Duster is too barebones and although the AWD is capable it looks ancient next to the Compass.

If we as a people have been paying through our nose for a product like Creta ? then there is no reason to not pay a premium for Compass. However i think there needs to be a price correction so that manufacturers don't fleece customers. Anything starting from 15-16 Lakhs is apt for Compass in the present scenario.

Very well summed up Shwet.
I haven't seen the Compass in person yet, but it looks promising in print / media.
The Duster, though has rave reviews for its AT, i felt it absolutely crude in terms of interiors. It does look menacing from the outside, but the interiors are a damp squib.

Creta - is quite an expensive proposition. Also am not an admirer of Korean manufacturers, they are currently making some of the best looking vehicles.
Compass's viability, price, features, ASS and scoring over the above two vehicles will be known in days to come. However, the feeling of US cars being expensive to maintain compared to the Japs and also fuel guzzling issue will be out in the open soon.
BTW - no offense meant to Hyundai or Duster owners.

[maker_of_things]

Went to take a look at the Jeep Compass with my dad last Sunday in the Sky Moto FCA showroom at SB Road. Couldn't take a lot of pics as it was quite crowded.
The interiors are quite nice as seen in the reviews on YouTube etc.
The steering wheel has some empty buttons on the right side of the wheel, which looks a bit asymmetric to my OCD brain.
Apart from this, the seats are very comfortable and on the driver side, the pedals are placed comfortably, including the dead pedal. The gear shifts are super smooth, something unknown for Fiat engines till date in India.
The engine bay is the cleanest looking one I've seen till date. So good, I've only taken a photo of the engine bay.



What surprised me is that the bonnet has quite a bit of heft to it. No gas struts in the bonnet will make sure that the owner will have to do a bit of workout to open it.

[aviraj]

Has anyone seen the base version of the compass in any showroom? Any comments with respect to the smaller touch screen, steel wheels, seat cover, general impression etc? Almost all dealers display the top variant, and people book keeping that impression in mind, but sometimes the fit and finish of the base variant disappoints

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by aviraj

Has anyone seen the base version of the compass in any showroom? Any comments with respect to the smaller touch screen, steel wheels, seat cover, general impression etc?

From what I know, all the showrooms have been sent LIMITED or LIMITED(O) variants only.

Regarding the base variant, the steel wheels are made to look somewhat like alloys, as in the Hexa. The spy shot below matches the image on the brochure for the steel wheels.

Also please note -
1. No fog lamps. Thankfully they haven't left a dummy slot to show for it!
2. Normal headlamps.
3. No body coloured door handles.
4. Floating roofline is not chrome.





Source

Closer look thanks to Team Bhp scoop here (Scoop! 2017 Jeep Compass spotted in India)





Doesn't get LED tail lamps from the higher versions on display now. Roof line turns chrome near to the tailgate only.



Also, if they are sticking to Firestone tyres for the base variant as well, tyre size might be 225/65 R16. Should be having even better ride quality.

Interiors are all black and has a smaller HU, as revealed by the team bhp scoop here (Scoop! 2017 Jeep Compass spotted in India) -

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by aviraj

Has anyone seen the base version of the compass in any showroom? Any comments with respect to the smaller touch screen, steel wheels, seat cover, general impression etc? Almost all dealers display the top variant, and people book keeping that impression in mind, but sometimes the fit and finish of the base variant disappoints

Here are some pics, courtesy a friend.

Also, there are two types between the projectors. Only the Limited Option pack gets the HIDs. The regular Limited gets the halogens.

[aviraj]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Here are some pics, courtesy a friend.

If the base version has fabric seats, smaller touch screen and few other things missing, it will be a far cry from the premium feeling the Limited/Limited(0) cabin gives with the white leather seats and larger central unit. Looking at the pictures posted, I get an impression that it would feel like the Dusters cabin, poor and out dated. Longitude variant onward would be the ideal minimum specification one should go for and that too with after market leather seats and some amount of required fittings

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by aviraj

If the base version has fabric seats, smaller touch screen and few other things missing, it will be a far cry from the premium feeling the Limited/Limited(0) cabin gives with the white leather seats and larger central unit.

On the other hand, if the car is mechanically same as the higher versions, then I would prefer to install an aftermarket head unit with maps (as against the limitations of Apple car play) and nice seat covers to cover the white, which may be anyway more difficult to maintain

Just another way to look at it. This is why I hope a lot of people buy the base version and then I can buy from them in a few years!

There are always a lot of people with different sets of requirements

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by aviraj

If the base version has fabric seats, smaller touch screen and few other things missing, it will be a far cry from the premium feeling the Limited/Limited(0) cabin gives with the white leather seats and larger central unit. Looking at the pictures posted, I get an impression that it would feel like the Dusters cabin, poor and out dated. Longitude variant onward would be the ideal minimum specification one should go for and that too with after market leather seats and some amount of required fittings

I suggest you set your expectations right.

Base model is called the base, for a reason. You cannot expect similar features from the top trim in the base model. Costs need to be cut in places where it would not be a deal breaker. This is how it is across the industry and not limited to the brand Jeep.

Ever sat in a base model Creta? Try it. The elite i20 Asta variant does not even come with a rear wiper and alloy wheels currently, for crying out loud. Yes, Hyundai removed them from the Asta (which is incidentally the fully loaded trim, sitting below the Asta (O) Pack) silently.

Personally for me, I do not mind if the seats are covered with leather or fabric, or the color of the same!

That it looks like a duster's cabin is a far fetch, IMHO.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by aviraj

Looking at the pictures posted, I get an impression that it would feel like the Dusters cabin, poor and out dated.

Issue with Duster is not features, but the quality of plastics. Not sure about Compass, but if Jeep has kept the quality same, I wouldn't be as bothered.

HU is one of the simplest modifications to be done these days, and I would have to do it anyways, with a full audio upgrade done in my current car as well. Relatively simpler to get leather seats too.

Base version appeals to people (like me actually) who are on a tight budget, and looking at the SCross 1.6 segment, but value a better car more than better feature list. The highlight is the 2.0 diesel, long list of standard safety features and the excellent build quality. I personally was so active in the facelift SCross thread and have lost all interest now.

And just like the demand for S-Cross 1.6, the sales could be less for this one, as most people value features a lot and might find the higher variants of Creta to be a better choice for the price. But, if priced right, I feel this could be the new driving machine on a budget, displacing the S-Cross.

[bhaskaracs]

Thought I'd pitch in too, having seen the Compass earlier today at RDF Fiat, Chennai.

Interiors:
I returned feeling that the Jeep interiors looked a notch below, i dare say, the Honda City or the Creta, and eyes trained to the likes of Octavia/Elantra may not appreciate it. Not that I am saying anything new, but this is important for a typical Indian customer who is in the market for a C+ segment vehicle (given Jeep is chasing volumes and just cannot have one segment - enthusiasts and risk takers willing to commit a leap of faith!).

Pricing:
The Sales advisor commented on a pricing strategy akin to a dumbbell. With variants plonked at either ends competing with two separate segments while also allowing folks to settle for mid-way prices. Sounds too complicated and dangerous to me, but I not a marketing expert. It sounds like a Chennai theater screen where ticket prices range from Rs. 10 (front row) to Rs 150 for rear rows with everyone watching the movie. However, in this case only the driver is engrossed in the movie, while the rest are watching the car (passengers and the bystanders)!

The other issue with this is how service priorities will be assigned later. Cars are not sold once, but with a view of the next full 5-7 years - with relationships carefully nurtured by after sales personnel (service). It needs to be seen if the same dumbbell positioning is embedded into service relationships/contracts too. That is where it becomes complex. Imagine a Limited variant allowing home pick-ups/drops, one day prior service bookings, reminders/alerts, regular S/W updates etc. as opposed to a Longitude which may not enjoy such priorities etc. I am speaking too soon just based on what an SA said, but it all sounds too complex.

Other points:
Saw this instruction sticker on the fuel lid. Wondered what the 10s meant.