[ece2k2]

I just gave my Linea for annual service at Coimbatore and a brand new Jeep Compass was standing there. It looked butch and the overall fit & finish seems to be good. But I felt that it looked pretty narrow - both internally and externally. The Jeep dealership guy claimed that only diesel manual is going to be launched for now and no Petrol model for the next 6 months. I doubt his claim though and I look forward to purchase an automatic Compass in the near future.

No cruise control? No TPMS? No 235 mm-wide tyres? No hill-descent control? No rain-sensing wipers? No auto headlamps? No start & stop micro hybrid technology? No, thanks. There are many more absentees. I am happy with my XUV 500. I don't want to downgrade to J Compass.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

No cruise control? No TPMS? No 235-mm wide tyres? No hill-descent control? No rain-sensing wipers? No auto headlamps? No start & stop micro hybrid technology? No, thanks. There are many more absentees. I am happy with my XUV 500. I don't want to downgrade to J Compass.

I agree its a downgrade for sure but my personal opinion would be on space and not much on so called auto technology.

Apart from 7 seats and tremendous leg/shoulder space, i feel Compass (IF priced right) is a better bet. The quality of interiors, ride and handling quality, fit and finish etc are more important than auto headlight,wiper, start/ stop etc. I mean of all these 6 years with my XUV, i have never used these auto features. How much time does it take to put your hand out and do it manually? If everything becomes automatic, then wheres the feel of driving a CAR?
But then thats my personal opinion. (you can call me old fashioned )

Originally Posted by nitinralli

I agree its a downgrade for sure..I mean of all these 6 years with my XUV, i have never used these auto features.

I use all these features always. Having used to these comforts, I don't want to downgrade by paying more. Some of these features are must for me in my next upgrade, if not all. Of course, priority and compromise vary from person to person.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

No cruise control? No TPMS? No 235 mm-wide tyres? No hill-descent control? No rain-sensing wipers? No auto headlamps? No start & stop micro hybrid technology? No, thanks. There are many more absentees. I am happy with my XUV 500. I don't want to downgrade to J Compass.

There is us driving the car and then there's car driving itself

One can stay in a cocoon or one can live on the edge. It all boils down to what one wants in life.

I feel too many Gizmos take away the chance for one to really learn car control. The difference between a good driver and a poor one is known when one is in the thick of things and the Gizmo gives up.

We have to bet our lives on our skills more than ch***se electronics.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

No cruise control? No TPMS? No 235 mm-wide tyres? No hill-descent control? No rain-sensing wipers? No auto headlamps? No start & stop micro hybrid technology? No, thanks. There are many more absentees. I am happy with my XUV 500. I don't want to downgrade to J Compass.

Of all the features you listed, only the Hill descent control is valid. And please don't even get anyone started on that Micro hybrid stop start! That's a Gimmick that M&M played on the government to avail subsidies. Now once GST kicks in you will see this feature slowly disappear from M&M and also from the Suzuki SHVS cars.

Originally Posted by autocrat

There is us driving the car and then there's car driving itself

Originally Posted by motorworks

And please don't even get anyone started on that Micro hybrid stop start!

235 mm-wide tyres are not gizmos. Cruise control is a must for me. I use start & stop micro hybrid feature during winter in Bangalore. As I mentioned already, priority and compromise vary from person to person. Ultimately, what one gets for the price paid is important. If I don't want all these features and comforts, I can very well buy an entry level hatchback!

[PraNeel]

Overdrive has come out with their first drive review of Jeep compass. I like the way Rohit Paradkar reviews the cars. His videos always have details and interesting observations which are missing from other video reviews.

+ Looks intimidating without being big
+ No difference in domestic and export models quality wise
+ Well put together cabin with soft touch plastics
+ Comfortable seats. Good for 4 adults and 1 Kid.
+ Very derivable car with linear power surge. Good in city and Highway.
+ Suspension with FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) from Koni, which controls the buildup of pressure and adjusts the suspension according to the terrain.
+ Excellent brakes

- Doesn't have the size for a 25l vehicle.
- Missing equipment : no auto headlamps, auto wipers, auto dimming IRVM, powered tailgate.
- Smaller infotainment system.
- No in-built navigation
- Manual box only. 9 Speed DCT might come in later, if there is demand.

Some interesting observations:

Front headlights are inspired from Iron Man



Strange placement of volume controls behind the steering wheel



Blanked out switches on steering wheel remind the missing equipment from Indian version



Android Auto gets a full screen layout while....



Apple Car play is scaled down



Lower variants get a 5 inch touch screen system



Design meetings happened in Desert rather than comfy cubicles




Just love the way Jeep has put the branding in several places so subtly at ORVMS



Boot Lid



Tyre Valve Caps



Mopar Branding on window glass



Floor Mats



Sill Plates



Boot Space



Firestone Tyres make their India debut with Jeep Compass



Drive Selector



FSD Suspension Tech from Koni



Data Sheet



Just like GTO says the most important aspect in a vehicle is it's engine. Similarly Rohit says that the engine and suspension are the highlights of Compass.
He also says that Compass left him impressed and delivers a iron man like punch!! All Fiat has to do now, is to price this car sensibly and provide good service support.
Please Fiat please don't blow this up!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzqitjdp9TU

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

235 mm-wide tyres are not gizmos.

True. But then again, XUV 5OO is a bigger and heavier vehicle than Compass.

So far, we've seen almost every review comment on the 225 section Firestone tyres which of the Compass for road grip, traction off road and for zero road noise.

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Cruise control is a must for me.

True. That's a big miss. Hopefully they correct it soon. And speaking of XUV - I would have liked sunroof added to Compass as well.

As a big time fan of the XUV 5OO - I can see quite a few reasons to own a Compass instead. 1) XUV is oversized for our family of two. 2) Quality 3) Engine 4) Build and 5) Better (subjective looks).

However, as an XUV owner - I don't think it would be an 'upgrade' for you and both vehicles seem to be targeting a similar price band anyways.

[ece2k2]

At 20 to 25 lakhs on road price, it is very important to have an automatic variant at launch. Historically fiat cars were never offered with an automatic transmission in India and this was a primary reason for me to start looking at other brands during my last purchase. It would be a blunder if jeep assumes that it can sell a decent number of cars for 20+ lakhs without an AT option

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Overdrive has come out with their first drive review of Jeep compass.

And saw this as well - lap belt for the rear middle seat! Not really cool for a car in its segment.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Not really cool for a car in its segment.

And from the AutoPortal review, notice the rear seat armrest's cupholder section?

Can we say - YIKES?!

[Aniket6]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

True. But then again, XUV 5OO is a bigger and heavier vehicle than Compass.

As a big time fan of the XUV 5OO - I can see quite a few reasons to own a Compass instead. 1) XUV is oversized for our family of two. 2) Quality 3) Engine 4) Build and 5) Better (subjective looks).

Just my thoughts on this -

1. Size - depends on the preference of the buyer, for example I regularly use 6 seats + luggage.

2. Quality - agreed, Jeep can easily be better here.

3. Engine - this i am not sure. This is the best part in XUV as it is refined, tract-able, fast and frugal.
As per the figures posted from overdrive in this page, being a lighter vehicle, Jeep does 0-100 in 11.9s (only 0.5 faster than XUV) and returns around 11 to 14 as per Overdrive. I easily get 12-14 kmpl in XUV.
I am curious as to where the power to weight advantage of Jeep gone? I was hoping a 9.5s 0-100 and a 200 kmph top with a average of 16 KMPL.
Lets wait and watch.

4. Build - will have to check in real life as XUV is well built too, only the interior finishing, fit and texture is poor.

5. Of course, Jeep is quite a looker and most will like it.

Here's hoping a grand success to Jeep on the compass and eagerly awaiting Team-Bhp's take on the compass.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

235 mm-wide tyres are not gizmos. Cruise control is a must for me. I use start & stop micro hybrid feature during winter in Bangalore. As I mentioned already, priority and compromise vary from person to person. Ultimately, what one gets for the price paid is important. If I don't want all these features and comforts, I can very well buy an entry level hatchback!

All vehicles sold today as "SUV" are not really capable SUVs, rather big cars with nice ground clearance and nice gizmos.

Agreed your needs are different, so please don't judge every vehicle with your needs. You evaluate them based on what they are made for.

Going by my needs a JCB Backhoe Loader would be a good vehicle for me, but can I compare it with Jeep?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by autocrat

All vehicles sold today as "SUV" are not really capable SUVs, rather big cars with nice ground clearance and nice gizmos.

Without the Trailhawk variant, neither is the Jeep Compass. Probably it would still hold it's ground against the Duster AWD, Hexa and XUV AWD, and especially Tucson and Tiguan - but it is not hardcore SUV either.

Should be good enough for 99.99% of the target audience though!