[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

But is lacks a bit of a soul and character compared to compass.

That's indeed the point. I was driving the Creta over the last week or so, and my wife was saying that its not bad, but after the Jeep showroom visit and subsequent TD she only see the Compass now. Creta is not even a point of discussion now. As CrAzY dRiVeR mentioned below take your wife to the showroom

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

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.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by dhuli

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.

Originally Posted by dhuli

[*]Already mentioned in another post about how the 'electronic hand' brake was a deal breaker (or 'braker') for me.

Electronic parking brake is a common feature for most of the higher end vehicles. Tucson offers it in the top spec, so does Tiguan. Most of the luxury Germans do as well.

Like every feature, it might need a learning curve - For example - Remember how a couple of years back automatic transmissions were frowned upon by enthusiasts? But you need to get used, as this will soon trickle down to smaller cars as well.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by dhuli

Already mentioned in another post about how the 'electronic hand' brake was a deal breaker (or 'braker') for me.

I prefer a conventional handbrake over the electric one too, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker. Just takes a bit of getting used to. Come on, there are better reasons to approve or reject cars. This is a small one. Further, since all variants have hill-start-assist, there's no worry (electronic parking brake without hill-start-assist would be a nightmare on climbs as you have to press the brake to release it).

I guess it'll be used more in a manual transmission. In my automatic, the electronic parking brake is almost never used (except then engaging "P" on a slope as I don't want to stress out the gearbox - hate hearing that clunk).

Get used to electronic parking brakes as they help free up a lot of space on the center console. Also keeps the center console slimmer. The Jeep's wouldn't have looked like this if it had a manual handbrake:

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by GTO

Get used to electronic parking brakes as they help free up a lot of space on the center console. Also keeps the center console slimmer. The Jeep's wouldn't have looked like this if it had a manual handbrake:

Unless you plan to drift, I don't see a reason to ditch a car with electronic parking brakes. Only gripe I see is possibility of failure in long term might be more, given that its ELECTRONIC.

On a different note folks who have booked Compass please plan to take delivery at the earliest! Looks like Government is not happy with pricing of Compass
"Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and top-end luxury cars are expected to cost more with states and the Centre seeking to increase the cess on these vehicles to correct a so-called "anomaly" that crept in when goods and services tax (GST) rates were decided."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/59946949.cms

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by 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.

Engaging reverse, floor not being flat, wiper and light stalks on the other side, EPB; Almost all of the points you mentioned are just things that are different from your current vehicle. How could any of these be a deal breaker? If you buy Innova again, you'll have many things different than your Innova (I'm assuming you have the previous generation Innova).
Like no two humans are alike, no two car models are alike. Each one of them is unique and each have their own pluses and minuses. A few days with a vehicle and everything will be embedded in your sub-conscious mind.

I used to drive a Passat in Germany with EPB (my first tryst with EPB) and it took me only a couple of days to get used to it. Initially I was uncomfortable but then it felt more safe and helpful.

[anandpadhye]

Good TD reports coming in

BTW, how can people compare COMPASS with Creta? Creta has drum brakes in the rear

Get real guys...

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

On a different note folks who have booked Compass please plan to take delivery at the earliest! Looks like Government is not happy with pricing of Compass
"Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and top-end luxury cars are expected to cost more with states and the Centre seeking to increase the cess on these vehicles to correct a so-called "anomaly" that crept in when goods and services tax (GST) rates were decided."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/59946949.cms

Would a 10% hike in cess make the Compass dearer by 1.5 to 2L? How long have we got before they implement this change?

[MNandy]

Went to see the vehicle yesterday. The 4x4 manual will start coming may be in October or November only in diesel versions. In India the rock mode is not there and the front bumper is not trail hawk like. So this will scrape and break is situations say for example there is a land slide with rocks and mud. I can understand omitting many other features as in the models outside India but the front bumper design and the rock mode should have been there.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by procrj

[*]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

It is in a way, it is a good feature.
A child lock should be difficult to operate. (for the child)

Secondly, this kind of lock is present on other cars also, like VWs.
You just have to insert the Car Key itself and turn it a bit to activate the lock. Takes 2 seconds.

[aviraj]

Price list from Sky Moto Pune attached.



Would never have imagined that I would be visiting a Fiat showroom, but the hype of the Compass took me there this Saturday. The showroom was bustling with people. There were 2 Limited 4x2 models in display, one in white one in gray. No other variants. Would have liked to at least see what the Longitude and Sport look like. After taking my details right at the doorstep, a sales rep was assigned to me who patiently explained all the details. The enthusiasm and confidence of the sales staff could be seen as it is apparent they have a winner on hand. The Limited variant looks great in the white leather finishing and the features it offers. The demo vehicle already had smudges on the white roof lining. This would be a stain magnet and tough to maintain, but nonetheless, it brings out a certain luxurious feeling. Build quality, gear shifting etc. is all excellent. The sales rep proudly demonstrated the heaviness of the bonnet. As he was explaining the features etc. the only thought in my head was that all this is already known to me after reading the 100+ pages on Team BHP, but I let him do his job anyway.

I will not go into the details as many people have covered that well, and I will agree with almost all of them. The Compass is indeed very impressive and ahead of the Creta in terms of technical and quality factors. I had finalized on the Creta which would have costed me less than 15L on road, but the Compass has got me thinking. However the minimum variant which is worthwhile to be considered is the Longitude (O) which retails at 20.7L on road, which bumps the budget by almost 6L. Thats just my preference based on the features I would like to have in a vehicle. Engine and safety features are not the only consideration if I have to anyway spend more than 20L. Duster is outdated and I would not consider it even if it has great ride and handling. More so when Renault itself has no interest in modernizing it, though they could have easily taken Creta head on by upgrading the interiors and engine.

Take away,
- If booked now, there is a waiting period of almost 4 months. The sales rep told that the dealer has received over 400 bookings. Sounds too good to be true, but then who knows. 4 months is too long a wait, a new year will dawn by then.
- Accessories are optional as informed. List of accessories are mentioned in the price list sheet. Not sure if all that is worth 25K as quoted. Official price list of additional accessories like black roof, alloys etc. is not yet finalized.
- They have masqueraded the Handling charges as "Depot Charges". Did not ask if that's mandatory, but I am guessing it is. He said its some kind of transport insurance. Not sure why the customer has to bear it.
- Test drives were being offered on the road in front of the showroom which is a very busy street. Due to large number of customers, that's the only test drive route offered at present. I skipped the test drive as there were too many people around and it made no sense to test drive on a busy street. Maybe later if at all I decide to take this forward
- Service station is in Akurdi and he mentioned that it would have Mopar support. Frankly dont know how prepared they are or what level of service Fiat already provides in Pune as I never considered their products. Maybe existing Pune Fiat owners can comment on that.

Misses,
- Longitude does not offer petrol variants. Limited only offers petrol AT
- AT should have been launched right at the start. Was the launch done in a hurry or did they face some last minute glitches in the AT department?
- Only 4x4 offers 6 airbags. They should have been standard at least in all 4x2 variants if not the longitude.
- Sport is just too basic for what it offers. I understand that it is a base variant and we should be happy it offers all the safety kit and a good engine etc. but still at almost 18L on road, it doesn't feel like a Jeep. Maybe only for die hard fans who give preference to the engine and safety features over anything else.
- Cruise control should have been standard in the Limited variants. Instead the reverse parking camera should have been standard from Longitude on wards
- Nitpicking, but leather seats should be made standard in all variants. Can off course be done from a third party. I can nitpick more, but that's all it will be, nitpicking.

All in all, its a compelling product and deserves a thought. I don't see Creta customers swaying towards this in large numbers as the budget increases by a good amount. Not everyone would be able to stretch. Will wait for real world ownership reviews and then take a call.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by procrj

[*]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
Attachment 1664316

I've not seen the Compass's key, but from my experience with a fiat vehicle, I can say that it is exactly the shape of the vehicle key. The theory behind this is that only the driver can change anything related to safety.

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Engaging reverse, floor not being flat, wiper and light stalks on the other side, EPB; Almost all of the points you mentioned are just things that are different from your current vehicle. How could any of these be a deal breaker? If you buy Innova again, you'll have many things different than your Innova (I'm assuming you have the previous generation Innova).

Thank you! Yes, I do have a 2011 Innova. You are right that these are different feature to feature and hence may not be valid. My point is really the ergonomics of this. One - floor not being flat is worse than a floor that is flat; for the human foot is unchanged in its articulation since homo sapiens evolved. Second, if you think critically, a physical hand brake doesn't require looking at it to operate it. An electronic hand brake while automating this function using motors and sensors, has its feedback system in the form of a light that requires one to look down. IMO, assuming the same switch could be physically were it was (like how computer keyboards universally follow the QWERTY convention), however the indicator needn't be on the switch (need to confirm that its complemented with a handbrake on indicator on the dashboard, which my Innova provides).

Further, since I shared a candid view, even admitting that some of you may consider me a luddite, the tone here prompted me to check a bit on the web about other views on electronic hand brake.

Here is a quote I am sharing, which echoes my experience during the Compass test drive "But hill-hold only works for a few seconds before it disengages, meaning that it can take people by surprise. In some cases, the car suddenly rolls back, which is more awkward than falling off a treadmill." (source)

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by dhuli

however the indicator needn't be on the switch (need to confirm that its complemented with a handbrake on indicator on the dashboard, which my Innova provides).

Even the humble Alto has handbrake engaged indicator on the dashboard, so I don't think Jeep won't have that.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Would a 10% hike in cess make the Compass dearer by 1.5 to 2L? How long have we got before they implement this change?

You are correct If I am not wrong. Take this Example:
Pre GST tax on SUV: ~48%
Post GST tax on SUV: 43%
Tax on SUV after GST revision:~53%

My Innova Crysta which was bought after GST costed me about 1lac lesser with overall tax reducing by 5%. Now with 10% increase in tax rate, I believe you should see hike of 1.5-2lac.
At the end it would depend on how much the manufacturer decides to increase.

P.S: Innova Crysta costs as much as the Compass.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by MNandy

In India the rock mode is not there and the front bumper is not trail hawk like. So this will scrape and break is situations say for example there is a land slide with rocks and mud. I can understand omitting many other features as in the models outside India but the front bumper design and the rock mode should have been there.

Couldn't agree more, especially since the brand's legacy is all about all-terrain driving as opposed to most of the so-called SUVs out there in the market today. In other words, they should have provided the Trailhawk variant also as an option to Indian customers. Wonder if the TH is being produced in the Ranjangaon plant for exports to RHD markets but not available to Indian market! If so, very disappointing indeed.