[Aditya]

Mod Note: Our Compass Report has been taken live at this link (Jeep Compass : Official Review). Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!


Fiat Chrysler Automobiles displayed the pre-production model of the Jeep Compass SUV at its manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, near Pune. The vehicle will be manufactured at this plant from June 2017. The media drive is also scheduled for June and the India launch of the car is expected in the third quarter of the calendar year.



Jeep, as we know, has two main model lines - utilitarian (Wrangler) and premium (Grand Cherokee). The Compass comes under the premium line. In terms of positioning, it will be placed below the Grand Cherokee in the company's model line-up.

The Compass measures 4,398 mm in length, 1,819 mm in width and 1,667 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,636 mm and ground clearance of 178 mm. This puts it between the Hyundai Creta and the larger Tucson in terms of length and width. However, with the technology on offer, we expect the car to be priced at par with (or higher than?) the Tucson.

If the displayed vehicle is anything to go by, the build quality of the Compass will be very sturdy. Every panel feels strong and there is no flex in the metal. The quality of the paint job is also very good and shut lines are uniform. No part on the car feels loosely attached. The company claims that the quality of the vehicles sold in India will be no different to the ones offered in international markets.

In India, the Compass will be available with two powertrain options - a 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir petrol with 160+ BHP & 250 Nm on tap and a 2.0-litre diesel developing 170+ BHP & 350 Nm of torque. Transmissions on offer will include a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed dual dry clutch technology (DDCT) automatic.

The Compass features the company's four-wheel drive technology (known as Jeep Active Drive), which is equipped with Selec-Terrain Traction Management System. This system allows the driver to choose a drive mode based on the terrain the vehicle is being driven on including snow, sand and mud. The system also has an auto mode, which automatically switches between front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive based on the conditions and driving style. The system disconnects the drive going to the rear wheels through 'Driveline Disconnect Technology (DDT)'. The approach and departure angles of the Compass are 17 degrees and 32 degrees respectively.

For the Compass, Jeep has gone with a McPherson strut suspension at the front and an independent suspension at the rear, which provides up to 20 cm of rear wheel articulation. The vehicle comes with Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) - a technology that provides variable damping that adjusts to road undulations.

The Compass will come with 50+ safety and security features including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Dynamic Steering Torque (DST), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Adaptive Brake Lights and Panic Brake Assist among others as standard across the range. The Compass will also be equipped with six airbags (with dual stage passenger airbags). Other features include disc brakes on all four wheels, electric parking brake, 60:40 split folding rear seat and cap-less fuel fill. The Jeep Compass is being manufactured in 50 different trim, powertrain, transmission and colour combinations to suit varying customer requirements.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles claims to have put the Compass through 1.8 million km of accelerated tests and 25.7 million km of on-road and off-road tests.

The front features Jeep's characteristic seven-slot grille giving it a resemblance to the Grand Cherokee:


Rear end is sober compared to the aggressive front:


Unlike the Grand Cherokee, the smaller Compass gets a black plastic cladding running along its sides and around its wheel arches. Character lines too. FCA wasn't ready to showcase the interiors yet, that's why the dark tints:


70% of the body of the Compass is made of high tensile steel achieved through a process called hot stamping. The Compass is built with 27 hot stamped parts. Build quality feels solid and panel gaps are uniform throughout. The paint job is impressive as well:


Headlamp cluster consists of LED DRLs and projectors:


Familiar chrome Jeep badge sits on the bonnet, above the grille:


Seven slots get chrome inserts. Thin slot on the bumper above the number plate provides additional cooling:


Lower portion of the bumper is finished in black and has a wide air-dam with a mesh grille. Notice the chrome strip on the lower lip:


Foglamp housings are black with a honeycomb mesh pattern and chrome inserts. Turn-indicators are located above:


Parking sensors provided on the sides of the front bumper:


Windshield washer nozzles are located on the bulge of the bonnet. Should have been concealed underneath:


Full wind deflector provided under the front bumper:


Full cladding for the wheel arches at the front...


...as well as the rear:


17-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/60 section tyres don't appear to fill the wheel arches:


Body-coloured ORVMs with integrated turn-indicators:


Door handles with request sensors on both sides (keyhole only on the driver's):


Compass badges are present on both the front doors:


Roof drops towards the rear, while the window line rises. Chrome strip runs at the side of the roof from the start of the A-pillar, all the way to the back...


...to the base of the thick C-pillar, going on to underline the rear windshield:


Ribbed roof for added structural integrity. Dual-tone roof rails feel tough and firmly attached. No sunroof provided:


Roof-mounted spoiler is subtle and not very prominent. It has an integrated high mounted stop lamp. Short stubby roof antenna sits towards the rear:


A closer look at the split tail-lamp. The LED tail-lamp, turn-indicator, brake lamp and reversing lamp are all integrated into the cluster:


Chrome "Jeep" badge is placed in a carved out recess on the tail-gate:


Reversing camera is neatly integrated and sits on top of the number plate:


Badge displaying the variant is placed on the right side of the tail-gate...


...while the badge depicting 4x4 and fuel-type is located on the left:


Rear bumper houses parking sensors and rear foglamps. Twin exhaust pipes with black tips peep out from the right:


Lower portion of the bumper is finished in black and has a fake mesh grille. Look closely - the holes in the mesh are sealed:

[Aditya]

The company has invested US$ 280 million / Rs. 1800 crore in the Compass project. We had a small tour of the Ranjangaon plant, where the car is built.



This is the same plant that is used to build the Fiat Linea, Punto and Tata Zest. It is clean, modern and largely automated. The plant uses a Skillet conveyor system in the trim line, which is claimed to make working on the body of the car easier. The plant uses electrical tools sourced from DSA and has a flexible engine decking system. This makes it capable of handling multiple variants of multiple models and can accommodate new models with minimum modifications.

Some of the processes used in the production of the Compass include:
1. Laser welding - even the doors are laser welded for added strength
2. Plasma cutting - used for alignment of the front bumper and bonnet
3. Inline diagnostic rig with 34 cameras - for screening out imperfections in the body geometry
4. Automation - more than 90 robots used in the body shop
5. Online recording of all data - makes retrieving data easy

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will manufacture the Compass at the Ranjangaon facility to cater to other right-hand drive markets, namely Japan, Australia and UK. The only other countries that the Compass is manufactured in include Brazil, Mexico and China.

Body shop:


Laser cutting:




Metrology:


Plasma welding:


Skillet conveyor system:


Shower testing:

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene.

[ajmat]

Kudos to FCA for utilising the existing factory and not running away like some manufacturers. Please do not do something stupid and overprice it. It needs to be priced well in India to ensure the long suffering Fiat dealers get decent volume as well and return on investment.

The priority has been on the Compass for the export volumes. I am certain the Renegade will come in later as they share similar platforms or may be the 500X to carry the Fiat flag!

[girishglg]

There seems to be a lot of buzz around the Jeep Compass as heard recently from multiple people about its upcoming launch.

As it goes Jeep has a great pedigree and Compass must be a very good vehicle on its own. But one is really sceptical since it has its masters originating from the now "famed" read infamous Fiat group who do not know the basics of successfully selling a good vehicle in our country.

Hope Jeep has a different and a successful run unlike something like a Mitsubishi even with their great SUVs (Pajeros) flopped miserably due to a dud local parent (err call them guardians)

[rohing]

Looks cool. I think if the pricing is VFM then it would take off. I hope JEEP does not try to cash-in on the brand too much and overprice it. They really need this to be a crowd puller/ VFM package to establish in India. Fingers crossed. Would buy it if ex-showroom is between 15-18 in Bangalore.

[srishiva]

Side on it looks like a Kwid

Not sure if a purposeful vehicle is the need for our market. Plus if it overlaps with Hyundais, people will look more at interior features and might not find it valuable.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The Compass will come with 50+ safety and security features including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Dynamic Steering Torque (DST), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Adaptive Brake Lights and Panic Brake Assist among others as standard across the range. The Compass will also be equipped with six airbags (with dual stage passenger airbags). Other features include disc brakes on all four wheels, electric parking brake, 60:40 split folding rear seat and cap-less fuel fill. The Jeep Compass is being manufactured in 50 different trim, powertrain, transmission and colour combinations to suit varying customer requirements.

I think this paragraph clearly tells us that Compass would not be anywhere near 15/18 Lakh bracket. I would be shocked if they price it anywhere below 20 Lakhs.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by rohing

Looks cool. I think if the pricing is VFM then it would take off. I hope JEEP does not try to cash-in on the brand too much and overprice it. They really need this to be a crowd puller/ VFM package to establish in India. Fingers crossed. Would buy it if ex-showroom is between 15-18 in Bangalore.

That pricing doesn't seem likely, does it ? Surely this is being positioned against the Tuscon ? 22-25 ex showroom, Bangalore.

[himanshugoswami]

178 mm Ground Clearance?! for a Jeep!! Im speechless

[DragonHawk]

Thanks Aditya for giving a brief insight about compass !!

FCA has been successful in creating a lot of hype about their new offering and rightly so this baby of Jeep except for the unknown term called as "Price" it has got everything which makes it desirable. However I understand there is a huge expectations about the right pricing as well as expected pricing from buyer`s end. But given the technology which it comes with, it would be impractical for me atleast to expect the pricing to sit below 20L for the top end Compass.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by Aditya

17-inch alloy wheels shod with 220/60 section tyres don't appear to fill the wheel arches

Why Firestone? At least in India, Firestone isn't seen as a premium tyre brand.

And tyre size would be 225/60R17, please correct.

[jaganpec2002]

Thanks for the post Aditya. Few months back I saw a camouflaged one in Gottigere Bangalore(near nice road). It was struck in traffic so had a good peek at the interiors as well. Based on the interior quality it could be priced at par or above Tucson for sure.

[reddevilgautam]

I don't think there is any logic of people (or FCA) benchmarking the price of Compass to Tucson. Tuscon is an over priced dud which does 100-150 units a month. Hyundai has Creta to do the numbers, and that's why they priced the Tucson the way they did. Jeep doesn't have such model and are looking for nothing less than 500 - 1000 units a month for the Compass. To achieve these numbers, FCA will have to be aggressive in pricing and definitely undercut the Tucson. And I believe they will.

[fuel_addict]

Fantastic pictures of the Ranjangaon facility and a mini-review of the Jeep Compass. Sure does look like a butch vehicle. I'm afraid this will be priced somewhere in the Fortuner/Endeavour territory and not in the Tuscon/sub 20L category if the company decides to cash in on its brand image. The dimensions of the Compass and the engines on offer roughly suggest pricing in the Tuscon range to be more realistic. Lets wait and watch.