[ank.nsit]

Originally Posted by streetfighter

This guy, Scotty Kilmer, a popular Youtube mechanic, is ranting about Jeep and the Compass' build quality

This is the previous-gen Compass. The one sold in India is the next-gen.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

This is the previous-gen Compass. The one sold in India is the next-gen.

Plus the engine (2.4L Tigershark petrol) is not relevant to our market either!

Funny seeing the comments on that video though!

[Fusion2006]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

If you turn ON the circulation mode via the manual option, the Auto AC will still be ON along with the circulation mode.

Attachment 1912765

I tried setting this ON in the UConnect screen, but still it gets reset to OFF when you turn the engine off and turn it on again. Not sure if I'm missing something here...

[sgovin01]

Took delivery of Jeep Compass Sport Plus – Petrol (Magnesio Grey) couple of months earlier and sharing my review and experience so far. While the official BHP review of Jeep Compass and the thread helped me tremendously in my buying decision, I could not really find any detailed review for Petrol Manual version and I hope this helps the prospective petrol manual buyers.

Bit of a background:
I own a VW Polo (2014) Petrol (which was my first car) and I was looking to upgrade after completing ~50,000kms on my Polo primarily as I was looking for a bigger car (due to space constraints of a hatchback) and the warranty period of my Polo was coming to an end. So that is where my quest for a new car started earlier this year.

Options considered:
My major dilemma was whether to opt for sedan or compact SUV. I was a looking for a car in the range of ~15 lakhs and majorly had following options – Vento, City, Verna (in Sedan) and Compass, Harrier, Creta (in SUV).
To give a bit more context to my decision criteria let me highlight first why I had chosen VW Polo 5 years back. I was sold to VW Polo once I sat inside the car and closed the door to hear the thud sound and experience the tank like built of the German engineering. It was a very easy decision for me vis-à-vis Swift and i20 which were offering many fancy features (Esp i20). There is certain elegance in simplicity which always appeals to me. Also, I am more of petrol person, as I have certain irritability to diesel since childhood and economics wise, I don’t foresee driving more than 10-15,000kms in a year.
With these considerations, Verna, Creta (not a big fan of Hyundai) and Harrier (As there was no petrol version available) were eliminated. And soon it became a war between VW Vento and Compass.

Vento: I have enjoyed my time with Polo and considering an upgrade to Vento was a natural linear transition for me. After reading all these reviews and gathering information, one thing was clear to me in my head. If I wanted to go for an automatic car, it will be the DSG of VW. I don’t think any other automatic tech in (sub-20 lakh category maybe) Indian cars matches that. Further, the Highline Plus trim of the Vento TSI offered everything I needed. It was fully loaded, was getting an extraordinary discount (to get it within 13lakh OTR). So, it was going to give Jeep Compass a serious run for money. Jeep Compass won over Vento once I decided to keep the Polo too for now as inside the cabin feel of Vento and Polo were very similar. There is no doubt in my mind that if there was a compact SUV offered by VW, I would have probably gone for that (Tiguan was over budget for me for now).

Jeep Compass: I remember seeing the Jeep Compass couple of years back and announcing it to my family that it’s my wannabe car. It was probably love at first sight (and later turned out to be a major factor which needed to be eliminated to take a decision from head not heart). I remember going to the Gurgaon JC showroom for the first time in April and getting the same “tank like built quality” feeling when I first sat in the car. Further, seeing the various safety features that were standard across the JC ranges and Jeep’s focus on safety even in there marketing mailers and all kept me interested. The two options I kept for further consideration were Sports plus and Longitude option.

The final decision:
Between JC Sports Plus and Longitude option, the extra cost, significantly poorer FE, and lag of shifts, helped me to tilt the decision in favor of Sports Plus. In an ideal world, I would have wanted to have a manual version of JC Longitude (O) but then Sports Plus as ~18lakh OTR was still within my stretched budget (OTR inclusive of an accessories package worth ~39,000 which included reverse camera, seat cover, splash guards, floor mats, sill plates etc. – I still have wind deflectors and body graphics from the pack which I didn’t use, so if someone needs it, give me a shout out).
And the winner is:
So finally, after all considerations, I chose to go with Jeep Compass Sport Plus. In terms of color, I really liked the Red one, however with a medium to long-term outlook thought to go with Magnesio Grey. The optional accessory package made it look like a more complete package although there still are few major gaps that I will highlight in the subsequent section.

Experience so far:
Let me start with the hard part first – “What I Don’t like”: While Sports Plus is a good VFM for people like me with lower budgets, however it was shocking to find that it did not offer fog lights (Which in a way I feel is linked to safety and what Jeep seems to focus on so much) and also rear parcel shelf / boot cover (in India it’s almost again a safety hazard as it will attract thieves – got this one from the showroom at ~6,500).

Further the ICE is an eye sore – the 5-inch infotainment system without Apple CarPlay / Android Auto in a 18lakh car is unacceptable – 7-inch should be standard, I feel. Else at least FCA should offer this at an extra cost – doesn’t seem to be offering any alternative. The showroom was offering a Mega Audio system at 55,000 which was over priced (market price is ~30,000) and the quality was sub optimal.

Also, my experience with Sales people was not what you would expect from a showroom that sells cars in the range of 18-30 lakhs. Probably, Jeep Compass’s success was unprecedented, and the Fiat dealers are still not trained to handle customers in a sophisticated way and a premium range car. I have my doubts for after sales service, however being from a VW clan, this was a risk I was still willing to take.

Before moving on to the next segment, I will be more than happy to hear any suggestions from fellow BHPians on fog lights (as FCA doesn’t seem to be offering retro fit one too for Sports Plus) and on ICE upgrade (I will want something with Apple CarPlay).

Moving on to some of the neutral bits now. One other major issue many folks have highlighted is regarding the headlights. While it’s not exemplary, it serves my purpose as I drive primarily in the city and plan my highway trip in the day. Although I have checked for price of upgrades and the FCA has quoted 38,000 for HID installation and 12,000 for LED DRLs – no intention of upgrading it any time soon.

Further, as many of you have also shared and asked, the FE is not out of the world. I have driven >1,200 kms with an average FE of 9km/l. In bumper to bumper Delhi Gurgaon traffic it falls up to ~6.5-7km/l however on highways its’s certainly going to be significantly better (I will share more concrete highway numbers once I go on a trip).

Now it’s time for some good bits and on why it has been a pleasurable journey so far. Looks: This car looks stunning and makes you go head over heels. The interiors are although less flashy and more minimalistic, though it offers elegance and sophistication. Except for the dummy buttons on the steering (that’s an eye sore too), everything else is well finished and nothing else is work-in-progress. The build quality is sturdy and once you open / close the door for a Compass you will know what I mean.

Drive Quality: If you thought that looks were the best part, wait till you drive it. It may take some time to show its true color (till 1,500-1,700 rpm) however once you hit that it really shows its horse power. Even at high speeds and steep turns, you have full control of the car and the steering is responsive. The suspension is good and adaptive and helps you cruise over small bumps / bad roads without any concerns. It offers good handling and great stability. The brakes are great and does the job effectively. Clutch is light (much lighter than the ones in my VW Polo) and the gear shifts are smooth. For now, between the Seltos, Hectors and Harrier, driving enthusiasts may continue to opt for Jeep Compass as it hits the ball out of the park when it comes to overall drive quality

Inside the cabin you feel that peace on the noisy roads in India, probably that acoustic windshield does its job effectively. There is a lot of practical space inside the cabin and there is a feeling premium-ness. My family members who have sat on the rear-seat find it to be comfortable both legroom and headspace wise. No complains over the sound quality either.

Getting used to: Personally, there are two aspects that are taking some time for me to get used to. One of them being the electronic park brakes - you need to press the brakes and lift the electronic park brakes to disengage it. However, at times I have forgotten to do that and will probably get better at it. Secondly, in bumper to bumper this car sometimes get stalled in second gear (Especially if you are come to a complete halt and try moving it from second gear). In Polo, I could easily move the car even in second gear ( I preferred that in very slow-moving traffic over the first gear). However, in Jeep, I need to ensure that I am in first gear as I have gotten myself stalled at times.

In the end, I would echo how the Official review starts with – This one is a handsome car with a load of character. Personally, I feel Jeep has some aspirational value attached to its name in India and it should continue to build on that.

Attaching few pics of the car.

[achyutaghosh]

Congratulations on the new purchase. Not a single thread on team-bhp on the Compass petrol manual, so please keep updating your experience!
I am interested in the graphics kit you mentioned and i am in NCR. Will PM you.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by sgovin01

Took delivery of Jeep Compass Sport Plus – Petrol (Magnesio Grey) couple of months earlier and sharing my review and experience so far.

Attaching few pics of the car.

Congrats and welcome to the club! Your Grey car looks awsome and wish you many years of happy and safe driving. In the sport plus version I would not recommend installing HID as it comes with a reflector based headlamp which will cause a lot of scatter. What will be better for you is to install the premium versions of the same halogens from Philips in both your low beam and high beams. The Sport variant owners are lucky to still have two separate beams which have good light output. The ones with projector headlight and halogen bulb (limited and Longitude O) are the ones with worst headlights - like mine) and those should definitely upgrade to HID. On the Led Drls, please check on my ownership thread and you can find details of the DRL bulbs which I have used (ordered from Aliexpress)

Originally Posted by himanshu.ar83

Guys looking for owners suggestions here. Looking to book next week
To add to my post now looking between longtitude optional or limited. And need colour advise too between Red and Black from resale , easier to maintain and which one ages quicker perspective.

Value for money wise Longitude O makes sense, but if you don't have a budget issue, then go for Limited plus with the Sunroof and also hID lamps. You will get some really good deals at this time as they have to clear Bs4 stocks in the next 4 months and sales are anyway low because of Hector and Seltos.
In terms of colour, I personally like Black, but it is very difficult to keep clean in a place like NCR due to the dust which makes the car look dirty even after 2 hours. You will also easily notice scratches and swirls very easily on black. Also Black heats up like anything and it takes longer to cool the car. My recommendation is for the Red as it looks very good on the Compass. (Mine is Silver though with Black roof, which was booked at time of launch. Wifey actually liked Red more , but we went with our original choice which was silver.)

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by himanshu.ar83

Guys looking for owners suggestions here. Looking to book next week
To add to my post now looking between longtitude optional or limited. And need colour advise too between Red and Black from resale , easier to maintain and which one ages quicker perspective.

Congratulations on deciding on the Jeep Compass. It is a couple of cuts above in driving pleasure as compared to the new launches.

Between the Longitude Option and Limited, what kind of offers are you getting? I would suggest the Limited if the difference is 1 lakh. All you need to change in the Limited is the headlights and then you are good to go. The Longitude option will require more to be added. And the black and beige combo doesn't look as good as the ski grey and black in Limited.

Red will be easier to maintain and for resale too i think.

My suggestion is to not take the basic accessories pack at that price. You can get better deals outside.

[sbkumar]

Need some help here. Can someone help me with what would be a good discount on 4x4 or Limited Plus , in Bangalore ? KHT has offered about 1 Lakhs in total. Also there is Nov 2018 model (4x4) which is being offered with about 2.5 Lakhs. Is that something safe as it's almost an year of stay in the yard ? Thanks in Advance.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by Fusion2006

I tried setting this ON in the UConnect screen, but still it gets reset to OFF when you turn the engine off and turn it on again. Not sure if I'm missing something here...

Yes, I think we can't make it as default.

Originally Posted by sbkumar

Need some help here. Can someone help me with what would be a good discount on 4x4 or Limited Plus , in Bangalore ? KHT has offered about 1 Lakhs in total. Also there is Nov 2018 model (4x4) which is being offered with about 2.5 Lakhs. Is that something safe as it's almost an year of stay in the yard ? Thanks in Advance.

For 2018 vehicles, do a thorough PDI. As long as it was not used as a display vehicle, I think you can go ahead. Also, get the VIN number and verify the exact month, don't go by their words.

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by sgovin01

The final decision:
Between JC Sports Plus and Longitude option, the extra cost, significantly poorer FE, and lag of shifts, helped me to tilt the decision in favor of Sports Plus. In an ideal world, I would have wanted to have a manual version of JC Longitude (O) but then Sports Plus as ~18lakh OTR was still within my stretched budget (OTR inclusive of an accessories package worth ~39,000 which included reverse camera, seat cover, splash guards, floor mats, sill plates etc. – I still have wind deflectors and body graphics from the pack which I didn’t use, so if someone needs it, give me a shout out).

Can't seem to PM you. Am at 9899734317. Do ping me. Am interested in the body graphic kit.

[hrk997]

After driving around in the endeavour for two weeks or so and seeing nothing more more than 9-10kmpl, this put a smile on my face. Not bad at all for 170 bhp.

[pavi]

Originally Posted by hrk997

After driving around in the endeavour for two weeks or so and seeing nothing more more than 9-10kmpl, this put a smile on my face. Not bad at all for 170 bhp.

That’s a great achievement with 170 horses.

Note: team-bhp does not encourage unsafe driving practices like taking picture while driving.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by sgovin01

Took delivery of Jeep Compass Sport Plus – Petrol (Magnesio Grey) couple of months earlier and sharing my review and experience so far.

Hey, hearty congratulations on owning the most handsome car on our roads! The SportP and Longitude indeed are quite VFM trims of the Compass. Make good sense on all aspects. Loved reading your selection process & details so far. Wish you & the family unlimited safe & happy miles with the tank!

Regarding getting used to shifting to 1st to get away - please ensure you get that habit as soon as possible. In strongly built & heavy cars with sufficiently powerful engines (few better examples of that other than the Compass itself!) it is vital. Chugging in 2nd gear puts a lot of strain on the clutch & you'll end up wearing it prematurely if you continue to practice moving off from standstill in 2nd gear in B2B traffic too often. Stalling is not a big deal - but keeping on moving with half clutch etc will be. Take care. Cheers!

[hrk997]

Originally Posted by pavi

That’s a great achievement with 170 horses.

Note: team-bhp does not encourage unsafe driving practices like taking picture while driving.

It was clicked from the rear seat by a friend, so no worries

[sgovin01]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Chugging in 2nd gear puts a lot of strain on the clutch & you'll end up wearing it prematurely if you continue to practice moving off from standstill in 2nd gear in B2B traffic too often. Stalling is not a big deal - but keeping on moving with half clutch etc will be. Take care. Cheers!

Thanks for your invaluable suggestion - will keep a note of this and work on it.

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Can't seem to PM you. Am at 9899734317. Do ping me. Am interested in the body graphic kit.

Sure, there was some issue with my settings.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

The Sport variant owners are lucky to still have two separate beams which have good light output. The ones with projector headlight and halogen bulb (limited and Longitude O) are the ones with worst headlights - like mine) and those should definitely upgrade to HID. On the Led Drls, please check on my ownership thread and you can find details of the DRL bulbs which I have used (ordered from Aliexpress)

Thanks, have checked the link for LED DRLs. Just to confirm, did you install them yourself or from workshop? Also wanted to highlight that your ownership thread was very helpful in my decision making, so Thank you!