[techfreak]

Need input from all Compass owners who have used their 4x4 beauties for offroading.

How much is a problem is the low 178mm ground clearance creates when off roading?

I presently drive a Ecosport and at 205mm claimed I get onto bad roads with gay abandon without thinking much and not hit the bottom once even in Leh, Spiti, Meghalaya, Arunachal interiors. But with Compass’ 178 mm, I am a little skeptical?

Has anyone explored the possibility of a rooftop tent on Compass or fitted? Need input on this.

Rest space, comfort and drive feel I am happy. Planning a Longitude 4x4 Diesel.
Thanks in Advance.

[Fusion2006]

Originally Posted by techfreak

How much is a problem is the low 178mm ground clearance creates when off roading?

I presently drive a Ecosport and at 205mm claimed I get onto bad roads with gay abandon without thinking much and not hit the bottom once even in Leh, Spiti, Meghalaya, Arunachal interiors. But with Compass’ 178 mm, I am a little skeptical?

I did Spiti / Chandratal Lake in June 2019 in a Compass Petrol AT. Ground clearance was never really a problem even in fairly deep icy slush, nor surprisingly, the lack of 4x4.

However, tyres are another matter - I had two of the stock tyres burst. Fortunately we were in a group so there were enough spares.

[The Traveler]

Originally Posted by Kraven

I will try to provide updates on this later as I find more interesting details between these siblings!

Congratulations on your new machine Since you have both the versions of the engine in your saddle, how is the handling difference in both. What kind of difference is there in the feedback from both the machines?

[Kraven]

Originally Posted by The Traveler

Congratulations on your new machine Since you have both the versions of the engine in your saddle, how is the handling difference in both. What kind of difference is there in the feedback from both the machines?

I personally feel ride quality and handling to be pretty much the same in both petrol and Diesel variants. The only thing affecting/complementimg these are
1. Better torque and pull of 2.0 MJD Diesel.
2. lower NVH levels of 1.4 MAIR Petrol which is also faster early on.

In city driving, I find Petrol AT a bit easier than the Diesel MT.

[vyshak]

Originally Posted by Kraven

Hello everyone. My Team-BHP membership just got approved and a big thanks to moderators for same.

Post a long wait and a thorough review, I finally went ahead and got my Magnesio Grey Jeep Compass Petrol AT (Longitude Plus).

Congratulations on the new buy. Welcome to the club and wish you many awesome and safe drives in your Compass!

[Rilke]

I need yet another piece of advice: Does it make sense to pay an extra 1.6 lakhs and choose Longitude Plus (4x4 Diesel AT) over Longitude? I get Bi-xenon HID headlamp, slightly improved seats and roof rails. Is it worth it?

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by Rilke

I need yet another piece of advice: Does it make sense to pay an extra 1.6 lakhs and choose Longitude Plus (4x4 Diesel AT) over Longitude? I get Bi-xenon HID headlamp, slightly improved seats and roof rails. Is it worth it?

Do not think so. Better quality full leather seats will be available for 30k, and better HIDs around 12k (lights warranty will be void though)

[Rilke]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Do not think so. Better quality full leather seats will be available for 30k, and better HIDs around 12k (lights warranty will be void though)

I can see in your signature that you have a Petrol AT variant. Are you satisfied with it? Would you recommend it?

[Rilke]

Originally Posted by Kraven

I personally feel ride quality and handling to be pretty much the same in both petrol and Diesel variants. The only thing affecting/complementimg these are
1. Better torque and pull of 2.0 MJD Diesel.
2. lower NVH levels of 1.4 MAIR Petrol which is also faster early on.

In city driving, I find Petrol AT a bit easier than the Diesel MT.

I am about to buy a Compass, and have tentatively decided to go with Diesel AT as advised by Vid6639 in this thread (please refer to page 138, post#2068).

How is the performance of the DDCT box of Petrol AT compared to the gearbox of Diesel AT?

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by Rilke

I can see in your signature that you have a Petrol AT variant. Are you satisfied with it? Would you recommend it?

Between the 2.0 diesel and the 1.4 petrol, the former is clearly the better engine, and has the better transmissions too.

However, I was looking for petrol AT and back in 2019, there was only the Compass and the Tucson with its NA engine to choose between. The turbo petrol with its torque surge early on was the decider for me over the Tucson.

1.5 yrs down the line, i am quite happy with it. Have been on numerous trails- sand, snow, hills, rocks- the petrol Compass has come out with flying colors. In any other car, i would think twice before venturing on specific roads, but because of the Compass, i do not bother thinking about roads any more. I treat it like my old Endeavour especially on bad roads, and get away with it. Had to change the tires and the lights of course, but that is required for diesel variants too.

My petrol AT gives me around 11.6 kmpl over the 15,000 kms that i have driven on till date, and i am very particular the way i drive to achieve this figure- the diesels will be much more fuel efficient without much thought on how you drive. (15 kmpl+)

The size is its strength and weakness, both. It's size makes it good for any type of roads or narrow trails that i have come across. While on the flipside, cabin space becomes a constraint- the Compass is a comfortable 4 seater plus their luggage, not 5.

Hope this helps.

[Kraven]

Originally Posted by Rilke

I need yet another piece of advice: Does it make sense to pay an extra 1.6 lakhs and choose Longitude Plus (4x4 Diesel AT) over Longitude? I get Bi-xenon HID headlamp, slightly improved seats and roof rails. Is it worth it?

I think the headlamps setup with white LED Pilot lamps looks amazing and certainly are worth it. The Setup costs around 80k. Seats and roof rails are just addon but are cosmetic in my opinion.

[vyshak]

Originally Posted by Rilke

I need some advice. I cannot make up my mind whether I should purchase JC Longitude 4x4 Diesel AT or Longitude Plus 4x2 Petrol AT.

I have test driven both the variants. One can definitely feel the power of Diesel AT, but Petrol AT is no slouch. I didn't find the much-reported lag in the Petrol variant even at a lower speed. But, unlike the Diesel, the power delivery was gradual and not punchy in Petrol. I have not driven on highways, so cannot tell how both would drive at a higher and steady speed.

What goes in favour of Diesel AT is power/punchiness, 4x4, and mileage.
For Petrol AT: lower price (difference of 3 lakhs on-road), higher variant (Longitude Plus over Longitude), and length of ownership (i.e., the car can be driven, theoretically and legally, for 15 years as opposed to 10 years in case of Diesel) and lower maintenance(?).

I think I will drive max about 12000 km per year. I live in the suburbs and drive mostly on the highways. I also plan to take the car to the hills, so I presume 4x4 might be helpful.

So, which one should I get?

The way I see it you have two decisions to make:

1. Petrol vs Diesel
I test drove both the Petrol AT and Diesel AT, each on city roads with decent stop and go traffic and on the highway. This was primarily an exercise in deciding if the cheaper petrol engine is powerful enough for me and here's what I found:

If you're primarily going to be driving inside the city with occasional stints on the highway then the Petrol will do the job. Within city limits you will not notice any difference in the way both perform. Its on the highway (longer stretches of acceleration) that the power output of the diesel starts to really show.

On kick down, the petrol accelerates a bit slower than the diesel does and this is noticeable only when you're trying to quickly hit double digit speeds. You have to test drive both one after the other to really feel this and luckily I had both test drive vehicles available at the same time. This difference could become more evident when you have a fully loaded car (5 adults and luggage).

Its not that the Petrol is underpowered at all for regular city and highway use, its just that the Diesel feels much more eager and fun to drive. The 350Nm of torque does help here. So longer stints on the highway = longer distances then definitely prefer the Diesel AT. Petrol AT for city oriented driving.

2. 4x2 vs 4x4
Are you considering serious offroading? I test drove the 4x2 Diesel MT inside a vacant construction site, mainly to check out the hill climb assist and traction available on steep(ish) unpaved slopes of dry excavated mud. The 4x2 did not break a sweat. You mention "hills" in your post so if you mean your regular ghat sections or steep roads, a 4x2 should be sufficient. Go for the 4x4 only if you really enjoy occasional to frequent serious offroading or you plan on frequently driving in really tricky terrain as the premium on 4x4 is quite significant.


Side note:
Another thing to note is that the automatic transmissions in the JC, both Petrol and Diesel were noticeably slow to downshift and upshift. Neither of them are the best ATs in the business. Even in the tiptronic mode neither of them felt super quick to respond, there's a tiny bit of lag. I'm nitpicking here and then again this is not something a regular user would care about / notice and definitely not a deal breaker in choosing the AT - but if you really love extracting the full power of either engine and if you do not mind the hassle of changing gears yourself - I would 100% recommend to consider the Diesel MT as an option.

By the way, I chose the 4x2 Diesel MT over the 4x4 Diesel AT on the Limited Plus trim. These two on road here in Bangalore are 2.7 lakhs apart after applying all the discounts.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by Rilke

I need yet another piece of advice: Does it make sense to pay an extra 1.6 lakhs and choose Longitude Plus (4x4 Diesel AT) over Longitude? I get Bi-xenon HID headlamp, slightly improved seats and roof rails. Is it worth it?

The roof rails on the Compass are fully functional ones with a load carrying capacity of 60kgs. They even come with proper mounting studs for installing a roof bar and rack. They are not cosmetic.

The HID headlamps are also a delight very clear cutoffs and very good brightness. They are not white like LED lamps and are far more useful in rainy and foggy weather.

I would suggest you go in for the better variant with all factory options and keep your warranty intact too. Changing headlights would not only void the headlight warranty but possibly the entire electrical warranty too. I would stay with such modifications on a 25L plus car.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by GentleGiant

I spoke to the dealership again today. Someone there told me that the noise is there in SOME automatic vehicles (explains why it was not present in the vehicle that I test drove). I am not settling for the explanation that they are giving that is an "operational noise" and don't see why I should "live with it", if at all that is their expectation. This is a Rs. 30 L car and there cannot be any such glitches.

Any update on this issue GentleGiant, i also sent you a PM. Do let us know if you were able to get any Information on this.

[vyshak]

Originally Posted by The Traveler

Congratulations on your new machine Since you have both the versions of the engine in your saddle, how is the handling difference in both. What kind of difference is there in the feedback from both the machines?

From my test drives on both, I found:

• The overall handling, stability in taking corners and steering feedback felt the same on both Diesel and Petrol - both at low and high speeds. You will not feel speeds of 120+ upto about 150kmph and that is the level of stability on offer. Ofcourse I absolutely do not recommend driving at that speed in the interest of general safety but I did get to touch the 160 mark for a few seconds on an empty highway stretch and hence can personally report incredible high speed stability.
• The steering felt light in the city and weighs up sufficiently at higher speeds. Precise feedback and IMO easily the best in the segment.
• Turning radius is a bit big and a bit of a hassle in the city. Preparing for U-turns will take some getting used to.
• Excellent braking power. Progressive and confidence inspiring. All wheels get disc brakes and its very impressive.
• The Diesel is noisier for sure but a much more eager car to push the pedal down on. The Diesel is definitely the more fun to drive variant on the highways. In the city (at lower speeds) I was not able to make out this difference though, except for the noise.