[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Omkar

The SCCS platform was developed by Opel & Fiat and underpins a wide range of Fiat cars as it is adaptable for different wheelbases and drive configurations.

Was this before the FCA chapter?

Originally Posted by Omkar

This makes the Compass more of a Fiat than a Jeep.

It is quite amazing what manufacturers can do with a vehicle platform. On one side you have the ugly Fiat 500X and then you have the handsome Jeep version of the same car. While the underppings could very well be Fiat, they look totally different. Probably explains that off set rear wheel.

What does surprise me is that Jeep as a brand isn't well known in India. Ask anyone on the street if they have heard of the Jeep brand and the first reference will end up being a Mahindra. A relatively unknown brand comes in and for the first time in FCA's operations in India, showrooms are busy!

Originally Posted by Omkar

The ORVM is well-sized and provides a clear view of the action behind

Should have had blind spot alert system integrated. I value features like this more than auto wipers and headlamps though I will admit that once you get used to a car with a lot of toys, you'd expect features like these to be present.

Originally Posted by Omkar

Jeep should have really kitted the Indian Compass with a sunroof

At its price point Yes but I don't think we are going to miss a sunroof. This is subjective. Personally, I rather not have one. Our weather and dusty conditions don't permit the use of a sunroof. Forget a sunroof, I barely kept the windows open on my car. On good weather days, I wish I could leave them open but you cannot because of the amount of dust that will soil everything in the car.

Originally Posted by Omkar

What you see on the top right is a plastic funnel for the capless fuel filler system.

Wow. Trouble is most owners will forget that its even there. I doubt if anyone will ever venture so far out with a Compass or run it so low on gas that they'll ever need to use. Still; a thoughtful add on.

Wonder how they got weather and dust sealing sorted for the cap-less fuel filler. This is one place that ends up collecting a lot of fine particle dust over time.

Originally Posted by Omkar

One very useful feature that Apple CarPlay still doesn't support is navigation!

Well if it is based on Apple Maps, I rather not. Not for India atleast.
On a slightly different note, it was only very recently that wireless CarPlay support has come around.

Originally Posted by Omkar

There are some sourced from Germany too.

It is odd that some very basic parts are imported. Fiat used wiper motors that were Made in Germany for the Punto and Linea! Can't imagine the cost if you ever have to replace them. Besides; why go so far as we excel in making quality components.

Originally Posted by Omkar

Sweet, round gear knob wears a brushed silver finish

Looks Superb.

I was about to say that the Jeep Compass will be useless off road. I am so wrong. Looks like it can take a little thrashing provided you don’t push your luck. Fact is, few owners are going to venture or do anything remotely close to what TBHP did for this review. For those brave souls (potential owners), you might want to add on the most expensive insurance & warranty cover you can find.

The Jeep Compass is standing on its own feet. I don't know why Mahindra, TATA and Skoda feel the need to remind customers that they have cars at a similar price point.

TATA's print ad was hilarious. If you want a Hexa, you'll head out and buy a Hexa and likewise for the other cars. Skoda maybe at the receiving end as they sell a sedan at this price point.

The stakes are high for Jeep. The MOPAR branding is only as good as the folks who run the place. If they intend to operate the way they did for Fiat, it is going to be a disaster. Sure, a lot of us Fiat folks will vouch for decent service as a result of finding the right person at the service center. This isn’t going to be the case for everyone. No Jeep owner will want to drive to another state for top notch service. They will have to exceed expectations with every customer. The same applies at the sales point. The SA’s for the first time are dealing with a lot of customers. All I will ask is to stay professional and don’t beat around the bush.

As always, a review that was worth the long wait. Not that I am a potential customer. Every time I read through the Jeep thread, there were so many doubts over what this vehicle is going to be. Drawing comparisons and what not. This review answers them all.

[pannags]

Thanks very much for an outstanding review!! I'm sure the folks at Jeep will discover a dozen more things about the Compass from this brilliantly detailed work.

On a different note, I can't imagine times when a buyer was as spoilt for choice as now. Surprising misses notwithstanding, the Compass definitely seems to have "paved the path".

[paliontile]

Wonderful wonderful review! This is totally worth the time taken to put it up. Thanks to GTO's snippets of reviews on "Meet the Jeep Compass..." thread, i was able to confirm my observations after the TD and take delivery of the Compass in time. I believe the biggest challenge is to ensure decent levels of ASS dealerships and one easy step i believe is to sign up multiple dealers per city. With the amount of bookings garnered, i am sure a lot more new dealers would want to sign up with Jeep keeping in mind the upcoming Renegade as well. I can't believe there is only one dealer in Hyderabad.

Originally Posted by Caesar

On the Sports variant, the only thing I seem to miss the most is the projector head lamps. Can you please tell how the OEM headlights are doing the job for you?

I didn't get a chance to take it out in the nights yet due to the ongoing Ganesh Utsav festivities at our place. I will let you know soon.

[veyron_head]

Wow! Just read through the review. What a level of detail!! Could pass off as a user manual LOL!

I so earnestly hope the Jeep compass succeeds in the market so Creta, Innova and few others would get a reality check on their ridiculous pricing. The product guys at FCA have given their best shot. I would squarely blame the sales & service arm if compass fails in the market.

[avdhesh15]

Fantastic review! Fully deserved 5 stars.

Although not in the market for a car currently, I just hope FCA can keep up sales and service standards to try and add to the competition. Sometimes a new competitor is needed to shake up the market leaders.

[~~h]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker. Thanks!

[romeomidhun]

Came to know from a Hyundai dealer that there is a real reason why new Verna is priced more competitively than expected - they are loosing Creta sales to Compass, and had to compensate for that in the volume game.

[i74js]

I will be in market for my next change in 2018. I have always admired the TJet engine in Linea and would love to consider the 1.4 MultiAir engine based Compass, provided the AT is out by then and reviews on AT give a decent amount of comfort on its reliability.

The Compass review is top notch and confirms that finally the FIAT plant is capable of producing a quality product at par with competition in the market. I presume that even the T-Bhp members responsible for review had a lot to talk about the product as it offers a lot for the asking price; more so Jeep commands a respect among enthusiasts and thus additional efforts were put in to do justice with the product at hand. Thank you once again for this lovely review.

The review highlighted missing "Cruise Control" on steering and that certainly takes away pleasure from the otherwise well put together machine. Let's hope its not too difficult for JEEP to take this feedback and append this feature and the missing controls from the steering wheel; a good petrol engine with lovely highway dynamics and competent Cruise Control !!!

[amit1agrawal]

Superb Review. Rated 5 star. Such a detailed view, pointing out things which hardly anybody would notice. I think the only way to better the review is by knocking the car down to figure out how internals have been put up.
I imaging the Jeep folks would have been humbled on quality standards after reading the review, for all their drumming about following very high quality standard (1mm tolerance etc).

[akhil994]

Wow amazing guys! Kudos to the level of detail that has been captured. Although we are generally used to the most detailed reviews here, but some of the bits, like the morse code on the dead pedal have taken it to a whole new level.

You have just raised the benchmark for official review. Rating the thread a fully deserved 5 stars!

Coming to the product, after experiencing it first hand, can say that FCA have a winner on their hands. I would personally however like the top spec automatic diesel with sunroof and all the missing features to be launched, before taking the plunge for the same.

[Shwet]

What Exactly was FCA thinking with a 390 kg loading limit.

This is Utterly confusing, is it lack of attention to details or something else?No way can this weight limit be maintained with five adults and luggage. Also the lower bumper lip seems comical in a high ground clearance SUV. I believe it can be removed though. Anybody going for the Compass should get it removed prior to delivery i think.


Note from Moderator: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers. Thanks!

[PapaBravo]

Brilliant Review. Great attention to detail & content. I think Compass makes a good tourer. The 2.0 engine will never let you down on the highways. The comfort level looks good. Nice interiors will make one feel good on cross country drives. Plus you have the AWD in case you require it. But, the approach angle is a bit low & the lip scrapes speed bumps. These two need to be addressed since roads in India aren't really that smooth.

Regards,

Pawan

[civic-sense]

It's a shame that you didn't get the petrol Compass to drive, and if indications are correct petrol versions are going to be paper-only. I know that the petrol version does not make sense being only 50K less expensive, there are people like me who like petrols. I for one, cannot stand the smell of diesel fumes.

A variant rationalization is required urgently. They have to reduce the number of variants and apart from the base (Sport variant), 6 airbags need to be made standard. Or at least the O variants.

BTW, is it an AWD or a 4WD?

[BlackPearl]

Superb will be an understatement for this review, it is beyond any superlative adjective. The attention to details is mind boggling and 2700 clicks, for this review, is evident in the outcome. The negative points mentioned are not much of a concern to me, however, I would love to see the Compass AWD with a lower first gear and company fitted AT tyres. Another point is that even Fiat Palio had an immensely successful launch and broke a few records in terms of initial booking in those days. It had all the ingredients to give good competition to others but the hype fizzled out due to poor after sales service and lack of proper advertising. I sincerely hope that it does not happen to the Compass and FCA becomes a formidable force to reckon with in the compact suv segment.

[Nav-i-gator]

Just as we think it (the Tbhp reviews) can't get any better, we come across this!!

There is no way any print media or online blog sites can match the details and extremes of an auto review to this extent. Not even a test drive can bring out so much of details in the open for perspective customers.

Kudos guys. Take a bow.

Coming to the vehicle itself - the name "jeep" itself is worthy of the price tag as well as the abilities (limited, but true to the brand legacy nonetheless) of compass. What remain to be seen is the long term reliability.

As GTO puts it - Americans do know how to instill "character" into a machine. Hyundai, even Toyota, make excellent cars with no apparent miss - good engine, extremely reliable, affordable and easy to maintain (with excellent resale value), but they lack the character of American "bully" SUVs. The nearest any SUV from japs (and Koreans) that have come any close to this halo image is Fortuner , and that too mostly due to the "usual" ownership pattern (politicians, hooligans, basically anyone with power/money).