[reddevilgautam]

Went to the Gurgaon showroom for a test drive last Saturday and was surprised to see hardly any crowd at the showroom. It was deserted. I think the interest has moderated after the initial furore. All the 3 test drive vehicles were available for test drive, however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters. Neither they let my wife have a test drive as she was wearing sandals. Do they expect women to be wearing shoes especially for a test drive?

Really rude attitude from the showroom people. I was left furious, so much so that now I am now in 2 minds about buying the diesel automatic which I was planning in January.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Really rude attitude from the showroom people. I was left furious, so much so that now I am now in 2 minds about buying the diesel automatic which I was planning in January.

Shocked! Are you serious, Jeep? This attitude sucks. This has to be reported to someone at Jeep. In fact when I test drove the C250, I was in my pyjamas. The guy brought it home on a Sunday.

Hope the success of the Compass hasn't got the head of the dealers. What do they want you to wear when you pay their service bills? They might want to clarify.

Sorry for going overboard, but they need to respect the people who walk into their showrooms.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

All the 3 test drive vehicles were available for test drive, however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters. Neither they let my wife have a test drive as she was wearing sandals. Do they expect women to be wearing shoes especially for a test drive?

That’s interesting, never knew about this problem. I went for the Compass TD wearing shorts, t-shirt and sandals; dress-code was never mentioned as an issue

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters. Neither they let my wife have a test drive as she was wearing sandals.

What? You should have recorded them while asking the reason for not giving you test drive and then post it online.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Really rude attitude from the showroom people. I was left furious, so much so that now I am now in 2 minds about buying the diesel automatic which I was planning in January.

Really pathetic attitude.

IIRC, you had posted earlier regarding a conversation over email with Kevin Flynn. Would suggest not to let this situation go, and shoot a mail keeping them (FCA and the dealer) in the loop.

The dealers are seeing sales after a long time, but that shouldn't make them think they are superior than their prospective customers.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

All the 3 test drive vehicles were available for test drive, however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters. Neither they let my wife have a test drive as she was wearing sandals. Do they expect women to be wearing shoes especially for a test drive?

Did they actually mention the reason for that "rule" like say safety issue with floaters slipping from pedals or something? Or no - just no test rides without shoes? Very funny to see this in a showroom of a brand who's DNA is off-roading and getting dirty! Wearing floaters or nothing many a times.

Or this is their primary filtration to take out people who are only going to take a test ride for fun and never call back? "This guy can't get a shoe and wears floaters! How can he buy a Jeep??". So every now and then we'll still be reminded of the total failure that is "Fiat Sales & Marketing".

I'd say they are blowing away a wonderful business idea - one even more profitable than selling the Compass.
"Rent-a-Shoe"! Like they do at bowling alley joints! You have to pay 5000 Rs for renting the mandatory shoes before a test-drive. The cheapest shoes possible with a Jeep brand sticker pasted on them.

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Went to the Gurgaon showroom for a test drive last Saturday and was surprised to see hardly any crowd at the showroom. It was deserted. I think the interest has moderated after the initial furore.

Evidently the Gurgaon folk prefer to wear open-toed footwear .
Not a big surprise that now there is no crowd as such. It is a costly car still and after the initial fanfare, only the real prospective buyers will now visit. That can't still be a crowd same in size as that visiting Maruti showrooms.

[BlackPearl]

Yesterday night I was following a Compass out of a shopping mall. It was impossible to keep up with it in my Bolero, quite understandably. However, there was a bad stretch of road after a while and I thought the Compass would slow down. It didn't and I tried to follow at the same pace. I got rattled to the bone and the Compass went over the potholes as if they did not exist!

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Yesterday night I was following a Compass out of a shopping mall. It was impossible to keep up with it in my Bolero, quite understandably. However, there was a bad stretch of road after a while and I thought the Compass would slow down. It didn't and I tried to follow at the same pace. I got rattled to the bone and the Compass went over the potholes as if they did not exist!

Quite understandable and no surprise really. Even modern hatchbacks will make you feel the same more or less. What is the million dollar bit is, after another 5-6 years you'll still mostly be able to do this in the same Bolero. What will really matter is whether that same Compass can keep on taking this abuse for that long and carry on.

[RedRaider]

Going by the build quality, hopefully, the Compass should also be able to do bad roads as gracefully 5 to 6 years down the line.

[adi_petrolhead]

Really surprised to know that they denied test drive for lack of "proper" footwear? This should be reported to higher management for sure.

Coincidentally I was crossing the Jeep showroom in Ahmedabad, and went for a test drive. The showroom is owned by the same group that owns Hyundai and Harley Davidson dealerships in Ahmedabad. The showroom exists since the Jeep brand was officially unveiled in the country with only the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.

Obviously my expectations were very high, and it came down as fast as it probably could. For one, the parking was outside in a completely broken "kaccha" rasta which was filthy because of rains, and one would not even think of getting down and walking till the showroom. Reason no two being I walked in to the showroom and there were no customers, there was a receptionist who did not even bother to look up, and I was standing there for almost 5 minutes until I walked up to the cashier window and asked someone to give me a test drive.

Suddenly a person named Ronak appeared, and started talking in our vernacular language (Gujrati) although I started the conversation in english, not taking him on face value.

Any ways, I asked for a test drive, and he started explaining to me about the entire range that is Compass<Wrangler<Grand Cherokee etc. I let him talk for a bit but I just wanted a quick test drive since I had done a test drive of the Innova just the same day and wanted to make a comparison. And so I just stopped him there and told him lets just go for a test drive.

Everything aside the thing that I was looking forward to was the power in the car, which somehow I did not feel. Other impressions such as seating position, may be I was not able to get the correct position to my liking and I felt the clutch travel was too long for that reason.

The steering was not aligned properly, and the car was just 6000 km driven. The advisor said that they don't get time to get it fixed because of almost fifty test drives in a day, which to me was a load of ****.

The power delivery was linear, but the car wasn't picking up the pace like the Innova 150 PS MT variant even in normal mode.

The gear shifts were like magic, never seen such smooth shifts on a compact SUV. It was almost like the VW Jetta which was by far the best MT I had driven and I think its a compliment for Jeep.

Another amazing bit was of course the FSD of the suspension. It was sub-lime to say the least.

A thing I particularly did not like was the Instrument binnacle. The dials seemed too small, and the glare on the dials made it impossible for me to read it quickly while driving.

All that said, I won't buy it because I already sense the service is going to struggle, they've only delivered 100 cars till now (I don't believe even that figure), the boot is too small for my use, I find the car to be over priced for the Longitude and Limited variants.

I did not like the overall attitude of the showroom staff and its not some extra ordinary expectation. They could have given a better initial impression but somehow I could not connect with the car itself.

[sups]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

The power delivery was linear, but the car wasn't picking up the pace like the Innova 150 PS MT variant even in normal mode.

The gear shifts were like magic, never seen such smooth shifts on a compact SUV. It was almost like the VW Jetta which was by far the best MT I had driven and I think its a compliment for Jeep.

Another amazing bit was of course the FSD of the suspension. It was sub-lime to say the least.

Sorry to know about the dealership experience which can very easily spoil the initial impression of a good car.

But good to know some initial feel of the car from an Octavia owner. I can understand Compass can't give the space and plush feel of an Octavia. But I am very tempted to ask how does the NVH, build quality and suspension of Compass compare to those of Octavia?

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Went to the Gurgaon showroom for a test drive last Saturday and was surprised to see hardly any crowd at the showroom. It was deserted. I think the interest has moderated after the initial furore. All the 3 test drive vehicles were available for test drive, however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters. Neither they let my wife have a test drive as she was wearing sandals. Do they expect women to be wearing shoes especially for a test drive?

Really rude attitude from the showroom people. I was left furious, so much so that now I am now in 2 minds about buying the diesel automatic which I was planning in January.

HORRIBLE! This is one of the most disturbing things I have heard in a long time. When did they come with a 'dress code' for customers to buy their cars? Ludicrous. You must escalate this and make the dealer realize that nothing in the world gives them rights to insult a prospective customer or anyone for that matter! Bad attitude like this wouldn't take them anywhere and only cause their downfall.

[Sebring]

Shocking attitude. Jeep stands for 'Anything Goes!', worldwide. Throw anything and everything at it and it should sail through. In India, looks like theyre getting carried away and pitching it like a Merc or a BMW. ie. Meant for the elite and well heeled (literally, in this case). Contrary to the brand image. Send them a mail and ask them to apologise for their behaviour.

[quote=reddevilgautam;however they still didn't give me a test drive because I was wearing floaters.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Confirmed: Compass Petrol Automatic Already In Production

I had a brief interaction on emails with FIAT India MD Kevin Flynn in which he confirmed that the 7 speed Auto with 165 HP Petrol is now in production.

There is an article in the Malayala Manorama website about the Compass Petrol Automatic. According to the article the petrol auto will be available in Limited and Limited (O) trims and it will be priced at Rs.18.96L and Rs.19.67L respectively.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

There is an article in the Malayala Manorama website about the Compass Petrol Automatic. According to the article the petrol auto will be available in Limited and Limited (O) trims and it will be priced at Rs.18.96L and Rs.19.67L respectively.

That's a very limited increase over the launch prices. Probably the 1.4L engine helping to keep the CESS impact low for the petrol variants as compared to the diesel.