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-   -   Scarlett comes home | My Jeep Compass Limited (O) 4x4 | EDIT: 1,47,000 km up! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/212246-scarlett-comes-home-my-jeep-compass-limited-o-4x4-edit-1-47-000-km-up.html)

Five years and close to two lakh kms of ownership experience is a perfect window for a change/upgrade. My humble steed, the Linea MJD had served us well in the past 5 years and I had no plans to upgrade it. But, a chance test drive and some deep discounts going on for the Jeep Compass pushed me over the edge to upgrade from the Linea. The temptation to bring the Jeep home was too much and resistance was futile.

Right from the launch of Jeep Compass in June 2017, I’ve had an eye on it. Not just for the looks, but the ride handling as well. I was thoroughly impressed when I took a test drive, way back in 2017. However, Linea was doing its job perfectly and we didn’t feel the need for an upgrade then. But things changed in March 2019. Oh! we never know on what life has in store for us!

I did think about retaining the Linea as a spare car. But it was not a viable option for us due to budget constraints. Also, the Linea will be driven sparingly with the Jeep in the garage and it’s bad to leave such a great car unused. So, after a lot of thought, we decided to let go of the Linea for a Jeep Compass.


A quick summary based on my experience so far:

Likes

• Power! 173bhp on tap and it is very nicely distributed. (Of course, it’s a big upgrade for me from Linea MJD)
• Excellent performance and handling on the highway. Its rock-solid at good speeds.
• Tight suspension. At moderate speeds and above, the potholes and uneven surfaces are absorbed well. (Basically, the ride quality is stiffer than plush)
• 'Drivability' inside the city is good too.
• Smooth gear shifts and I like the gear knob, cool metallic finish, and nice grip to hold too.
• Clutch is light (not in the Harrier league though), has a long travel like Linea. Initial batch had clutch issues which is fixed now.
• Braking is excellent with all 4 disc brakes.
• A meaty steering. It has a nice grip and it is handily wrapped in leather.
• Quickly got adjusted to the driving position and no ergonomic issues as well.
• Nice and comfortable leather seats with good under-thigh support. (Like in linea, it is a bit on the harder side)
• Excellent NVH levels either while idling or at speeds.
• Excellent build quality
• Interior quality is good. Be it the buttons or plastics or the finish.
• Equipped with side/curtain airbags along with front airbags
• Good fuel efficiency for a 2L / 173BPH engine
• Bi-Xenon Head Lamps
• Reverse camera clarity is good and it directs you based on steering input.
• Dual zone AC. You have an option to set a different temperature for either side. (Driver/Passenger side)
• It’s a head-turner from any angle :D
• Liked the dual-tone exterior.
• Of course, with plans for Sikkim, Leh-Ladakh in the future, it’s good to have a 4x4 car:)
• The service interval duration is every 15K Kms, just like the Linea MJD.

Dislikes

• White interiors. With two naughty kids, it’s a pain to maintain the interior.
• Something which I miss big-time is the “Rain-sensing” wipers. I was so used to it in the Linea. It comes in Limited Plus though.
• Engine guard is not metal. They should have provided a metal engine guard like in Trailhawk.
• Cruise Control. Not a deal-breaker but a good feature to have these days
• Blank buttons in the steering wheel, this was supposed to be for cruise control
• Reclining option for the rear seat would have been nice.
• Bumper lip is low. I have seen many owners who have replaced the bumper lip from the Limited Plus model which is a little shorter than this and helps with better ground clearance
• Exide battery. I am seeing many complaints from other owners with the battery dying in 1-2 year’s time frame.

Neutral

• Space, it is adequate and nothing to complain about. Rear seat leg-room is more than Linea’s and no complaints from any rear-seat passengers so far. Space is not in the leagues of Harrier/XUV 500 though.
• Boot Space, again it is just adequate. The Linea has more boot space than the Compass. During long drives with the family, we have to arrange the luggage strategically to accommodate more things. There is some space available in the spare wheel compartment as well. Removing the parcel tray helps to increase the boot space, but we have not tried this so far. Removing the parcel tray also means that the luggage will be visible via the windscreen.
• Rear seat is for 2 adults + Kid. It will be difficult for 3 adults to fit in comfortably.
• Thick A-pillar, especially the one on the left side is a hindrance while taking sharp left turns. With the left ORVM kind of an extension from A-pillar, it makes things difficult.
• I feel the steering heaviness while taking U-turns and the turning radius is not that great as well.
• Auto-head lamps is a miss too which was there in Linea
• The display unit could have been bigger. (Limited Plus gets a bigger one)
• Tinted glass windows. This is another miss from Linea.
• Service Network. It’s not a Maruti or Hyundai or Tata or Mahindra with wide network.

How it all started?

It was March, 2019 and the plan was to keep the Linea as long as it will run trouble-free. Combined with Linea’s very low resale value, it didn’t make much sense to sell it. And, I was looking forward to the 2 lakh kms milestone on the ODO.

Sometime in March, the ODO crossed 190K Kms and we had a trip planned during the summer vacations to Sikkim with the tentative start date around March last week. But, due to a family emergency, we had to cancel this drive.

Trigger 1:

Now with the Sikkim drive canceled, my daily routine of researching on the google map and places around Sikkim came to an abrupt end. Around the same time, KHT Jeep did a Jeep Compass promotional display in my office campus. My colleagues and I went for a casual look and see (Of course, we never miss to check display cars of any brand that come to advertise there), checked the Jeep and collected the sales pamphlets.

I had a short discussion with the KHT guys available there about exchanging the Linea and they gave me some good quotes. They offered me to bring the Jeep to my home during the weekend for a test drive. I, however didn’t want to go on a test drive because I was sure it will put me in a bind and make me choose between the Linea and the Jeep.

Coincidentally, the very next day Tata Harrier was on display at the same location in my office campus and as was the norm, my colleagues and I visited and checked the Harrier out and made some comparison between Compass and Harrier as the Jeep display experience was still fresh on our minds.

This triggered some interest in me to look for a replacement for the Linea but I was not really serious about it.


Trigger 2:

A week passed and I came across a brand new Jeep showroom (PPS Jeep) on the Hosur road near Electronic city. This was close to the NICE road exit. So, on a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing to do(we were actually supposed to be in Sikkim that day), we decided to visit this new Jeep showroom (PPS Motors, Electronic City, Hosur Road). Again the plan was to just check the Jeep and not to go on a test drive.




The showroom had not officially opened then and all their test drive cars were brand new. Their service advisor (Mr. Vinay) insisted that we go on a test drive right then. With NICE road just half a KM away, I couldn’t resist. So, we did just that. It was a 4x2 model and I test-drove it on the NICE road. Later, we took it on some bad roads off the NICE road as well. I loved the drive experience and so did my wife and kids.

Instant liking during the test drive:

• The power on the tap. Coming from Linea MJD, this was altogether in a different league.
• NVH level was excellent.
• The rear seat spacing may not do justice for the pricing of this car. But it had adequate space and no rear passengers had any complaints on this. Our point of reference was the Linea MJD and this definitely felt like an upgrade.
• I was able to get the driving position correct instantly. No fiddling around with the seating and steering position at all.
• Gear shifting was smooth
• Excellent Braking
• Ride quality on uneven/bad roads were good, the suspension is little stiff though.
• And it’s a looker from all angles

Now, this test drive really made me look beyond the Linea for an unplanned upgrade and if this was not enough, the discounts and the buy-back offer for my Linea just fueled it further. There was a cash discount of 1.2L + 2.5L for Linea + 80K exchange bonus. Adding to this, later I was able to save furthermore by buying the insurance outside the dealer. With all this, I was able to strike off 5L+ from the actual price.

So on a day when were supposed to be roaming around Sikkim in the Linea, we were sitting in Bangalore thinking about exchanging the Linea for a Compass. The unthinkable was happening and we couldn’t stop it from happening.

My main confusion was about the timing of this upgrade whether to go ahead with this upgrade then or wait till end of 2019 for the BS6 to kick in and then go for the upgrade.

What went in favor?

• BS6 is expected to pull up the cost of the car further.
• Compass comes with Euro6 spec which is closer to BS6 unlike the BS4 engines.
• Waiting for another 1-2 years meant I will not get much resale value for Linea.(ODO would have crossed 2,50,000 Kms by then)
• Also, I was facing an expense of 60-70K(approximate ) for Linea in another 5K Kms, Tyre change + a major service including the timing chain, water pump replacement etc.
• With new regulations coming in every quarter , I was not sure what will be in place in another 2 years. (Ex: I really didn’t want a beep at 80Kmph and a non-stop one post 120Kmph.)
• I had some interest in Harrier 7-seater but somewhat lost the interest after the initial niggles that were reported in Harrier. We also didn’t like the look of the Harrier 7-seater.
• I didn’t like the concept of “Connected Car”. So, I didn’t want to wait for the Hector to be available.
• If everything falls in place, then why waste 1-2 years of more fun?!:D
• Good experience with FCA during my Linea ownership

Why Limited (O)4x4? Why not Limited Plus with Sun Roof?

• 4x4 was never in the plan. But after spending so much on a car it made sense to spend little more to get the 4x4 version, especially considering our plans for North East/North India drives in the future.
• Regarding Limited Plus with Sun Roof, the Jeeps available were all MY 2019 models, and there were no ongoing discounts on it.
• My family wasn’t too crazy about sun-roofs except my younger son.

So after lot of thoughts and discussing with you few friends, I went ahead with the booking.

Why not Harrier?

It is a good value for money SUV. It is spacious and has a good long list of features too. Here are few things which went against it,

• I didn’t feel the “WOW” factor during the Harrier test drive which I experienced during the Compass test drive.
• It is as heavy as Compass but had a detuned engine with 30bhp less.
• Initial niggles reported in the Harrier thread.
• This short review from GTO was right in time for me to go ahead and book Compass. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4564872
• No 4x4 option

Why not Hexa/Crysta?

With Crysta in similar price range of Compass and Hexa being cheaper than Compass, the question was why not consider these cars as well before taking a decision on Compass. These two are proper 7-seaters with Hexa being a good VFM car and Crysta scoring high on long term reliability and low maintenance cost. However for our family requirements, it is very rare that we will be using the 3rd row seats. Also, I drive on a daily basis within the city during peak hours. So, I didn’t want to lug the additional overhead of two seats. I also felt that these cars are little longish. So, it didn’t make much sense to go for either of these.

Despite the above thoughts, I did go and check with Toyota for exchange offers but they don’t buy back cars which has run more than 1.5L Kms apparently. I didn’t make any more efforts. It felt like my mind was already fixed on Compass and I was just finding reasons to remove the other contenders from the list:D



Why not XUV 500?

• Few years back this was a dream car for me but it slowly has faded away due to the new arrivals in the market.
• Also, this time I didn’t want to go for a car that is towards the end of its life cycle.
• AWD was around 23L on road.

Did we miss Hector?

With the aggressive pricing of Hector, did we miss waiting for Hector?! Nope, no regret at all.

• Too much of internet thingy going on with that car, which is not to my liking.
• It’s more of MUVish.
• I didn’t want to be a Guinea pig in their testing team.
• No 4x4
• I liked the 360-degree camera though.

Creta?

I never had the liking for Creta. The top end diesel Creta is selling at close to 20L and it is just over-priced for me.
I wouldn’t have mentioned Creta here, but many asked me on why I didn’t go for Creta instead of Compass.

• 1.6L engine in Creta to 2.0 engine in Compass
• Around 50bhp lesser than Compass
• Not as solid as Compass
• Even interiors, I liked Compass better
• Even though it is said to be feature rich, it doesn't come with Rain Sensing Wipers, Auto head lamps etc (Harrier and Compass Limited Plus has these features).
• I kind of feel that this car is just a glorified i20 Elite with better ground clearance.

Booking and Delivery (PPS / MPS Motors, Hosur Road):

There were two MY 2018 manufactured car readily available and both were 4x4 Limited Black Pack version. This version comes with black interiors and black roof/blackened alloys. We liked the black interiors as this will make the interior maintenance easier when compared to white interiors. However we didn’t want a Grey or Silver color car, which were the Blackpack versions available. Our hearts were fixed on a flaming red Jeep Compass. So, we went ahead and booked a MY 2018 Red dual tone which had to be shipped from the plant.

Pre-delivery Inspection:

Thanks to bhpian nkrishnap and my friend Dipin for assisting me with the PDI. It went fine without any issues.



Delivery:

It was a smooth affair and mine was the first Jeep Compass to be booked and delivered at this showroom. Few of my friends joined in as well to celebrate the moment with us.

Driving Comfort:

• As mentioned earlier, I was instantly able to get a comfortable driving position. No fiddling around at all. And no ergonomic issues as well. (It took me a lot of trial and error to get used to it in Linea)
• Seat is very comfortable with very good under thigh support.
• Steering wheel is comfortable and nice to hold. Meaty steering wheel I would say:D.
• The steering wheel is leather wrapped.
• Initially, I felt that the clutch pedal is placed a bit too higher for my comfort but I am used to it now.
• The spacing between the pedals is good.
• For my driving position/seat adjustment, headroom is adequate. I am 5'10.
• The clutch has a long travel but it was the same in Linea too. So I am used to it. And the clutch is not as light as in Harrier.
• The gear shifts are smooth and complemented with a nice metallic finish to the gear head.
• Nicely placed hand-rest and its movable horizontally. There is storage space below the hand-rest. This space is deeper than the storage space in Linea.
• Volume adjustment buttons are behind the steering wheel, its on the right side. It’s easy to use while driving. Even switches to change the media source (Radio/USB/AUX) is available behind the steering, this is on the left side.

IRVM/ ORVM:


Information displayed on the Instrument Cluster:

• Time
• Outside Temperature
• Date
• Trip distance
• Duration
• Kms
• Fuel Efficiency
• ODO
• Other options that can be displayed are Compass, Ignition state

Boot Space:

• It’s around 440 liters. Linea had 500 liters, so it was a compromise for us considering the long drives that we do.
• The luggage has to be arranged strategically to accommodate more luggage. So far we have not faced any issues.
• There is some space in the spare wheel compartment which we make use of to stash some luggage.
• Removing the parcel tray will help with more space but then the luggage will be visible through the windscreen.
• The floor/tray that separates the boot and spare wheel space is of very good quality. There is a rubber mat provided here that protects the floor/tray from liquid spills.
• There is also an option to lower the floor if we don’t want to carry the spare wheel.

Engine Bay / Bonnet:

• Bonnet is super heavy. It is really tough to lift it with one hand.
• They should have provided a hydraulic strut instead of the normal one
• The engine bay is neatly packed and they provided some good quality plastic cover around this bay.
• It gets an insulation sheet as well
• Oil level should be checked 5 minutes after a fully warmed-up engine is shutdown. Under cold condition, it doesn’t show the oil level.
• As mentioned above, Compass comes with Exide battery. Many have complaints on it’s as it dies down within 1-2 years.

Ground Clearance / Under-body:

• Something that is very low is the front bumper lip. If you are faster while maneuvering mega speed breakers, then it will touch either just before you climb or while coming down. It depends on the design of the speed breaker. During such impacts, it flexes so it doesn’t damage the lip.
• To overcome this issue, some people have replaced the stock bumper lip with the one from Limited Plus model.
• Otherwise, so far I have not faced any issue related to ground clearance.
• The under-body engine guard could have been metal instead of plastic. Trailhawk gets a metal engine guard.

4X4 Review:
I have not made use of the 4x4 yet. Only time I engaged 4x4 was on a beach near Kanyakumari. I will update this space later with my experience.


Some technical information from the manual about enabling Four Wheel Drive (4x4),

4WD LOCK:

The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) is locked to ensure immediate availability of torque to the rear drive axles. This feature is selectable in AUTO mode and automatic in the other driving mode. 4WD LOCK can be enabled by the
following ways:

• When the 4WD LOCK button is pushed.
• When the Selec-Terrain switch is rotated from AUTO to any other off-road modes.

Auto: This four-wheel drive operation is a continuous operation, is fully automatic and can be used on and off road. This mode balances traction to ensure maneuverability and acceleration improvement compared to a
vehicle with two wheel drive. This mode also reduces fuel consumption, since it allows the disconnect of the drive shaft where conditions permit.

Snow: This mode allows you to have greater stability under conditions of bad weather. For use on and off road on surfaces with poor traction, such as roads covered with snow. When in SNOW mode (depending on certain operating conditions), the transmission may use second gear (rather than first gear) during launches, to minimize wheel slippage.

Sand: For off-road driving or use on surfaces with poor traction, such as dry sand. The transmission is set to provide maximum traction.

Mud: For off-road driving or use on surfaces with poor traction, such as roads covered by mud or wet grass.

• Service duration is every 15,000 Kms, all components/parts to be inspected during this service.
• Engine Oil and Engine Oil filter, replace every 15,000 Kms
• Air filter, replace every 15,000 Kms or 1 year
• Diesel filter, replace every 15,000 Kms or 1 year
• Pollen filter, replace every 15,000 Kms or 1 year
• Brake fluid, replace every 30,000 Kms or 1 year
• Clutch fluid, replace every 30,000 Kms or 1 year
• Timing belt drive kit, replace every 75,000 Kms or 5 years
• Accessory drive belt, replace every 75,000 Kms or 5 year
• Flush and replace Engine coolant, replace after 2,40,000 Kms or 10 years
• Wheel alignment/balancing/tyre rotation, every 15,000 Kms
• Engine Oil quantity to be replaced is 4.2 Liters (5W-30, Synthetic Oil)

Extended Warranty:

• This is up to 1,50,000 Kms (Standard Warranty is up to 1,00,000 Kms)I had a good experience with Linea as I had done claims till close to 1,50,000 Kms. So, I didn’t have any second thoughts about going for this.
• I paid 32,000 /- for this extended warranty

During our long drives, there were times when the FE was hovering around 18+ about 100kms into the drive but then the engine tempts you to push a little harder and I end up with FE in the range of 14-17 Kmpl.

Learning curve :

• Getting used to the power, a big jump for me from 90bhp to 173bhp.
• During the first highway drive, I was not moving to 6th gear in the flow. I used to realize it after a few kms and then move to 6th gear.
• Getting used to the hand brake as disengaging it requires a tap on the brake pedal + pushing the brake button. (especially when at signals)
• Getting used to engine braking took some time. If you are at higher speeds, engine braking is effective only when you downshift to 3rd gear.
• Cap-less fuel inlet.
• The fuel inlet door opens when you unlock the car. No manual knob to open it. During the first refill, I was searching for the button to unlock this.
• Oil level should be checked 5 minutes after a fully warmed-up engine is shutdown. Under cold conditions, it doesn’t show the oil level.
• The clutch pedal is a little higher than normal I felt. Now I am used to it.
• Getting used to the display unit took some time as well

Experience So far:

The ODO has crossed 20,000 kms and it has been a wonderful experience so far. Looking forward to many more happy miles with Scarlett.


Note of thanks:

Thanks to the "Jeep Compass : Official Review thread" and Bhpians who had shared loads of information here on the Jeep Compass which helped me in taking the right decision. Also, thanks to bhpians and friends who were my sounding board when I was trying to decide. Special thanks to bhpian h14 for answering my queries before I went ahead with my booking.

And thanks to my friends Goutam, Jaison (Mighty_Lothar), Satya (speedsatya) and Vivek Nair for clicking great pics of Scarlett. :D

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing, Arun! :)

Your Linea ownership thread was one of my favourite reports on the forum. Was a little disappointed to see you exchange it just before hitting the 2L mark, but all that is now well and truly compensated seeing the way your Jeep has raced to 20k kms within just a few months!

Wishing you lakhs of kilometers of happy ownership! :thumbs up

Superb Review!!! My test drive awaits

A very precise and apt review. Being a compass owner I was in same state of mind seven eight months ago when I bought my Compass.

I test drove Harrier and somehow could not connect it from my heart even though I liked its design. Jeep was at always at the back of my mind even though I test drove it only when it was launched. My mind was stating to wait for few months for Kia Seltos and Hector launch which was impending but somehow my heart was sold on Compass after having driven it and secondly it was suitable for my needs.

It was mostly highway driving and also rear seats not put to use ninty percent of time. Driving pleasure being one of main considerations.

I can say I am happy to have followed my heart. And then Autocarindia India published its comparison review between Compass, Harrier and declared the Harrier a winner even though it praised Compass on most important parameters. I am not running down Harrier. It's a very good SUV but somehow it lacked something which I couldn't place.

Then when I read a very neutral review about harrier in this forum by GTO I felt vindicated about my decision to have followed my heart.clap: