[yashg]

I joined Team-BHP at the start of this year. The sign up questionnaire has a question about your dream car. My answer was specific - Jeep Compass Petrol Model S. Now that dream stands fulfilled. Against all the logic and rationale, I ended up buying a Jeep Compass and that too in petrol. Automatic. 4x2. Because YOLO. Also because every time I saw that car on road, I would gawk like an adolescent kid looking at their crush. Hopefully it will turn out to be a happy and fulfilling ownership experience. This is my third American car after Chevrolet Spark and Ford Figo Aspire. Hopefully Jeep won't run away from India in next 5 years. Keeping fingers crossed.



The urge or rather itch to get a new car started around the end of 2021. The Aspire was running well, but I wanted to get a car with a bit more ground clearance and an SUV form factor. I started checking out new cars on Carwale and discovered new features that I wanted in the new car. In addition to what was already present in my Aspire, I wanted following features

- NCAP rating of 4 star or more
- Minimum 6 airbags
- Good build quality
- Sunroof
- Cruise control
- 360 degree camera
- Ventilated seats
- Decent boot space

Budget was around 15 lakhs. I wasn't looking to get a car immediately. I just started browsing auto portals and YouTube channels. I had no particular car in mind, I was open to every option and was also keen on an EV. I casually started to test drive a few cars.

MG Astor - This was the first car I tested. The exteriors looked good. Even though it has more of a crossover styling, it looked stunning in the showroom. I found the interiors OK. I did not like the Sangria red at all. It looks far took dark and maroonish in real life. It drove well, but I did not get any SUV like driving feel that I was expecting. Just moderately different from Aspire. I liked the 360 degree camera and added to my list of must have features. I found the robot and voice commands to be gimmicky. I took the pricing and moved on. I quipped to my colleague who had accompanied me for the test drive, "I can add 5 lakhs more and get a Jeep Compass." I had no idea what a Compass cost. Compass was actually not on my radar then.

Kia Sonet and Seltos - After Astor, I visited the Kia showroom. I test drove both Seltos and Sonet. The Sonet I drove was a Diesel IIRC. Seltos looked very good. Well proportioned. I liked the built-in sunshades in rear windows. While driving it felt just like my Aspire. It felt like I was just driving a sedan. It was effortless to drive for sure but it did not pull at my heart strings. Also after driving Seltos, I decided I needed a panoramic sunroof only. So that also became a must have feature. After looking at Sonet, I decided no more sub 4 meter cars, so that put an entire segment of cars out of contention. I was aware of Seltos' 3 star GNCAP rating, so that was also a deciding factor in eliminating it.

MG ZS EV - Next up, the EV version of Astor/ZS. This was before the facelift with higher capacity was launched. Great car. The instant acceleration was insane. I was tempted to go with the EV, but setting up individual charger at my parking lot was an issue. I tried to get our society to install common chargers. It didn't work out. After reading a lot and watching many videos on the topic, I concluded the EV infra is yet to take off in our country. EV works best for city runs when you have a second vehicle for long trips. I was planning to go on many road trips in my new car. So EV got a pass for this round of upgrade.

MG Hector - While I was driving the ZS EV, I told the SA I was considering Compass as well. So he suggested to also take a look at Hector. I had not considered it earlier due to size. It's just too big, but decided to give it a try. Feature wise it was packed to the brim. It drove well. There was nothing in particular that I didn't like. Delivery was also readily available for the petrol top variant. But eventually eliminated it because of size. Just tad too big for Mumbai traffic.

Toyota Hyryder - I was keen on it the moment it was announced. Toyota and Maruti took too long to reveal features and prices after the announcement in mid 2022. I got to test drive it around Diwali and immediately booked it. A really good car, only negatives were super small boot space in strong hybrid and mosquito net being used as sunroof liner. By this time, only two cars were left in contention - Compass and Hyryder. I asked on this forum whether I should go with Compass or Hyryder, and most of the members suggested Hyryder.

Cars briefly considered but not test driven

Creta - I never tested Creta because that car is so common and it had months long waiting period, so I never checked it out. Some months later its NCAP ratings were announced and the 3 star rating permanently closed the door on it.
Venue - Sub 4 meter, dropped.
Kushaq/Taigun - Lack of panoramic sunroof, too small.
Slavia/Virtus - Lack of panoramic sunroof, sedan.

Let's talk about Jeep Compass.

I knew Jeep was a standalone brand. I did not know who owned it or what cars it made. Just vaguely aware of its existence. I did take a note of it when Compass was launched in India in 2017. I was not in the market for a car then, I saw it was pricier than the Creta and forgot about it. I did not particularly notice it on the roads. After I casually mentioned to my colleague that I can spend 5 Lakhs more and get a Jeep, all I knew that Jeep was a premium brand and was expensive. Then I checked out the prices and features on Carwale. Features ticked every box of what I wanted. Jeep had really hit it out of the park with the 2021 facelift, but had also priced it a good 10L above Creta/Seltos etc. That was a bummer. But somehow, the car stuck around in my mind. I think it was around January 2022 when I first called the Jeep showroom and inquired about the Compass. I did not book a test drive. I knew I was not going to buy it anytime soon. Also applied for Team-BHP membership around this time and mentioned Compass as dream car.

And then months passed, I kept test driving cars mentioned above. And I started noticing Jeeps on the road. While earlier I didn't notice them in particular, now every passing Compass caught my attention. Then one fine day, I broached the topic to my wife that I was seeing some cars and a car costing 30L+ was on my mind. Her first reaction, "Are you mad?" Her second question, "What car is that?" My wife had not heard of brand Jeep. She thought Jeep was a type of vehicle the kind used by the police. Even later on when I told my father about it, his reaction was "Jeep also makes cars? Will it have a fabric top?" The word Jeep is synonymous with SUVs. Even on toll plazas, they mention jeep as a separate category of vehicles. It was difficult to explain the rationale of a 30L+ car from an unheard of brand to my wife. More so because she's a Chartered Accountant and understands that it's a depreciating asset.

Inspired by the article on almost new used cars, I was open to a pre-owned Compass as well. I test drove a 2019 Limited Plus. It did not have cruise control! Top model petrol Jeep from 2019 lacked cruise control. So it was out of contention. It was parked in the basement of a mall, and the car really struggled climbing up the steep ramp. I came home unimpressed and a little disappointed. Later, I found a 2021 model S listed online, called the owner and asked about the reason for selling the car within a year, he said he was moving abroad. He also mentioned he was an actor. I Googled him and found his wife was also an actor who I had seen in several movies and shows. So them moving abroad while they have a thriving acting career in India seemed like an excuse. I decided against getting a pre-owned Compass.

Then in Diwali I booked Hyryder. But, I wasn't quite happy. It felt like making a compromise. At the same time seeing multiple threads of brand new Compasses breaking down within days of delivery kept me anxious. However after much thought and deliberation, I decided to take the plunge. Will I regret it? Only time will tell.

Started with a budget of 15 Lakhs, ended up with Compass. Jatey they Japan, pahunch gaye Cheen... (We started for Japan but ended up in China - a famous Kishore Kumar song from the movie Chalti ka naam Gaadi)

[yashg]

Booking and PDI

The car was booked at Landmark Worli in exotic red + grey roof. A discount of 1 lkakh was provided on the ex-showroom price. I opted for direct insurance. VIN was shared on the same day. A WhatsApp group was also created. I asked for the VIN to be sent via official email which they did. It was a Sept 2022 manufactured vehicle. I set up an appointment for PDI for a day later. Based on the Team-BHP checklist, I created a bullet list for things to check during the PDI. The PDI was to happen at their Ghodbandar stock yard. I took a friend along for the PDI. He's not a car person so I took him along to get a non-biased look at the car and point out anything out of ordinary. I explained to him the concept of PDI and he was like, "Isn't that the dealer's responsibility to check the car before they sell it to you?" I was kind of flabbergasted by that simple question, but I had to explain to him why a PDI is necessary and how dealers can slip you a defective car. Before leaving for the PDI, I asked for a photo of the odometer, which was shared. It showed the odo in H mode with 21 KMs.

We reached the stockyard and inspected the vehicle as per my checklist. Found a panel gap on both the front doors which I thought was minor and asked them to fix it before delivery. There were some water marks around the body, which just needed a proper wipe with a towel. Tyres were week 36 manufactured which matched with the car manufacturing month. Checked all electronics including individual charging ports. Paired my phone with Jeep UConnect over Bluetooth. Worked fine. My friend asked the SA about how many customers come for PDI, 1 out of 10 he replied. The SA also showed us how the door automatically unlocks once you put your hand in the handle. I asked if I could take a small ride inside the stockyard, but it was denied.

I sent the panel gap photos to Landmark SA and okayed the vehicle. Some photos from the PDI -

PDI checklist

[yashg]

Delivery

Payment and other formalities were completed by November end after which they started the registration process. I was told it would be done by 6th December. 7th was fixed as delivery date which I had to postpone to next day due to wife's work commitments. On 8th, we left for the dealership and on the way I received the call from the SA asking if they can delivery the car to home. I said I am on my way, so she said they had an event happening that day which she forgot to inform us about but she said she would manage. We reached the showroom and there was a press event happening for Landmark group's upcoming IPO.

We were led into a small cabin and all the paperwork was handed over. A cake was cut where they called all the other SAs. They said they usually do this in the main lobby of the showroom but due to the event we had to do it in a cabin. It was fine, not a big deal for us. I was mainly there for the unveiling of which I had seen many videos over the past months and that is where I was going to face a major disappointment. The usual unveiling area was unavailable due to the event, so they parked the car on the other side where some construction work was going on. There wasn't even a Jeep backdrop. It was utterly shabby area to be unveiling a premium car. I refused to do it at that place. They brought in the backdrop and move the car against a wall and where we finally did the unveiling, which was a complete disaster. The resulting video wasn't even worth looking at. If they had an event happening, they could have informed me a day before, we could have delayed the delivery by one more day.

I had my earlier checklist with me, I checked the car again as per the checklist. There were additional bullet points like checking if the front and back number plates are same, checking the accessories and the documentation. Those panel gaps noticed during PDI? Fixed on one side, tried to fix on the other side by using tons of glue, still sticks out. Not immediately noticeable but can make out on close inspection. They promised to fix it later. I am not hopeful.

Took a detailed demo of the car and its features from the SA. Odometer was at 73 KMs and still in H mode. Got it reset to zero but missed the opportunity to capture a photo at 0. Finally left in the shiny new red Compass for home. First stop was fuel pump. Compass has a 60 litres fuel tank and it guzzled some 57 odd litres in its first ever full tank.

I was disappointed about the botched unveiling but my wife asked me to stop sulking and enjoy the new car. Pics from the delivery.







Attaching the checklist that I had created. Attaching a generic version which anyone can use. Page 1 for pre-registration and both the pages on the day of delivery.

[yashg]

Accessories opted for

- Floor mats (rubber)
- Boot mat
- Mud flaps
- Window sun shades

Received complimentary

- Car perfume

Transferred from the old car

- Dashcam (DDPAI Mini)
- Tyre inflator
- Seatbelt cutter and window hammer

Ordered new

- Jopasu car duster

Planning to order

- Battery powered jump starter kit
- Towing cable

(Mentally preparing myself for any eventuality)

A note about installing the dashcam - removing the camera from the old car was easy. The camera had come with a plastic patch similar to a mobile screen guard. Camera wasn't stuck directly to the windshield, it was stuck to the plastic screen with a 3M tape. The plastic guard came off without leaving any residue on the windscreen. But it was useless for the new car, I had to cut the 3M tape. I liked the idea of sticking the camera to the layer of plastic. So before installing it in the Compass, I purchased a regular smartphone screen guard. Unfortunately I bought the tempered glass variety. I did not need to use such a large sized guard, so I tried to cut it, and shattered it into a million pieces. It really was made up of glass! So I then purchased a simpler plastic one, cut a small part of it and stuck it on the windscreen. Then used a piece of silicon tape to stick the dashcam base onto it. Routed the cable from behind sun visor into the pillar paneling, from under the dashboard to the center console. The USB A port in the center console is not the always powered on type, it turns off when car is locked, so I can keep the camera plugged in all the time unlike Aspire which had an always on socket. I guess MG Astor or some other car has a USB port right behind the IRVM for the dashcam. It should be a standard in all cars.

The regular 12V cigarette lighter socket is located in the console behind the driver's seat, which actually is convenient because accessories like tyre inflator can be connected at a central point and reach all 4 wheels. Tested the Woscher tyre inflator by topping up the air in the tyres. Unlike most manufacturers, Jeep had not overinflated the tyres at delivery. They had recommended pressure in all tyres. In fact a little less in the some. Recommended pressure for Compass is 37 PSI for front wheels and 34 for rear ones.

First drive and impressions

First impression - oh that smell of the new car!

Have only driven the car within city so far. Took it to office which is 27 KMs one way. It drives really well. I haven't pushed the engine at all. It is not going to win any races. (In fact I will not win any races with any car) Be gentle with the throttle and let it find its groove and it goes so smoothly. I got to put the cruise control to test on the Sea Link. It took a couple of tries to get it going, after that it was easy. It will be a boon on roads that have speed cams installed. There are certain stretches on the WE highway where the car just glided over and put a tiny smile on my lips. Even at moderate speeds of around 50-60, you don't feel minor bumps on the road. The FSD suspension just makes the drive so much enjoyable. Can't wait to take it out on the open roads.

One major concern I had was about fuel economy. My expectations were low. But on my first drive to work, I managed to get about 9.5. Not bad considering I would get around 10-12 in my Aspire. On the way back with bumper to bumper, soul crushing, crawling nightmare of a traffic, I managed 7.4, Aspire would give me 8 to 8.5. I am pretty sure I can do better, especially after the gearbox opens up and engine and transmission adapt to my driving style. The instant current mileage display helps in adapting your driving style to maximize the fuel economy. I have noticed the average drops a lot while idling. There is auto engine shut off which comes into effect after the cabin has sufficiently cooled. When it starts back up, it's quite noticeable. I had test driven Astor and it was much better in that aspect. Compare that to what Toyota has achieved in Hyryder, where the battery to engine switch is completely unnoticeable. Another small niggle is that the engine starts up again upon releasing the brake. So you can't relax your foot while waiting on a signal. It should start up again on pressing the accelerator. May be that is something I can change in the vehicle settings. I need to check.

Haven't heard any rattles or squeaks yet.

Things I have liked so far

Looks. The. Car. Is. A. Looker. The quintessential baby Grand Cherokee styling and the sparkling red colour combined with the grey roof turns heads. The red + grey combination really shines under the direct morning sunlight.

Ride quality - It is true what we have read about Compass' ride quality. It's fun. It's comfortable. I feel like I can drive for hours without tiring in this car. The high seating gives a commanding view of the road and surroundings. The steering is precise and has just the right amount weight.

Panoramic sunroof - it's massive. I am having a tough time explaining kids and even adults that the sunroof is not meant to stand out of in a moving car.

Ventilated seats - it'll come in really handy during the summer. Driver and passenger seat fan speed and temperature can be controlled individually. There is also an option to sync the passenger seat to driver seat settings.

Interiors - everything feels premium, soft touch material everywhere. Screams quality.

Touchscreen - also massive, very responsive. No lag. Big screen means larger UI buttons which are easier to interact with during the drive.

UConnect - customizable. Spent a good part of the weekend and burned a lot of fuel playing around with it. You can add multiple screens on the home section and can customize each screen with widgets and shortcuts you like. Very much like how you would do to an Android launcher. It also has user profiles and setting of the UConnect system and even things like seat memory etc are linked to the profile. There is even an option of linking specific key to a profile. There is also a valet mode, which disables all the user personalisation when turned on. It takes a few seconds to switch to the mode. You can set a PIN to turn off the valet mode and return to user profile. Need to explore it more.

I will do a separate review of the Uconnect at a later date. It's a feature rich car operating system. After a long time, a software has me this excited.

Physical buttons for most things (except two). Most of things can be controlled with physical buttons and dials which makes it so much easier to fiddle with during a drive.

Music system - The 7 speaker Alpine audio system with surround sound is amazing. You can change the direction of the surround sound, there's a basic equalizer (Bass, Mid, Treble) which works well, and has 3 sensitivity levels of increasing the volume as the speed increases. Loving it.

Wireless Android Auto - it's quick. As soon as I start the engine and turn on the screen, it connects. I am yet to try out the Apple car play. I have read Apple car play is even better than Android Auto.

Electronic seat adjustment and memory function - The electronic seat adjustment helps me set the seat in the precise position and then save it in memory. Especially liking the lumbar adjustment. During the two hour tiring drive, adjusting it gives a little extra comfort to the back.

Auto headlights - they are bright, they are white. Two things I did not have in the previous car.

Other things - auto folding ORVM, powered tailgate.

Things I haven't liked

No physical button for turning on/off ventilated seats.

No physical button for bringing up the 360 degree camera view. Hector has it, Hyryder has it. For now I have added a shortcut for it on the home tab.

I will see if the above two can be activated by voice commands. Compass has voice commands. Haven't explored it yet. Not a fan of voice commands though.

The horn is hard. I can't press it with thumb or fingers alone. I have to use my palm and apply a good amount of pressure. It is good and bad in a sense. Good because it prevents unnecessary honking, and bad because you can't immediately warn absentminded jaywalkers or errant bikers/autos who stray in your path.

Limited functionality of the Jeeplife app - you can lock/unlock the car, set off the blinkers and sound the horn, you can view drive history and vehicle status. That's it. I would have liked if I could remotely start the car and turn on/off the AC, set geo-fence or get notified when the ignition turns on so I can know when the valet guy is using my car to chill.

One benefit of being able to remotely lock/unlock the car is that now I can unlock the car for the cleaning guy so he doesn't have to come to home to get the key. He can call me, I can unlock and he can clean it. I asked him not to use the common cloth to wash my car every day. I gave him a microfibre towel which he is supposed to use only for my car. Asked him to clean the car using the Jopasu duster and use water only for stains and not every day.

Wireless charger is slow and heats up the phone. It doesn't really add any charge, merely prevents the battery from draining. May actually cover the area with a rubber mat and charge the phone using good old cable.

Some questions for fellow members

Should I get under-body anti-rust coating done? Any recommendations?
Should I get some kind of body coating - PPF/ceramic? Any recommended vendors?
There's a rat menace in our society. Going to hang tobacco pouches under the hood. Any other ideas to keep rats at bay?

[yashg]

And now, some photos of the red beast!





Panoramic Sunroof
















The Lizard


Loch Ness Monster (Nessie)


One final thing remaining was joining the Jeep Western Wanderers group. I had already selected that while signing up for the Jeeplife app, but I guess that either takes a long time or nobody bothers. I am already a part of a Jeep owners group on Facebook, I posted in the group asking for Jeep owners WhatsApp group. A member of JWW responded and sent me link to a Telegram group, I joined that group and I was given a link to a Google form. I immediately filled the form, and I was invited to join the actual JWW members group on Telegram which I promptly joined.

Now, it's time to go on some long drives in the Jeep.

Officially a Jeeper.

[yashg]

Jeep Compass petrol automatic initial review

Likes

- Looks and road presence
- Ride and handling
- Suspension
- Build quality
- Panoramic sunroof
- Automatic everything - headlights, wipers, tailgate, seat adjustment
- Music system
- Wireless Android auto

Dislikes

- Subpar delivery experience
- Panel gaps
- Lack of physical buttons for some functions
- Software quirks
- Fuel economy
- Turning radius
- Limited functionality of the mobile app

The car has now done 350 KMs at the time of this review, all in the city and some on the Western Express "Highway"

Exterior

The Compass has looks to kill for. It's design may be inspired by the Grand Cherokee, but I like Compass's styling better than the Cherokee, because it looks better proportioned due to its smaller size.





Turning radius however is too big at almost 5.5 metres. I have to do additional back and forth while parking the car than my Aspire because not only is the turning radius bigger, it is longer and wider and I am being extra careful not to scratch the brand new car. The surround view camera really helps during such maneuvers. Paint quality is very good. Haven't noticed any bubbles or rough patches. There are unfortunately panel gaps. The bottom panel on both the front doors was loose which I had pointed out during the PDI and was promised it would be fixed by delivery. They did try to fix it but they couldn't. The passenger side panel was fixed but the driver side panel is still sticking out and I can see a ton of glue being applied there. This is something I will have to get fixed during the first service at 5000 KMs/6 months.

Top notch paint job






Surround view helps in parking


Back Camera


Front camera


Side camera under ORVM


The S in model S stands for Signature


The tyres are 18 inchers, encased in the squared wheel arches give a distinct look. The alloy wheels don't have a distinct design, they are good but don't register as striking. Stock tyres are Bridgestone while the spare wheel which is a space saver is Firestone. Ground clearance is decent. Better than my outgoing Aspire.



Ground clearance


Interior

We are on the shorter side in the family so there is adequate leg room in the front and in the back for us. Seats are comfortable. They are not too soft or too stiff. Just adequate. Driver seat has lumbar adjustment which helps during a long drive. Back seat is for 2 adults and one child. It does have 3 seat belts. The armrest is wide enough for two people to rest their arms. There are AC vents behind the center console, a USB charging point and a 12V socket. There are lights next to coat hanger which light up when rear doors are opened.

Backseat


Backseat with armrest open


Enough legroom for our family


Handle with hanger and light


The dashboard gives a really premium feel. Soft touch material everywhere. Physical controls are well placed and are within the reach of the driver. Miss the physical button for controlling the ventilated seats. Ventilated seats have 3 speed modes, there is a shortcut for ventilated seats on the touch screen which is available across all tabs. It cycles through the 3 speeds including turning off ventilated seats altogether. The door pockets are small, only suitable for half litre bottles. All 4 doors have pockets.

Dashboard




Center console


All doors have storage


Seat memory controls


Power windows controls and central locking


Sunroof controls


The A pillars are huge and have a sizable blind spot. I have to be extra careful while crossing an intersection without signals. The A pillar on the passenger side can hide an entire car if it is close enough.



Drive, engine and gearbox

My driving includes 2 or 3 rides a week to work which is 27 KMs one way. That drive involves driving in bumper to bumper traffic and smooth drive in patches on a highway.

The car does not feel under-powered if you drive with a light foot. It takes off smoothly and gradually builds up speed. It does not have instant pickup and acceleration but for a relaxed driver like me, it is a joy to drive. Once it has picked up the pace and the turbo kicks in, it becomes effortless to drive. Pressing the pedal even slightly makes it run. The gearbox is smooth, I don't notice when it changes gears. It has manual mode in case you want to manually downshift for a quick overtake, it can be activated by sliding the drive mode selector to the left. To down-shift, you have to push it forward and to up-shift, you push it backwards which is counterintuitive according to me. It should have been the other way round.

In bumper to bumper stop and go traffic, especially during the evening, it's equally effortless to drive. Letting go of the brake pedal makes the car crawl at enough pace that sometimes I don't have to give it extra gas to reach the next waiting point. Auto engine kicks off during such times more frequently and the engine shuts off as soon as you have stopped. Sometimes I have to turn that feature off because it becomes irritating having the engine stop and start every few meters. Luckily there's a dedicated physical switch for that.

Ride quality and suspension

This is the most enjoyable part of the Jeep. It's so stable and the suspension just glides over minor bumps even at moderate speeds. The rumble strips on roads that used to feel harsh in my old car aren't that harsh in Compass. There is negligible bodyroll while taking corners on high speeds. It's stable as a sedan. It feels rock solid while driving and the steering is precise. The steering feels very light while parking and feels rigid enough at high speeds.

NVH

It's not a silent car. Engine noise does leak into the cabin even at moderate speeds. If you are listening to music, you won't notice it, but if the music is off then you can hear the engine clearly. If the car is not moving, engine is silent, but as soon as it starts moving you can hear it.

In-car entertainment

This is the best car audio system I have experienced. There's an in-built equalizer and surround sound. You can even control the direction of the sound. As soon as the Android auto connects, it starts playing last music on the app you were playing. Media controls are placed behind the steering wheel, volume up/down and mute/pause are on the right and next/previous track and change the audio source is on the left.



Brakes

Brakes are amazing. All 4 wheels have disk brakes and they can bring the car to stop from any speed. The Compass is also equipped with an electronic parking brake. It engages automatically when you put the car in P mode. There is an option to turn it off, I have left it on. It can create an issue in case the battery is discharged. There is no manual way to disengage the parking brake. I guess as more and more parts of the car start getting controlled by software, that is one more thing we will have to live with. The ride history on the Jeeplife app shows any hard braking you may have done during the ride.

Battery

There have been a few recent reports of Compass' battery discharging. Battery charge status is displayed on the MID, it fluctuates between 11.9 to 14.1. You can see the battery charge status on the Jeeplife app as well, however it only updates the status if the engine is turned on.

Mirrors

ORVMs are large and are electronically adjustable, they provide good visiblity of the traafic. IRVM is auto dimming kind. No complaints so far.

Air condition

The dual zone air conditioning is ok. There is automatic climate control. I mostly leave it on auto. Real efficiency of the AC will be tested during the Mumbai summer.

Boot

The boot is sufficiently large. Coming from a compact sedan, there is a lot of space. It seems it can easily accommodate a large suitcase and a couple of medium sized suitcases. There is space around the spare wheel which can be used to store some small items along with the toolkit. There is a small pocket on the left along with a hook for grocery bags etc. There are no charging sockets in the boot. Boot can be opened/closed with remote, manually or from a button in the roof next to sunroof controls.



Small space in the boot


Space around the spare wheel


Jeep grill easteregg


Boot close button

[yashg]

Selling the old car

The day I got the delivery of the Compass, I started the process of selling off the Ford Aspire. I started with Spinny and Cars24. Lined up inspection with them for next day. Got confirmations from both. Took photos of the car and listed it on OLX and Carwale as well. Carwale has a used car price checker, it showed an absurdly high price for the car. I knew no one would pay that much, but still listed around that price. You never know. Got a call from both of them and they also wanted to come inspect the car. Lined up all four.

Next day all 4 companies came and inspected the car, they all told me they will come back with quotes next day. And next day I started receiving quotes from them

Cars24: 2.99 L
OLX: 2.32 L
Spinny: 1.43 L

Carwale never gave a quote. Quite a few dealers from Carwale's sister platform Cartrade called me and offered prices under 3 L.

Offers from OLX and Spinny were a joke if not downright insulting. Carwale didn't approve my listing for a few days, initially it was only made available to their dealers. It was eventually approved.

I then listed the car on Team-BHP classified and Facebook marketplace. Also posted in a Ford Figo owners group on FB that I am part of. I received 70+ inquiries from Facebook and most of them were individuals, a handful were agents of Cars24 and Spinny. I received 2 inquiries from Team-BHP classifieds. Only a handful of people actually came to check the car, one each from Facebook, OLX and direct contact. Got 3 offers and went ahead with the best one which met my expectation and closed the deal. Payment was made, documents signed, keys handed over, photos taken and the new buyer who already has a Figo manual drove away in his new car.

Observations:

Spinny, Cars24 etc don't seem to be buying cars themselves anymore. Or may be not all cars you try to sell them. They function more like auction platforms where they check the cars and dealers bid on those cars. If they get a bid, they facilitate the transaction. They have multiple agents who keep scanning car listings and reach out to sellers. But their internal systems absolutely suck. They all offer you whatever amount that comes to their mind and promise to come back to you even if you agree to their quoted amount. The follow up never happens. They have more agents than actual buyers for cars.

Dealers on these platform will offer you absolutely crappy deal. They will try to break the price by pointing out even minor niggles as major issues. They will offer a very lowball amount simply because Ford has left India.

Posting in relevant car group gets you genuine buyers. Their offers are reasonable and only limited by their budget.

Team-BHP classifieds may have a low response rate, but the buyers who respond are genuine and motivated. One gentleman reached out to me from Coimbatore and he was ready to buy the car without even inspecting it simply because it was posted on Team-BHP! If someone is posting on Team-BHP and is owner, you know they have taken good care of the car (which I had). Unfortunately he would have needed time to complete the deal and I had already received an offer which could be completed same day.

Next time I have to sell a vehicle, Team-BHP classified is the first place I am posting an ad on. I probably won't even bother selling my car to Spinny and Cars24.

[yashg]

A note about Jeep Compass' fuel economy

Compass is doing much much better than my expectations on the fuel economy. I was concerned about low mileage during the test drive. The petrol engine is a gas guzzler especially on short trips. However the average has improved in a week since delivery. Key is keeping a light foot and let the engine get into the groove. It still depends on the time of the day and traffic conditions. My morning drive now gives me 10+ and evening is 8+. A Saturday morning drive returned 11.6! Yet to check it on a real highway or express way. First full tank is yet to get over, will measure full tank to full tank average the next time I fill it up.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Dr Alpha]

Congratulations on your purchase
I myself upgraded from a Ford Figo to jeep compass.I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

For the rat menance I used no entry rat repellent once a week for 2 months and let my daschsunds loose in the garrage and found some 5-7 rats hunted down within a week No rat repellent technology or spray can ever be that effective

Wishing you a long mile munching !!

[vignesh207]

Congratulations on your new car and wish you many happy miles with the Red Beast!

Originally Posted by yashg

My friend asked the SA about how many customers come for PDI, 1 out of 10 he replied.

This is so true, most people are unaware of the PDI process and why it is important. Whenever a friend or colleage of mine says about buying a new car, I always ask them to do a PDI and refer to the team-bhp PDI Checklist and the first question they ask is "Won't the dealer take care of it?"

I guess after reading so many horror stories about dealers trying to slip cars with defects to buyers, we just can't avoid being extra cautious about PDI. For the un-informed, as the saying goes, "Ignorance is a bliss"

[abhi_tjet]

Congratulations Yash on the brand new Compass. It’s a beauty . This red color by Jeep is an awesome successor to the erstwhile Punto red by FCA/Stellantis.

Hope you have taken the maximum warranty possible just for the peace of mind. Jeep dealers generally have monopoly (since they are only one in each metropolitan ) and aren’t exactly customer centric. Happy to be proven wrong though.
Enjoy the drive. Happy kms!

[rajeevsulu]

Congratulations. That is a very lovely car and a very crisp write up. Enjoy your car!

[car-go]

Great review YashG, on an equally great car! Quite detailed, including the decisioning phase (though for most of us with Jeep it is all about the heart at the end!)

It is important that we keep talking about the PDI as a must before paying up - especially for Jeep, in wake of the multiple bad experiences - and talking about any issues/ gaps we find. It is immensely helpful for the next Jeep buyer.

Congrats, and lots of mile munching ahead.

[helterskelter]

Loved your simple and to the point review with all major details which actually matter.
Enjoy your car. Congratulations!