[paliontile]

I have this dilemma since before the pandemic. I bought my Compass 3 years ago in Aug '17. I also have a '09 Palio which I still use intermittently. I have about 136K kms on the Palio and 46K kms on the Compass.

While I had always enjoyed driving, I think I no longer can. I hired a driver since an year now. With this development, I could clearly feel the cons of Jeep Compass - rear seat comfort and ride quality, esp. low speed ride is pretty bad. I have 16 inch wheels (not the higher variants' 17 inch wheels). When I bought this car, this was not much of a con as I really enjoyed driving this. I feel my Palio fares better than Compass in terms of ride quality though under thigh support is poorer than Compass. I am using the Palio more and more now.

My 8yr old can't seem to take to the Compass the way she did to Palio or my wife's Brio. She feels sick in her stomach on long rides. And I don't really want to put her through this discomfort every time I take her out.

Considering this, I am thinking of replacing the Compass with a sedan. I haven't decided between petrol and diesel yet. I don't think my daughter's discomfort is due to the fuel type (Palio is also a Stile diesel and she has no issues with it). It might be more due to the higher GC and ride.

I am looking at the City, Vento, Rapid at the moment. And if it a used car, I am ok to go for a segment higher. My current priorities are:
1. Excellent low speed ride quality
2. Rear seat comfort - good under thigh support and rear AC vents a must.
3. Decent highway manners, my daily commute is on Hyd's ORR for the most part.

Mileage isn't a priority and I have no preference on the fuel type either. I am really looking forward to recommendations. I am also open to any suggestions on making the Jeep Compass's ride and rear seat better like rear seat customizations, suspension changes etc.

[Visaster]

If it is the rear seat comfort and everything you are looking for is that’s all.. then definitely it is Honda city.
Though higher priced it has the best seats, but the ground clearance when fully loaded is a pain.
On a lower cost you could have the ciaz if driven by a driver, with the same rear seat space and comfort, but it does not have any premium written on it. I say as you are coming from the Jeep.
Ventos and rapids are tight cars with punchy engine, but the cabin space is unfortunate.

[Tachyonites]

I would suggest the Honda City diesel for you.

First things first, it easily has the best backseat in this segment and at this price point.
Even though the ground clearance is very less, you wont be able to scrape the car's belly unless there are 5 people sitting inside.

Why do I recommend the diesel?
As you mentioned you would be chauffeur driven, so maybe you won't miss the petrol's power and you would save bucks due to the high fuel efficiency of the Diesel.

Hope my suggestion was helpful,
Thanks.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by paliontile

My 8yr old can't seem to take to the Compass the way she did to Palio or my wife's Brio. She feels sick in her stomach on long rides. And I don't really want to put her through this discomfort every time I take her out.

Considering this, I am thinking of replacing the Compass with a sedan. I haven't decided between petrol and diesel yet. I don't think my daughter's discomfort is due to the fuel type (Palio is also a Stile diesel and she has no issues with it). It might be more due to the higher GC and ride.

Well being a fellow Compass owner (I also bought mine in Aug 2017 and mine is among the first Compass Ownership reviews here), I can tell you that the ride quality of the Compass is a bit wallowy due to the higher Centre of Gravity compared to any sedan. But that said, the Compass is probably the least, compared to any other SUV and is in fact more car like.

Kids tend to feel nauseated in the back seat alot (in fact my son who is 13 now, still gets nauseated in the Compass , while he does not get as much in the Laura). The best solution I find is to put kids in the front seat and then they don't feel nauseated much.

Some other suggestions (before you go back to a Sedan!) :
1) Change your Compass tyres to Michelin Primacy SUV 215/65 R16 (since you are on this stock size) . The Michelins have great ride quality and tyre noise is also much lesser. The ride quality will improve quite a lot with this change.

2) You may also need to change your driving style a bit. Nausea in kids is caused by sudden acceleration / Deceleration and changes of of direction and some people tend to drive constantly with fast acceleration and deceleration (my wife does too - and even I get nauseated when I sit on the rear seat when she drives ) whereas when I drive, my son and wife never get nauseated. Also , make sure not to give any liquids like milk/ juice to your kid before long drives - you should give them solids instead and avoid liquids.

3) The Compass seats are not bad and in fact quite good and spacious for the segment and I don't think that they are causing any issues. The suspension is also well tuned - do check your tyre pressure and keep it around 32-33 in all tyres, this keeps the ride pliant and comfortable. Higher tyre pressures tend to make the ride uncomfortable.

That said, if the problems still persist, a Sedan will be the only option as the low riding height is more comfortable for people who feel nauseated, but with that there is certainly a challenge of crossing Potholed roads, large speedbreakers and flooded roads, which becomes a problem. Most cities are prone to these problems now and this is why most people are moving towards the CSUV / SUV segment. Had this not been the case, sedans would have been still ruling the roost as they have better ride quality, more boot space and better fuel efficiency!

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

2) You may also need to change your driving style a bit. Nausea in kids is caused by sudden acceleration / Deceleration and changes of of direction and some people tend to drive constantly with fast acceleration and deceleration (my wife does too - and even I get nauseated when I sit on the rear seat when she drives

Agree to this point. While I am driving, my wife and kid feel pretty fine (old Zen Estilo), they never complain about feeling dizzy or nauseated. But when she travels in a Uber or Ola, 8 out of 10 time she complains about the driver moving too fast and decelerating very soon. Also, the swings during turns. The cabs are mostly sedans and of better specs than my old hatch. I think a smooth driving style goes a long way in passenger comfort.

[Turbohead]

I would agree with Behemoth, it's cheaper to fix the issues with the existing car rather than change it prematurely. I'll try working around with air pressure and then change the tires as suggested.

If it doesn't work, I wouldn't exactly recommend the City. There are plenty of complaints that the ride is quite bumpy in the rear seats, especially at highway speeds as the suspension is tuned for the city. It would be better if you demand for extended test drives with all these cars along with your family in case the Compass ride quality issues can't be addressed.

[Kosfactor]

If you think your current requirement is to have a more comfortable spacious chauffer driven sedan, then its worth changing the compass.

However if you are forced to change because your kid feels sick in the rear seat, its either the suspension being worn out - or the obvious - bad driver. This fellow will make even a low set sedan rear seats feel like hell, just takes a longer trip to figure that out.

Just make sure your kids or anyone else for that matter do not read anything while on the move, some of them cannot handle this.

[EightSix]

It’s not paliontile who drives his Compass. It’s his chauffeur. Drivers are mostly reckless/drive rough (Raghu M’s experience with taxi drivers is quite similar to mine), besides it’s hard to find a driver who drives the way you want. It would be difficult to teach him too.

Second, for all I know, my parents would never let my 9y.o. sister in the front with a driver. There is no parent who would risk the safety of his young that too a girl child, having her sit with a (stranger).

If he wants to continue driving his Compass, he should make necessary driving changes/tuning changes, and/or train his driver accordingly based on the advice which Compass owners themselves are the right people to share.

However, since paliontile is not as enthusiastic about driving anymore, and feels the need to upgrade himself, I’d recommend him an Innova Crysta. (Kia Carnival, but it would be too expensive I think). An automatic means he could drive it himself easily over short distances, and since he is used to the premium ness of the Jeep, the Innova Crysta is his best bet (New or Used whichever fits into his budget). Other recommendations are Creta/Seltos/similar.

I do have another question for paliontile, are you going to replace the Palio anytime soon? Is there a need for three cars, for you might increase your budget and buy a top end Innova AT or something bigger and you’d still have the Brio as a beater.

[lamborghini]

High body roll & a bumpier ride play a big role when it comes to motion sickness.
While a good driver will help eradicate it a big way, the car too makes a difference.
My first suggestion would be to self drive the car with your daughter and see if the better driving makes any difference (Assuming traffic conditions are one of the key contributors to hiring a driver - maybe do a sunday drive / early morning drive when traffic is sparse).
If still no go, then changing to a car with lower body roll and a softer suspension AND better NVH would be ideal.
Since your open to pre-owned, I'd highly recommend the camry hybrid if you're able to find one (AT being a bonus for you as you may find driving in traffic tolerable again).
If not, give a hard look at the Yaris with its soft suspension, good build, excellent NVH.
It'll be short on space, but a good companion.
Plan C would be the Elantra - you may just get one in budget after the discounts on offer.
The Honda City is plan D : the previous generation was a let down with rattles, poor GC, and the odd niggle - I'd wait a year for more user reports to come out.

[ike]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Kids tend to feel nauseated in the back seat alot (in fact my son who is 13 now, still gets nauseated in the Compass , while he does not get as much in the Laura). The best solution I find is to put kids in the front seat and then they don't feel nauseated much.

Seating children up front is unsafe especially in cars with airbags (which I'm sure a compass is equipped with).

[alpha1]

Half fill a glass/jar with water, keep it on dashboard and (ask your driver to) drive without spilling water.

That should smoothen the ride and make the sensitive rear passengers comfortable.

[IshaanIan]

If you are open to used cars I would recommend searching for a Nissan Teana; the most comfortable thing this side of 50 lakhs independent garages like New Mars in kukatpally, would make maintaining it a breeze as well. Considering you're in Hyderabad, I can help you look for one too.

[Cyborg]

Since a sedan with rear seat comfort and ride quality is paramount, look no further than a recent (2-3 year old) pre-owned Toyota Corolla Altis.

I believe your little one and indeed everyone in your family should be happy with this no nonsense, practical and cost effective (relatively) vehicle.

Cheers

[basuk]

All suggestions as posted are really valuable. Some of the options coming to my mind are as follows, in order of ease of implementation:
1> If the discomfort is due to the driving style of the driver, then either teach/coach him or change to a new one (maybe an aged driver, who may have a better sense of driving)
2> Change tyre, regulate tyre pressure and retune the suspension
3> A sedan car, like City, Civic, Verna (new or pre-owned) may solve the issue with respect to comfort, seating arrangements, CoG etc

However, 1 & 3 combined can really reduce the stress of rear-seat passengers.

Regards,

[GTO]

A known devil is better than an unknown angel. And you are selling the Compass too early - at 3 years, it has already suffered its steepest depreciation.

The biggest mistake chauffeur-driven owners make is sitting at the back. It's like sitting in economy class when you have paid for business . Try sitting in the front - you'll experience a seat that is far superior, adjustable, more legroom and better ride comfort - related thread (Why the fascination with the back seat?!!).

Another thing you can do is switch to comfort-oriented tyres, drop the tyre pressure by 2 PSI (city only) or, last choice, drop the wheel size to 15" with taller tyres (just ensure the braking hardware fits).