Observations after test driving the Jeep Compass diesel AT

Budget permitting, the 'S' variant would be my pick if buying a Compass, it's got all the spoils of a premium vehicle.

BHPian manson recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Compass has never been in my radar but the recent interior uplift despite all the talk about the lethargic gearbox had me going to the showroom to check it out. Being a Sunday, I only managed to get a short 10 minute odd test drive around slightly unfamiliar suburban roads. The sales team obliged by bringing the car home the following Sunday morning for an extended test drive. Listing down my observations in no order of priority:

• As others, I loved the styling on the inside, it felt like a proper premium vehicle. There was absolutely no killjoy when seeing the interiors in person.
• The Jeep branding on the black leather in the model S variant look and feel incredibly special and classy.
• Budget permitting the model S would variant would be my pick if buying a Compass, it's got all the spoils of a premium vehicle (great sound system, ventilated seats, etc.) which would make the vehicle seem relevant for a longer period. Add to that the default setting of four wheel drive and traction modes that come with automatic diesel variants and this starts to feel all the car one is ever going to need.
• The front seats seat have plenty of settings but I could not find one to my comfort, maybe I played around too much with the lumbar support settings.
• Start moving and the premium feel of the cabin gets drowned out by the industrial engine note which is extremely audible in the cabin (expected much better NVH from the 10 Lac cheaper Harrier).
• The sunroof had a creaky sound when opening, maybe humidity from the monsoon had gotten the better of the sunroof.
• The interiors look and feel really nice but unfortunately do not feel built to last.
• The dirty sunroof was an eye opener on what to expect from a sunroof in our Indian conditions, they look a lot nicer and cleaner when parked in car showrooms
• The steering and brakes are precise, absolutely no nervousness.
• The ride is extremely firm and not recommended for anyone with a weak back (such as myself). Being used to sedans the past decade or so I was extremely tired in the 45-60 minutes test drive.
• Surprisingly (sea of negative impressions available online) the gearbox felt perfect and had nothing wrong about it. The shifts were smooth and once used to the gearbox I could not fault the gearshifts through the extended test drive I took through my daily route to work. Simply put, the automatic gearbox is not a reason to reject or even ignore the Compass. It's as good as any other mass market other gearbox I've driven and most folks will certainly not have a problem with it. Most impressions about the gearbox seem to be from the original tune that first came with the Trailhawk variant which I had not driven.

Here's what BHPian Vid6639 had to say on the matter:

After Manson drove the Compass diesel AT, he was after me to drive it and see how it is vs the Kodiaq as well as see if my mostly negative perception of the Trailhawk was still applicable.

I called for the Model S AT for a drive today and came away pleasantly impressed with the updated 2021 Compass. I can confidently say that it should be a strong contender for anyone looking at the 35L - 40L space.

• Firstly the interiors are a huge step up from the older car. Much better design that feels a step up and somewhat justifies the premium price it commands. But all is not perfect. The plastics are soft but plenty of lower quality stuff like the piano black and plasticky vents. The indicator stalks feel in operation like they are from a Maruti Alto. Pathetic feel and action.
• The seats are nice but the lumbar adjust is so strange. I tried so much to reduce the lumbar but in whatever setting I tried, the lumbar was more than what I was comfortable with for my back. Manson reported the same and this was a bummer for me.
• Alpine audio sounds better than even my Kodiaq. The bass and vocals are brilliant.

Driving:

• Straight off the bat I can tell you that the ZF9 is no longer a deal breaker that it was in the trail hawk and in the earlier version. The gearbox tuning is far better than before and I would go so far as to say as good as any torque converter box. The DSG is faster but much jerkier than this ZF9. The gearbox also doesn't hesitate as much to downshift and seems to be in right gear almost always. I never felt it was not in the right gear and was out of the power band. I missed the sports mode but for everyday driving it is acceptable. I don't expect anyone to have an issue with this gearbox anymore. In fact in town this is better than the Kodiaq's DSG. It's only out on the highway that the Kodiaq's DSG shows its superiority.
• The steering is well weighted and far from Hyundai light. In fact, it is much heavier than the Kodiaq.
• Ride is proper firm especially the 18 inchers on the Model S. The compass is not a plush riding SUV. In comparison my Kodiaq feels like it has air suspension. At slow speeds especially, the Compass jiggles around the passengers a lot. This could be a deal breaker for those looking at a plush riding SUV.
• The NVH of the 2.0L is not great. It is un-befitting a 36L SUV. You can constantly hear the diesel drone throughout the rev range.

Overall the Compass is a good package and now with the 2021 updates selling well and rightly so. They have addressed almost every deal breaker it had before except the price has only gone up. For me it still feels a notch down from the Kodiaq and nowhere near as luxurious as the Skoda. The Skoda is just too far ahead in premium feel than the Compass. The Jeep on the other hand feels a lot more rugged. Where the Kodiaq is like a perfect khakhi trouser, the Jeep is like a pair of cargo pants.

Currently no discounts in Bangalore and it is priced at 36.5L on road with a 1.5 - 2 months waiting period. Apparently the techno green has the highest 2 months waiting period.

Here's what BHPian AMG1 had to say on the matter:

Unable to find a perfect upgrade for our Elantra, we thought to give Compass a look. We test drove the S AWD diesel auto variant and came back impressed.

I felt that the Interior is of extremely high quality, though it lacks seriously in both rear and boot space (compared to our fluidic Elantra). The aluminium trim cutting through the dash tends to reflect sunlight while driving. In some light conditions, the Willy Jeep Easter egg gets reflected from the windscreen on the dashboard and it makes driving experience special. Ambient lightning is for namesake only. Handling is car like with very little but controlled body roll. Steering feedback is a tad higher for my liking.

Sales Associate took us to an under construction area with rough road and the compass handled them beautifully. We tried the ‘sand mode’ and we’re astonished by the Jeep’s capability. It just eats up the bad roads for breakfast. Gearbox has a learning curve and the suggestion is to hold the accelerator for half a second as a signal for upshift. Pedal to metal will mean at least a second and half delay in downshift. The presence of paddle shifters and a sport mode for gearbox and engine was sorely missed. Pick up felt slower than my Elantra 1.8 and the gearbox tends to rev the engine high, brings harsh engine noise inside the cabin.

The car has more features than Creta/Hector in top variant (loved the power boot and front passenger seat), except for rear windows sunshades, driving modes and air purifier. The grey paint on 'S' variant’s A-pilllar is unique and the Granite finish black Jeep logos on the front and rear look cool.

Space - Price ratio is a big deal breaker for us and for now, we are looking forward to the upcoming Meridian/Commander along with Kodiaq and Tiguan.

Final comment from my side is that the Jeep Compass feels a notch higher as a product offering compared to Creta and Seltos but the variants that really makes the car special are overpriced by at least 2 lacs. Since India serves as production hub for RHD Compass, I suspect that the localization would be very high and therefore, Jeep could have priced the car way more attractively and sensibly.

Diesel S Awd on-road Lucknow: 33.25 lacs (without discounts)

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