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Sold my Magnite within a year & got a Jeep Compass Diesel AT

24th January 2024, 16:00 by Brij Gawde

The final decision was between Honda Elevate (top variant - ZX automatic) and Jeep Compass (Base variant - Longitude Diesel automatic).

BHPian Subramag recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Happy New Year to all.

Last post, I mentioned troubles with my Magnite and decided to sell it, within a year of purchase. And looking at other options.

After trying a few options, the final decision was between Honda Elevate (top variant - ZX automatic) and Jeep Compass (Base variant - Longitude Diesel automatic).

Here are some of the things that made us stick to these two. Mentioning some of the elements that drove the decision for me.

Location - Chennai

Honda Elevate

Sober smooth drive in ZX auto. (I owned City ivtec from 2009, so knew this engine and gearbox).
Only interior we liked was the top end.
Was not happy with the drive seat adjustment, but read some of the reviews, where lowering the seat height was helpful.
Cost of 20L on the road was easier on the pocket (than the Jeep).
Was not happy with the amount of plastics in the engine bay compared to my 2009 city.
Reason to consider- interior, known engine, easy on the pocket, trust in Honda reliability (all other features did not make a difference in the decision)
Issue faced - Blue color in top-end availability, in spite of booking in Aug 2023.

Jeep Compass

Sturdy vehicle, with a responsive engine. Fiat sourced engine had good feedback.
Diesel 4x2 TC auto gearbox saved a few lacks. (this came only in 2023 and basic entry criteria into the Jeep Compass automatic diesel territory price point)
Was impressed with the drive. Very different from Honda. (both are different styles of drive).
Interior was lighter in color. Did not look couped up.
Was 10 lacs more than the Honda Elevate, but with my Merc GLA nearing 7 years old, I needed a rugged car that could munch miles...
Base model (Longitude) was good enough and had all the stuff that I needed. The higher model had a sunroof, bigger info, and full leatherette seats - all I did not need. Probably would miss the additional airbags.
Reason to consider that made difference - ruggedness, interior, spirited drive (as compared to Honda).
Issues faced - Silver color is based on model availability.

Common issue

The TN tax went up by 5% and the cost of Jeep went up by 1.5L. (So did Honda).

Direction taken

We waited close to 2 months - we decided to go with the car that got allocated first. Both cars, we liked, in different ways.

The Jeep Compass came first, after 1.5 months. (Honda could not even tell me how long it would take).

Final checks

People had warned me about Jeep Compass (incl Team-bhp). Verified with 3 people (friends and relatives) who owned Jeep Compass - feedback was a great car. All of them enjoyed the car. But if you get into accidents etc, it takes a long time for parts and service is not the best.

Opted for a 5-year warranty and 5-year service pack.

Some options we discarded

No Hyundai for me. (somehow dislike the brand after three Hyundai in the family, 2 owned by me - i20 and Elantra).
Kia, VW, and Skoda came in a 23-25 budget, but we felt it was a compromise. For that price, Jeep made a better sense at 5L extra.
Toyota (or Maruti) hyryder hybrid was ok, but was not to my taste, and felt that it lacked power. Toyota showroom in Chennai did not even bother to give us decent attention. (They had too many customers, losing a few did not matter, I guess). Interestingly, in Toyota, if you have an open mind and want to try different segments, you get tossed between salesmen.

Initial drive impression

In the city, the jeep compass gave a 9kmph.

In the highway, at a decent steep of 100kmph, I got 18+ kmph. (pls refer to snaps). Long drive from Chennai to Pune.

Fingers crossed, hope the experience with Jeep is not bad