[i74js]

This is a comeback "aspiration" product from FCA in India. And those who can appreciate the brand value of "Jeep" will certainly give a serious thought before rejecting "Compass" and buy something else in the same budget.

A. FCA is reconfirming that Indian market interests them whether or not the 1.3 MJD is purchased by other manufacturers. They have other sweet engines on offer, which can keep them afloat. Tata's for one plan to stay put with this relationship as there is already an MoU in place between FCA and TML for close to about 0.1 million MJD engines of 2 litre capacity (same as that of compass) with annual additional quantity

B. The estimated monthly sales of 2500 copies of compass and about 1000 copies of Linea & Punto will be sufficient to ensure dealers interest, the target of taking dealership to 200 within next 18 months seems very much feasible. The other two offerings from JEEP will provide fat margins to dealers (very similar to Ford Mustang)

C. An automatic diesel (9 speed dual clutch info @ team-bhp) if happens within next six months will further lead of increased sales, as that will create a ripple in the 20 - 25 Lac buyer segment; Just saying it - Fully loaded, AWD, JEEP with dual clutch 9 speed autobox and host of safety features Mouthwatering !

Though I am not in market as of now, but am surely going to dream Jeep Compass as the next replacement !

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by budgam.boonyi

I would be nervous about putting 20 Big ones on a Jeep and only after a year maybe even 2 years of launch. The Grand Cherokee has a much better reputation.

Also the compass is mostly based on the Renegade platform, and even the trail hawk rated ones they sell are 4*4 posers considering the jeep badges.

I would say the 4x4 capability would depend upon the type of Quadra-Trac system this one has. If it has the one similar to Grand Cherokee with low range (and optional rear diff lock), then it would rock. Have used that system on very tough trails, and it works like a charm. Its as good as (if not better) than the Lexus/Toyota ATRAC.
Infact, I would say that the Descent control on low range works much better than Toyota, as the first gear on the 8 speed crawls much better than the likes of 120 Prado.

Speaking of reliability, you are correct. The Grand Cherokee is not very good in that respect (After 2015 model year fiasco), but the others still seem to have lot of gremlins.

That said, I am surprised that if they were going 20+, why not go for the Trail rated offerings. Why stop at Limited. 1L more isn't going to stop buyers interested in 4x4, infact they will be more than willing to pay extra for better offroad ability.

If they have gone for the type of system found in Renegade, I would say its absolute junk. Renegade and its entire design and platform is an insult to Jeep and what it stands for. Its like Ferrari made a 3 cylinder F330 which had 100bhp 1.0L turbo engine with a fake Enzo type look, and then dared to plaster it with Ferrari legacy stickers.

[pk_del]

In my opinion Jeep is trying to play with the big boys specially with Audi Q3 and BMW X1 and some what with Fortuner buyers who wants butch looks but nimble and solid SUV.

They are aiming for ppl from 30 - 45 yrs of age who want to own a luxury brand without paying premium of BMW or Audi.

Jeep very well knows that it will be difficult to vow the Creta customers as its an established player in the market. Of course they will be able to get some sedan and premium hatch back and cross over customers.

A person who wants a 7 seater will always look at XUV, Hexa and Innova.

Did some comparison on carwale for X1, Q3 and T Fort with Compass. And it shows that it is very closely speced with X1 and Q3.

If I am in market for premium luxury 5 seater SUV with proper 4x4 then I will just go and put my money on top end 4x4 Jeep Compass.

[PM - B]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Creta has been accepted as a safe bet of an "SUV" by the Indian mass market. It will continue to laugh all the way to the bank.

Unfortunately have to agree with the above.
While I am certainly for convenience, comfort, luxury, soft touch plastics.

Underlying Engineering, Design, Mechanicals, Handling, Stability, Build Quality (structural) are very often overlooked by the regular person aspiring for an automobile.
They do not push the vehicle beyond a certain point in day to day usage or ever !! Hence the above do not matter and comfort, luxury, convenience trumps.

Eg. Lets take 2 vehicles
* numbers from TBHP Reviews

1. Baleno Petrol
115 Nm @ 4000 RPM
83 BHP @ 6000 RPM

2. Creta Petrol
151 Nm @ 4850 RPM
121 BHP @ 6400 RPM

Most of the people I know - NEVER ever drive to the torque max rpm in any gear ever - Once in a while on the highway they may hit 4000 - 4500
They are more interested in changing / upshifting the gear at 1500 - 2000 rpm and maximizing fuel
How many times have we not heard 1st gear 10 KMPH - 2nd gear 20 KMPH an so on.

The above illustration applies to the SUV definition also - the regular person will not go off road - will not speed - will not rev - higher ground clearance and elevated seating position is SUV

On top of that - the large city traffic conditions do not allow most people to drive normally either !! (In Bangalore city traffic my average speed is b/w 14 - 18 kmph - this is averaged as per MID over a 600 KM sample)
These people obviously look to and are able to experience the comfort, luxury, convenience and soft touch plastics and they vote/reward the manufacturer with their hard earned money for these features - because it makes sense to them and they actually use them.
So all of this works for them

Its only us over here - who are nit picking on almost every aspect of the vehicle. Not having Auto Features, Roofs, Larger Screens, Cruise Control are deal breakers !! AT is understandable. I agree that the above convenience feature may matter when you are keeping a vehicle for more than 5 years. But we also want a super aggressive price and the above will increase cost.

I remember - ASS aside (Though thankfully I have not had a bad experience ever so far) - Palio was a gas guzzler - Punto / Linea which delivered on fuel efficiency was a damp performer - Compass which as of current reviews and ARAI - seemingly delivers on fuel efficiency, power - but we want the price to be aggressive on top or better undercut everyone else.
When TJet & Abarth were released - the ASS suddenly came to the fore and all of these are very reasonably priced.

As much as I admire the Compass - Unless there is an aspirational wave across the country for a Compact SUV - JEEP - I do not see too much of a sustained volume for the Compass - month on month beyond the initial hype.

As far as the ASS is concerned - the supposed elephant in the room - I see a lot of complaints coming in from owners across all brands and some of them being really scary.
I also see a lot of people who do not own a FCA product also commenting on the ASS - I can only assume that they have heard scary stories and are apprehensive and hence will not put their money on a FCA product irrespective of how good it is.

Coming to hard plastics - I am fine with it - its durable and does the job, My 8 year old Linea - has done slightly more than 100 K Kms and unlike a lot of people here - I do not baby the Linea - I use it and I dont abuse it either - even today (touchwood) there are no rattles creaks - it runs tightly and cleanly and has been amazingly low cost to service and run.

Here's hoping another well engineered product actually does very well.

[Dr.Naren]

Drove Jeep Compass!!

I had checked the display car few weeks back and have posted the same here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4226278

I had been to showroom today. There were 4 cars on display and 1 TD car. Base Sport variant and Top end Limited (O) were not there. They have 10 diesel cars in transit and deliveries would start after 2-3 weeks. Petrol version would be available only in October and diesel automatic launch would be early next year.





I got to see all colours except Blue. I loved the Compass in Red and Black .

5 inch HU & Manual AC controls


7 inch HU & Auto AC


Interiors of Longitude variant (No leather seats & different colour combinations)



Boot space


TD car : Longitude (O)


Ready to drive!!


I was searching for handbrake and SA told me it's Electronic . The cabin was pretty silent and Jeep has done good work in controlling NVH. The clutch had long travel and might take some time for the drivers to get used to it. The gear shifts were very slick and I loved it.

Low end : <1500 RPM

There is not much lag if compared to 1.6 S-Cross. There is adequate punch.

Mid range : 1500 to 3000 RPM

The power delivery is very linear and progressive. There is no mad turbo kick. The performance felt very similar to 1.6 S-Cross in mid range. Well, it's not even close to my remapped S-Cross with exhaust haha.

Top end : 3000-4500 RPM

There is not much juice above 3500 RPM. That is typical for any diesel stock car.

Brakes, Ride & Handling

The brakes are pretty good and I felt it was better than my S-Cross.

The ride is little bouncy at slow speeds. Take the imperfections at higher speeds and Compass just irons out everything.

Handling was decent. I did not push the car much. There should be some amount of body roll when pushed hard. I am not a fan of those Firestone tyres.

Did I Book?

Nope. Diesel Compass is not an upgrade for me in terms of performance. I want to drive the petrol one very badly and it would be available only in October. Also I have decided that my next car should be turbo petrol.

[budgam.boonyi]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If they have gone for the type of system found in Renegade, I would say its absolute junk. Renegade and its entire design and platform is an insult to Jeep and what it stands for. Its like Ferrari made a 3 cylinder F330 which had 100bhp 1.0L turbo engine with a fake Enzo type look, and then dared to plaster it with Ferrari legacy stickers.

Yes indeed the Grand Cherokee is a true off road beast with a lovely V8. We have one in the family and go duning quite often. Knock on wood its been reliable.

The old compass did have a proper chassis and off-road system but, this new one is basically a renegade in new clothes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkPacZUmJ2I

[PM - B]

Originally Posted by GTO

Cabin goes through noticeable side-to-side movement when going over a broken road in the city (try the same in a Duster - big difference).

@GTO a few questions -

when you say in the city - would it be right to assume/say that speeds are low and suspension is stiff?
Is it just the cabin has side to side / sway / movement or is it the entire vehicle?
Also would it not mean that the ride will improve at higher speeds?
In your view, how is the ride at higher speeds vis a vis the Duster?
How did you think the FSD fared?

When is the TBHP review being posted.

[HOTROD]

Called up RDC Royale dealer and asked for a test drive. They had the attitude which would never make them a sale. He said they do not give test drives unless I book the car since they have had 300 bookings and people are in line and if I wanted a TD I had to make a booking amount and if I don't like the car they would give it back. If I wanted a TD without booking I have to wait for a month. Fiat is asking for trouble here. With this way of approach I am not sure they will be selling cars in Chennai atleast.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Agree on the great pricing of the Compass, however I have this feeling that FCA got the whole variant line up wrong.

The non availability of a diesel auto will deter a whole lot of customers from cross shopping from the D segment sedans and SUVs.

The 6 airbag option not being available on lower trims will deter the C segment safety conscious customers from cross shopping/ upgrading to the Compass.

FCA should have at least provided the 6 airbag option from the Logitude (O) variants and above or even the Limited. What was FCA thinking? You need 6 airbags only if you are off roading?

Just strong engineering and great mechanicals don't sell in India. Come to think of this, automatics are a norm today even the Alto has an AMT available.

I expect Hyundai to now react with a top spec 6 airbag Creta automatic to counter Jeep's entry level variants.

In spite of putting so much of effort, I still feel that FCA missed a big opportunity by deferring the Diesel AT launch and skipping side/curtain airbags on the Petrol AT variant. I am sure that atleast 50% of the customers are looking for well specced automatic option when spending 20+ lakhs and FCA has successfully ensured to keep them away for now.

Going by the past history, it is important to make a product a huge success during launch time in India for it to sell consistently well on a long term basis. If Compass doesn't become a huge hit, it is going to be difficult to revive an average seller from Fiat brand by just adding options like Diesel AT, Sunroof, etc. after a few months.

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by HOTROD

Called up RDC Royale dealer and asked for a test drive. They had the attitude which would never make them a sale. He said they do not give test drives unless I book the car since they have had 300 bookings and people are in line and if I wanted a TD I had to make a booking amount and if I don't like the car they would give it back. If I wanted a TD without booking I have to wait for a month. Fiat is asking for trouble here. With this way of approach I am not sure they will be selling cars in Chennai atleast.

That's kind of expected right, as long as they were polite in informing you that? Obviously they don't have infinite resources and nothing wrong in giving high priority to those who put their money and trust in the Jeep brand without a test drive.

[GTO]

In the auto industry, there's a popular saying - "there is no problem that a good car cannot solve" (for the manufacturer).

I think it's time to update that saying to "there is no problem that a good SUV cannot solve".

How did Renault first taste success in India? The Duster. Which Ford is the best selling, despite its age? Which Ford had l-o-n-g waiting periods? The EcoSport. Which other Ford sells impressively for its segment? The Endeavour. What was Mahindra's blockbuster product? The XUV500. Did anyone imagine a 15 - 20 lakh Mahindra ever selling? I can give many more examples.

Thing is, if you have an outstanding SUV / crossover, customers will come. They are the flavour of this decade. Despite an unknown brand (Renault), an economy / utilitarian badge (Mahindra), small dealer network and what not.

I feel that Fiat-Chrysler has hit a home run with the Compass. They are going to enjoy success.

Originally Posted by PM - B

when you say in the city - would it be right to assume/say that speeds are low and suspension is stiff?

Yes, low speed ride quality is liveable (not a deal breaker), but not plush like the Duster.

Is it just the cabin has side to side / sway / movement or is it the entire vehicle?

Obviously the entire vehicle. The cabin & vehicle are not independent of each other .

Also would it not mean that the ride will improve at higher speeds?

Yes.

When is the TBHP review being posted.

It's a million dollar question. We got the car in Bombay and are currently compiling the review (do note that it takes 20 working days for a Team-BHP official review of such an important car).

Precision, detail & time - Pick any two .

An official review is of value to readers for the 6 - 7 years that a car is usually in production. It's even higher if you consider used car buyers. Hence, I don't see a month's delay in an official review as a big deal at all. As an example, the EcoSport official review is still relevant today and that thread has been viewed 1 crore times. The Honda City - an important car even today - has its review thread being opened 50 lakh times.

When compiling, our focus is on precision & comprehensiveness. We don't care about being "the first one out" with a review of a hot new car. What we do care about is a potential customer getting the entire, true picture.

Nothing makes my day more than an owner replying on an official review thread saying "I agree with the review".

[aviraj]

Originally Posted by HOTROD

Called up RDC Royale dealer and asked for a test drive. They had the attitude which would never make them a sale. He said they do not give test drives unless I book the car since they have had 300 bookings and people are in line and if I wanted a TD I had to make a booking amount and if I don't like the car they would give it back. If I wanted a TD without booking I have to wait for a month. Fiat is asking for trouble here. With this way of approach I am not sure they will be selling cars in Chennai atleast.

It's not wrong for people who have paid the booking amount to expect priority in getting test drives. From a dealer perspective, they should also first give priority to the people who showed their faith and played blind. Having said that, if the sales people know for a fact that the vehicle is free at certain times, they should be more than willing to arrange test drives for people who have not booked. Asking them to wait for a month will definitely put off people. Why don't you share this feedback with Jeep India

[zhopudey]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thing is, if you have an outstanding SUV / crossover, customers will come. They are the flavour of this decade. Despite an unknown brand (Renault), an economy / utilitarian badge (Mahindra), small dealer network and what not.

Off topic, but I hope this applies to the Nexon and Tata as well.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by GTO

Precision, detail & time - Pick any two .

An official review is of value to readers for the 6 - 7 years that a car is usually in production. It's even higher if you consider used car buyers. Hence, I don't see a month's delay in an official review as a big deal at all. As an example, the EcoSport official review is still relevant today and that thread has been viewed 1 crore times. The Honda City - an important car even today - has its review thread being opened 5 lakh times.

When compiling, our focus is on precision & comprehensiveness. We don't care about being "the first one out" with a review of a hot new car. What we do care about is a potential customer getting the entire, true picture.

Nothing makes my day more than an owner replying on an official review thread saying "I agree with the review".

I wholly agree with this :-).

Even today, I go back to the Endeavour Review, though almost 2 years old, to check on some things as an owner of the same vehicle. That comprehensive it is. And yes, being online, we have a much longer shelve life than Print, and hence it is important to follow what you said above. Thank You.

[spd_tkt]

I did some research and it seems that the Compass is built on a long wheelbase version of the GM-Fiat small platform on which the Punto was based. Is this an old/almost outdated platform? Is that how they are able to keep the pricing low?