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First long drive in my new Jeep Compass AT: 1300 km trip to Kasargod

4th October 2024, 17:55 by Kanad Kalasur

Having upgraded from robustly built Skoda Fabia, Rapid, and Kushaq, the Jeep Compass is definitely an improvement in suspension, comfort and handling.

BHPian PeteKing75 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

First long drive in my new Jeep FWD AT Model S

I had a long drive in my newly purchased Jeep from Bangalore to Mangalore, Mangalore to Maravanthe Beach and also Mangalore to Kasargod. Total distance covered is close to 1300 Kms.

Day 1

Bangalore to Mangalore via Shiradi Ghats - we reached Sakleshpur in 3.5 hours including a breakfast stop for 20 minutes. Distance covered was 240 kms and average speeds ranging from 70 to 80 km on an hourly basis. The roads, as some of you may be aware, are excellent and was a pleasure to drive the mini tank.
From Sakleshpur to Mangalore, the distance is only around 110-120 kms, but the time taken is again close to 3.5 hours, thanks to the roads, which are non existent for 20-25 kms overall. The heavy build up of Petrol tankers, the non existent roads, the diversions and the topography being a hilly region, eats up fuel and time anyway.
When I reached Mangalore, I was happy to see an improvement in mileage from around 8kmpl in Bangalore (initial 200 kms before this long trip) to almost 13.5 kmpl!
In Mangalore, I got my Greyhound cleaned at the City Centre Mall and they did an excellent job.

Day 2 - Spent idling at in laws place and meeting family members

Day 3 - Mangalore to Kundapura and then to Maravanthe beach. I did a little bit of soft roading close to the beach. It was excellent. The suspension and handling do wonders to your confidence. Having upgraded from robustly built Skoda Fabia, Rapid, and Kushaq, the Jeep Compass is definitely an improvement in suspension, comfort and handling. Mileage stayed strong with good roads except for a tiny stretch near Udupi. This is a European/American car capable of handling our roads, or the lack of in some cases, with least discomfort!

Day 4,5 - Time spent with family again doing errands, visiting relatives

Day 6 - Trip to Northern tip of Kerala. We had a trip to Kasargod and covered 4 temples. Road was bad in patches, and we were glad we were in the Jeep. Rear seat passengers could even get sleep, highlighting the comfort!

Day 8 - Return trip to Bangalore. We covered the distance, 10 kms, short of Sakleshpur in about 2.45 hours. Then we got stuck in a 5 km jam caused by lorry overturning at a bad stretch, recently impacted by landslides. We spent close to 2 hours in the traffic jam! Really pity the truck drivers in these stretches. It seems a thankless job really as they have to wait and wait! Lunch done at Sakleshpur and then the butter smooth roads to Bangalore from there ensured a rapid progress! I was in good company with some spirited Innovas, XUV500s and XUV700s playing catch me if you can!

Overall very happy with my purchase. Car has performed up to and beyond expectations. Transmission is slow compared to DCT ( I have the new Verna as well), but the comfort, handling and suspension make up for it and once you are on the highway and cruising, the beast in this wakes up and is a delight to drive.