Rumour: Jeep Compass Diesel AT to be launched early next year

Jeep is expected to launch the Compass SUV in India in the month of August 2017. Reports suggest that at the time of launch, the Compass won't come with a diesel automatic powertrain option, as the same will be introduced in early 2018.

According to media reports, the Compass diesel will only be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox in its initial days. The powerplant, which is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged unit will be developing over 170 BHP and 350 Nm of torque.

The automatic transmission is expected to be a 9-speed unit that will likely be sourced from ZF. This gearbox will also provide drivers an option to shift the gears manually under the 'Autostick' mode. It will further have an in-built low crawl ratio setting of 20:1, which is expected to help in aiding the SUV's off-road capabilities by maximizing torque transmission to all four wheels.

The said 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox was recalled in August 2016 due to unexpected shifting issues. The company claims to have rectified this fault through a software update. The said issue might be the reason behind Jeep postponing the diesel automatic variant's launch in the Compass line-up.

Source: Autocar India