Five Unique Features Of The Jeep Compass

Drivespark compiles a list of the five features which make the jeep compass unique

By Stephen

American automobile manufacturer Jeep recently revealed the Compass - their first locally manufactured vehicle. Jeep entered the Indian market with Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler, which did not sell very well because of high prices owing to the fact that it was imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). Jeep is now betting big on the Compass and the small SUV does have a lot of expectation riding on its shoulders.

Before the launch of the compass in the next few weeks, here are Five standout features of the Jeep compass you should know:

Jeep Compass' New Diesel Engine: 2.0-litre Fiat sourced Multijet II unit

We Indians are more familiar with Fiat's multijet diesel engines than any other country, as we have been driving them for a long time. The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Ertiga, Swift, Dzire, Ritz, and the Fiat Punto and Linea diesel all use the same basic engine - Fiat's 1.3-litre multijet diesel. The Maruti Suzuki S-cross uses a larger, 1.6-litre engine from the same family.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

The Jeep compass is powered by an even larger engine from the same family - a 2.0-litre Multijet Diesel engine, which is being used in the Indian market for the first time. In the Compass, this engine produces 171bhp and 350Nm, paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox. This engine now being assembled in India opens up a world of possibilities, as we can be hopeful of seeing it in other cars from the FCA group.

This benefits the Jeep Compass too, as it is a tried and tested engine family, with good reliability.

No direct competition for the Jeep Compass:

There are many ways of drawing up competition, one of them being pricing. With pricing as the parameter, the Jeep Compass would slot in between the top-spec Tata Hexa and Mahindra XUV 500 and base variants of the Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner considering the speculative pricing of between Rs 17 lakh and 25 lakh. Such competitive pricing is possible because the Jeep Compass is locally assembled.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

However, even at that price point, the Jeep Compass slots into a segment of its own, as the Fortuner and Endeavour are both proper full-size SUVs, while the Compass is considerably smaller in size. The Tata Hexa is an MUV and the Mahindra XUV 500 is a Soft-Roader. The Jeep Compass appears to blend the off-roading capabilities of the Fortuner and Endeavour with the small SUV characteristics of the Hyundai Creta very well indeed.

Safety Features in the Jeep Compass:

Jeep seems to have kept safety at a high priority, as the SUV has loads of safety equipment being offered as standard. Six airbags, ABS and ESP are standard fitments on the Compass. Panic Brake Assist, Hydraulic Booster Failure Compensation, Electronic Brake Prefill, Electronic Roll Mitigation, electric parking brake turning off only when driver seatbelt is engaged, and Hill Start Assist are the other safety features being offered by Jeep on the Compass.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

All-Terrain Capabilities of the Jeep Compass:

The Jeep Compass would be the cheapest SUV to feature a terrain-based traction control system. The top spec limited variant will be equipped with Jeep's Selec-Terrain Traction Management system and a dedicated four-wheel-drive system with selectable 'snow, sand, mud and rocks' modes which optimise the SUV for the selected conditions. The system replicates a mechanical locking differential by braking individual wheels, giving the Compass the traction required.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

Jeep Design Language:

The Jeep Compass' design seems to have been inspired by the flagship Jeep Grand Cherokee. The squared-off wheel arches, the iconic Jeep seven-slat grille, projector headlamps, big alloy wheels and high ground clearance all contribute to the similarities between the two siblings.

This would be truly unique in India, as the Grand Cherokee has barely sold in our market. With the Compass, one can get almost the same design, in a much smaller package for a fraction of the price.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

DriveSpark Thinks!

The Jeep Compass does look like a success story so far, as the SUV has received rave reviews, has many segment first features and did drive well as we found on our first drive of the Jeep Compass. The Compass also benefits from the fact that it does not have any direct competition when considering capabilities, features and price.

The Compass will be powered by the 2.0-litre diesel engine initially, but Jeep intends to plonk a 1.4-litre petrol engine in the Compass at a later date. An automatic variant of the Compass is also expected early next year. The ball is in FCA's court now, and the Compass' success dependson how well they price the SUV.

Five Standout Features Of The Jeep Compass

Pricing the SUV low would not be a difficult thing to do, as the recently implemented Goods and Service Tax (GST) rates are in favour of SUVs, and also the Jeep compass is locally manufactured, reducing import taxes.
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Read more on: #jeep
Article Published On: Wednesday, July 5, 2017, 18:55 [IST]
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