Jeep Compass longterm review: Introduction
The only cars and motorcycles that find space in my good books are the ones that share the same idea of motoring as I do - the joy of driving or riding above everything else. Class-leading creature comforts, gadgetry gimmicks and marketing jargon are the stuff for buyer's guides and not the things that necessarily impress me unless of course, they contribute to the fun quotient in some way.
The Jeep Compass does exactly that. With every stint it has had at Overdrive, it has managed to impress me a little bit more than the previous time. I was impressed by its highway manners when we reviewed it for the first time last year. Then its dynamics left me stumped the moment I finished the first lap of the MMRT in Chennai during the OD awards judging. And recently when I compared it to the XUV500, it convinced me that the small-car-money-worth of premium it demands over the XUV is justified because irrespective of where or how I drove, I would get out of the Compass, grinning.
In my profession that involves testing and driving all sorts of automobiles, it is hard to be impressed easily. So could this be some sort of an infatuation with the Compass? Or is it really that good? They say that the best of friends can break up when they live together, so living together is definitely the key to those answers.
Which is why the Jeep Compass is here to stay with Overdrive for the next six months or more. Yes, the Compass has been in the market for quite some time now and yes, this particular test mule has been enduring tests from various publications and drivers for over 4,000km - but it still looks and smells new and that is a reason good enough for me to take temporary ownership of this car and put it through its paces. We will begin straight away with the jungle trails, now that the rains have set in!
Next update
Tyres and AWD
Inducted in: Jun 2018 | Inducted at: 4,300km | Total mileage: 6,969km | Fuel: 171 litres | Economy: 16.2kmpl
Starts Rs 17.79 Lakhs
1956cc
Automatic
163
350
14.9 Kmpl
