India-made Jeep Compass scores 5 stars in Australian ANCAP crash safety tests
The made-in-India Jeep Compass SUV has landed a perfect score in Australian crash safety tests. The Australian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) has awarded the Jeep Compass 5 stars after the SUV satisfactorily completed the ANCAP crash tests. In September 2017, the Jeep Compass also scored a 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP tests. The Jeep Compass was introduced in Australia and New Zealand only earlier this month. All right-hand drive units of the Jeep Compass are manufactured for all markets at the Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) facility in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra. The first batch of 600 units was exported to Japan and Australia in October 2017. In terms of safety features, the Jeep Compass comes loaded with 9 airbags, including side chest and curtain airbags. The Compass also has autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS) as options. The Jeep Compass has proved a good product for FCA, having already crossed the 10,000 bookings mark in India.
The Jeep Compass was launched at a sub-15 lakh price in India earlier this year, but was later revised to Rs 15.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) to account for higher GST cess. The most direct competitor for the Compass is the Hyundai Creta, and we have already pitted these SUVs against one another. While the safety features may be high, the Jeep compass did undergo a recall of 1,600 units in India only a month ago, over faulty airbags.
The top variant of the Compass is now priced at Rs 21.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Compass is available with two engine options - a 173PS/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel and a 162PS/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol. The features a 6-speed manual while the petrol will be offered with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT. The diesel is offered in 4x4 and 4x2 variants while the petrol will only get a 4x2 drivetrain.