Long Term Introduction

I have got myself a seven slat. And no, it’s not the typical hardcore, go-anywhere, off-road capable Jeep we are talking about here. Instead, this is something that’s more suited to the urbanite. This is the Jeep Compass. And, instead of the typical 4x4, diesel, manual variety, we have got ourselves the quieter and more convenient, petrol automatic on test.

Now, I know, many of you would immediately cry hoarse about its fuel efficiency – or lack thereof. But, lets not get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s give this Indian-born American a chance. And, so I am going to put it through my usual 80km commute day-after-day, week-after-week, to see how it does.

But, that’s for the next report. This time round, we decided to bring you up to speed with the product that is the Compass.

The Compass comes with two engine options – a 2.0-litre diesel and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol. We will stick with the engine we have here, the petrol. You can have the petrol powered Compass with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic. The manual is only available in the base Sport trim. No wonder it accounts for very little of the Compass’ overall sales in the country; just about 10 per cent.

The automatic, meanwhile, which contributes to nearly 20 per cent of the overall sales, can be had in four trims. Ours is the top of the line Limited Plus. Which means compared to the Limited (the base petrol automatic), we get six airbags instead of two; leather upholstery; electric adjustment for the driver’s seat with memory; automatic headlights and wipers; and a panoramic sunroof. And yes, our touchscreen multimedia system – compatible with Bluetooth, android auto, and voice commands etc – is larger too, compared to the base version.

Mechanically, however, the two cars are identical. So, be it the space, practicality comfort on offer, or the driving dynamics of the SUV, it’s almost the same across the range. This also means the ARAI claimed mileage of over 14kmpl holds true for our fully loaded car. This is what we intend to explore along with the Compass’s city compatibility in our next report.

But as a start, we managed to get 10.6kmpl with the Compass in the city. This was on my long and busy commute. If you live closer to your office and leave early (both from home and from work), chances are you can get close to 12kmpl as well. As for my run, it wasn’t easy. I had to constantly watch my right foot, I had to watch the engine revs, and I had to watch the traffic to be as smooth as possible.

Next month though I am going to drive normally, and not for economy. Let’s see where that leads us…

Vehicle Log

Odo: 7150km

Km this month: 413km

Fuel: 38.6 litres

Fuel Efficiency: 10.6kmpl

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi