A Jeep Ownership

Buying Experience - I did approach both the dealers in Bangalore and went with PPS Motors since they had the Grey colour for Limited Plus which I liked. Got a discount of 80k since this was a pre-facelift i.e. 2020. Loan was processed within 24 hours and the delivery experience was not great as they delayed it until 7pm and it was rolled out from a temporary shabby Shed instead of a neat showroom. Competitor - Tata harrier. I didn't like the overall finish of the product. I went in for a test drive immediately after trying compass where I felt that the built quality is definitely compromised in comparison to compass with body roll on corners. On opening the boot I saw a shabby welding work done which put me off. However it's bigger than compass and can seat 5 people comfortably. Did see horrific troubles like water leakage from sunroof and latest being sunroof blowing up while a normal drive. For an Indian product I'd still say it's amazing to come a long way up unlike other brands. Just that I'd choose to put in 4L more for an export quality product while I intend to own it for a good long 8+ years. Service cost and experience of Tata and Jeep is just about the same depending on the location and their expertise. Both brands have a lot of improvements to make in this space. Driving Experience - Just one word "Fantastic". Minimum body roll and love to take it on corners. The vehicle performs well in all road conditions. I have taken the manual version hence it's a hassle in bumper to bumper traffic. It's definitely a head Turner. No downsides and the 172 bhp will never disappoint you. Looks & Performance - the new facelift is amazingly good looking but they have shed 100kilos of weight (not sure how and where) as compared to the pre-facelift which looks sedate. The 2L Diesel is no less a rocket and I enjoy it whenever I take it out. Mileage in city is around 12 and in highway is around 15 depending on the driving style. I'm an enthusiastic driver and love to feel the torque it puts out. Rough road or a bad road the compass will not disappoint you with loads of safety features and a prominent unique feature called "Frequency Select Damping" which keeps the occupants comfortable. Servicing and Maintenance - strongly recommend to take extended warranty as a back up. I went in for a general check up after 5k kms which cost me 4k since I opted to put in a rat mesh. A rat bite completely damaged front module wiring which cost me 6k. For my 1st year service I will strictly stick to the manual since the service advisors will push for certain products or services which is absolutely not necessary that may take the bill upwards of 10k! Pros - Great looks, top notch world class quality product since the same compass is exported to right hand driven countries unlike other brands, 5 star safety rating, peppy engine especially to drive manual and great drivability since the vehicle is not too large or too small. It's a delightful experience for a driving enthusiast. Off road capability is good even if it is a 4*2. Maintenance cost is average only if you follow the manual. Owning a Jeep is just not only a sense of pride but a reassurance of quality and safety. Cons - Pricing is on the premium side, not exactly a 5 seater, rattling issues are prominent and solving it took almost 1 month. Service reach is limited but it's ok if you don't have to visit every now n then for rectifying small irritating niggles. Do not fall into words of sales advisors stating that vehicle is. "Legendary" and other statements that will trickle your ego. A simple servicing takes a day or more which is not acceptable. They need to improve a lot in service experience when it comes to explaining the checklist as per service schedule and prices to the customers. Expensive parts and horrendous waiting period for the parts to reach service center. Overall I'm happy with my Jeep compass and it lives upto its quality and drivability. I have explored 5k kms in one and half month which gave me immense confidence on the product. Go for it if you have the budget to stretch over a harrier and the product won't disappoint you.