India-made Jeep Compass to be launched mid-2017, details revealed

Jeep’s new compact SUV, the Compass is expected to go on sale in India by mid-2017. The Compass will be the first Jeep to be produced in India along with global manufacturing hubs in China, Brazil and Mexico and is expected to be priced close to Rs 25 lakh ex-showroom.

The 2017 Jeep Compass is based on the same platform as the Renegade and will have a longer wheelbase than the Renegade. The Compass resembles the Grand Cherokee in terms of looks with the identical grille and headlamps layout. The five-seater SUV has squared wheel arches, a traditional clamshell hood with subtle creases on it and a bulge in the centre. It has a floating roof effect with chrome highlights and a black glossy finish.

On the inside, the dual tone white and black dashboard gets the touchscreen infotainment system in the centre. The waterfall centre console incorporates the functional features like the gear-shift selection, terrain selection dials, engine start-stop buttons, climate and volume control knobs and 12V charging socket. The Compass comes with steering mounted controls and has a LED driver information display (DID) stacked within the twin-pod instrument cluster. The manufacturer claims that the Compass comes with a more than 70 available active and passive safety and security features – across global markets.

Globally, the Jeep compass will have five engines options – three petrol engines and two diesel engines. The India-specific car will get one petrol and one diesel engine with manual and automatic transmission options. The Fiat sourced 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine develops about 165bhp of power and 360NM of torque while the 1.4-litre Multiair turbocharged petrol unit will produce close to 140bhp of power and 152bhp and 230Nm of torque. The Compass also boasts the best-in-class off-road hardware – Jeep Active Drive which can send 100 per cent of available torque to any one wheel with a disconnecting rear axle and power take-off unit (PTU).

Jeep currently imports the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee models in India as CBUs which has pushed the price tag much higher than expectations. Since the Compass will be manufactured at Ranjangaon in India, we should be able to expect a competitive price tag. The Jeep Compass will available in three trim configurations – Sport, Longitude and Limited. With a rumoured price tag of Rs 25 lakh, the Compass will go against the Skoda Yeti, Renault Koleos, and the recently launched Hyundai Tucson in the Indian market.