Blown away from my test drive

Exterior I don't really like huge SUV's (like the Fortuner or Endeavour) and in my opinion the Compass is just perfect. Its not too small and not too big. The design compliments the size very well giving it a superb road presence. I love the side profile and that chrome strip that differentiates the rood and the rest of the body. I love the rear which is complimented with a nicely done LED tail lights. (even non-led's looks good).

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Top notch interiors made from great quality materials. The leather seats, soft touch dash, soft touch top portion on the front doors and that superbly finished leather wrapped steering gave me a sense of luxury right away. The doors close with a nice sound and bloody hell its hefty. I got into the driver seat & pulled the centre arm rest froward and adjusted it to my driving position and boy it felt like a tank once I was done. There is a sense of security which I have never felt in any other car I've driven so far. Space is good in the front but spaces to put phones and other items lack a bit.

With the front seats in my driving position, I got into the rear and it was spacious enough. The seats are great but the middle portion lack underthigh support. The rear arm rest is super wide and it felt like the car is best for 4 adults. Overall 4 adults and a kid is ideal or 3 medium sized adults.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I'm a true petrol head and the diesels I've driven so far (S-cross 1.3 and Polo) had failed to impress me with the turbo lag and I expected the same since the compass has a bigger engine and bigger turbo, but boy the engine and the power delivery blew me away. The engine is smooth and there is no jerk whatsoever when the turbo kicks in. With 5 well weighed adults in the car, it pulled from 1400rpm in 3rd gear with ease. It was so linear and clean that it almost felt like I was driving a powerfull petrol mill. The gear shifts are notchy which is well complimented by a nicely weighed clutch. The steering has a lot of feedback and weight and it instantly gave me a smile.

Ride Quality & Handling Handlig was great, I didn't feel like driving a 1.5 ton machine but there is a sense of heft and I think its mainly because of the well weighed chunky steering and the tank feel the Compass has.

I cannot comment much on ride quality since I drove on a good surface but on that it as good and the car changed directions with confidence and ease.

Final Words I'm in love with this car and there is no other way to put. If I was in the market to get a car around 15lakhs, I would happily put 5lakhs more and will get the Longitude (O) model since it has the most bang for the buck. We can spend 10k for Jeep's original leather wrapped steering (5k) and reverse camera (5k) to add to the Longi (O) and make it a limited model without LED tail lights and leather seats.

Areas of improvement

1. Should have had 6 airbags on limited 4x2 at least.

2. Should introduce the 8.4" uConnect system since the 7" one is laggy.

3. Cruise control and auto dimming IRVM would be a great addition.

PS : I cannot care less about having a sunroof and auto headlamps and wipers.

Styling, Built Quality, Chunky Steering, Superb Engine and gearbox, Front Seats7" UConnect system lags, Lack of 6 airbags for 4x2 variants (not even limited 4x2), Cruise Control