The Jeep Compass turned out to be the game changer it was expected to be and the manufacturer certainly has its order books full in the country. Scaling a new height, Jeep India announced that the Compass has achieved a production milestone of 25,000 units in just seven months of launch. The SUV was launched in the country last year and a competitive price tag along with the affinity for SUVs has certainly helped boom the model's popularity. The Compass also managed to bag quite a few awards in India as well including the NDTV CNB 'Car of the Year' and 'SUV of the Year' 2018.
The Compass is produced at FCA's Ranjangaon facility near Pune and is built with 65 per cent localisation. In fact, the Indian plant acts as a global production hub for right-hand drive versions of the Jeep Compass with the model being exported to a host of markets including Australia, Japan and the UK.
(The Jeep Compass is offered in petrol and diesel engines with a petrol AT as well)
The Jeep Compass is loaded with top-notch features and is available in 10 variants. The SUV packs in all the essentials that you would expect from a Rs. 20 lakh worth vehicle, while providing the off-road capabilities that are renowned with Jeep offerings. The model competes with a host of offerings at its price range including the Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV500 among others.
With respect to engine options, the Jeep Compass gets a 2.0-litre Multijet turbo diesel with 171 bhp, and a 1.4-litre Multiair petrol with 161 bhp on tap. Both engines come paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the petrol also comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The American SUV gets 4x2 and 4x4 capability depending on the variant.
(Jeep India will launch the Compass Trailhawk version later this year)
Keeping things for 2018, Jeep India is expected to introduce the Compass diesel automatic sometime later this year with a 9-speed transmission. The company is also likely to introduce the Trailhawk variant in 2018, as an off-road focussed version. Both versions will be priced on the upper end of the Compass' price range but are expected to give sales an additional boost. Prices for the Compass presently start at Rs. 15.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
