Jeep will be launching the Compass SUV in India on July 31, 2017. The carmaker had opened bookings last month, on its website and at showrooms.
The Compass will be Jeep’s first made-in-India model to be manufactured at FCA’s Ranjangaon plant. It will be available in five variants with five exterior paint shades to choose from. The SUV will be sold in India with the option of two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.
Power will be provided by a 172hp, 2.0-litre diesel motor mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The second engine on offer will be a 162hp, 1.4-litre Multiair turbo-petrol engine from Fiat, and can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
However, sources tell us that the Compass will initially be sold only in a diesel MT configuration. A diesel AT (nine-speed auto), and the petrol engine (with both gearboxes) will join in at a later stage.
All variants will feature 60:40 split rear seats and come with as many as six airbags. The company has claimed that the Compass comes with more than 50 safety and security features such as electronic stability control, anti-lock braking system and dynamic steering torque. As far as features go, the higher-spec variants of the Jeep Compass get 7.0-inch Uconnect infotainment system loaded with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Compass will rival the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and the recently launched Volkswagen Tiguan. It is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 18 lakh for the base trim, going up to Rs 25 lakh for the top-spec variant.