I bought my Jeep Compass Limited Plus variant in August 2019. Read my previous blogs on why I chose Jeep over other brands in my blog here and also why I chose the Limited Plus variant in my blog here.
So, after 1 year of owning the vehicle, has the Jeep lived upto it’s potential and expectations?
I have driven the Jeep for 13,500 kms. during my first year of ownership. Actually, let’s count it as 6 months of driving ownership, cause it was just parked for 6 months thanks to the COVID lockdown in India.
During my ownership, my longest drive was to Rann of Kutch, Gujarat to participate in the Jeep Trails event organised by Jeep India (Drive of about 2000 kms.). Read about my experience in the event in my blog here. The remaining drives have been shorter 500-700 kms. sprints.
To put it simply, the Jeep has lived upto its promises and my expectations. Let me summarise my personal views on the main areas which affect the ownership experience:
1 Major breakdowns – None. The Jeep has performed flawlessly on the highways (which we all know aren’t perfectly laid and are lined with potholes), on the white salty desert of Rann of Kutch and through some minor off-roading as well (Read my blog on off-road excursion with JWW Group here). There have been no leakages or breakdowns and the Jeep has not given me a reason to complain. Surprisingly, there are no loud rattles or squeaks either, even after attending 2 events, which involved off-roading, albeit no hardcore stuff.
Overall, the Jeep has completed the first year on the roads without any problems.
2 Minor Issues – None. There is a minor rattling noise from the door, but I think that’s a problem with all Jeeps (based on what I read online and in owner groups and forums), and honestly its not spoilt my ownership experience in any manner. Besides this, there is a design niggle wherein a lot of leaves and muck get accumulated in a tray beneath the windscreen. I have to open the bonnet and clean this area. But this is an issue for me as my vehicle is parked under a tree. There is no problem in the vehicle performance. It’s only that I am a sucker for keeping a neat and clean car 🙂
Overall, the Jeep has again performed well in this department and lapped up the roads and conditions very well.
3 Service – A very important point, as the ownership experience is majorly influenced by the service centre quality. But, this is also a controversial issue, as the service quality is directly influenced by the Dealer and their standards, workforce and commitment.
I have serviced my Jeep from Moharir Jeep, Nashik and I am extremely satisfied. Their workshop is manned by dedicated staff and mechanics, and they have serviced my vehicle very well. In fact, they have gone out of their way to check my vehicle before I left for the Jeep Trails event and didn’t charge me either.
There has been no problem with availability of spares and parts.
Let me also cover some of the popular questions I come across in forums:
Service Cost – My Second service, which is due after 1 year or 15,000 kms. cost me Rs. 11,780. This included fumigation charges (which is a new cost charged by all car brands, post COVID) and wheel alignment and balancing (I usually get this done outside by a specialist, but Jeep service station has also done it well).
The detailed bill of the service:
I was sent an estimate of the charges by WhatsApp and the vehicle was taken for service after my approval to the same. The estimate and actual bill match down to the decimals 🙂
Surprisingly, the service centre kept sending me regular updates throughout the day. This has never been done by any other service station (I own Toyota, Hyundai and a Maruti Nexa vehicles and get them serviced in company service stations only). A few pics I received over WhatsApp:
Also, I received some reports over WhatsApp including battery condition, brake pads, tyre thickness etc. I appreciate such information flow from the service centre. A few snapshots of the information received:
Based on my previous experiences with other brands, either me or my driver are always present for every service. But looking at the service information by the service centre, I am confident to send my vehicle for service without my supervision from next time onwards.
5 Mileage – The million dollar question 🙂
With my 4X2 Diesel MT variant Jeep Compass, I am getting average fuel economy (as displayed in information cluster) of 14.3 kmpl. The maximum I have got is 17.1 kmpl (refer below pic), which was after the drive from Nashik to Ahmedabad, which also included the awesome Vadodara-Ahmedabad super expressway. Of course, it also required a controlled right foot and cruising speed of 100-110 kmph.
6 Interiors – Jeep’s claim of having the most silent cabin is true in my experience. There is very little road noise from tyres and other external noises that infiltrate inside and this makes the journey very comfortable. The A/C is effective, although a tad low for the rear seat passengers (But I am comparing with my Innova, which definitely has the best A/C in the second row).
The interiors of my Limited Plus model are very plush, but off-white/grey in colour. Thanks to our dusty conditions, I am always cleaning stains and marks from pillars, door handles etc. I wish my Jeep variant also had the all black interiors as the Trailhawk.
7 Exteriors – I park under the open sky and I am using the OEM Jeep cover and it keeps the vehicle clean and cool. No complaints with the paint quality as well till now.
With regards to comfort, the suspension is top notch and absorbs most of the jerks and hits with ease. In my opinion, its suspension is better than more expensive SUVs, and definitely the best in its segment.
8 Features – Of course, features are a major consideration during our vehicle purchase time, and their performance or lack of it can cause major heartache later. With my Jeep Compass, all major features including panoramic sunroof, Apple CarPlay, charging ports, infotainment system and information cluster have worked flawlessly.
The auto rain-sensing wipers have multiple controls to adjust the sensitivity and the back wiper also has an auto-mode, which syncs with the front wiper. These have worked well too.
9 Tyres – Frankly, I was worried about the 18” tyres that come with the Limited Plus variant. With large potholes jumping out of nowhere, I was afraid of frequent punctures, tyre burst or getting ball on the tyre. However, my worries have proven to be unjustified and there have been no problem with the tyres in the first year.
The alloy wheels for the Limited Plus variant are also very good and there is no chipping or dents in these.
In conclusion, I feel that my decision to purchase the Jeep Compass is justified by the build quality, service support and ownership experience. I have also purchased the extended warranty, as I definitely plan to drive my Jeep for many years to come.
I hope that this review will be helpful to all owners and to those sitting on the sidelines, unsure about purchasing the Jeep Compass. Get more details about Jeep India and their vehicles on their website here.
You can also download the brochure of the Jeep Compass here:
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