Jeep Compass Petrol AT

WE SAY: THE COMPASS WITH THE AUTO ’BOX IS HERE AND WE QUITE LIKE IT

- Ashok George

So far, we’ve only had good things to say about the Compass. And that’s mostly down to the fact that the Compass is a fantastic SUV. Of course, we had only ever driven the diesel-engined, fourwheel drive variant. Nevertheless, it was impressive both on the road and offit. But what about its more domesticated brother? We just had to find out.

Spec and design wise, the auto-petrol is the same as the top-end diesel. It only comes in the top-end Limited variant and hence gets all the bells and whistles the diesel gets. Read that as leather interiors, CarPlay, Android Auto, cornering lamps, climate control, a full suite of airbags, reversing camera with sensors – the whole gamut. The chassis and suspension behaviour too stays the same as the diesel. The ride is firm yet absorbent. There isn’t a lot of roll in corners but there is a lot of grip in all situations. It remains a great car to drive in the city with its compact dimensions and out on the highway thanks to its well-mannered dynamics.

It is also a very good looking car. We’ve maintained that since the day we first saw the Compass. It’s sort of a miniCherokee and we love it for that. The wide front with the imposing grille and the perimeter DRL-equipped lights make for a commanding presence on the road. It looks imposing without actually feeling cumbersome to drive. In fact, it doesnt feel much larger than a large hatchback once you get used to it.