Jeep Compass Petrol Auto

New turbocharged petrol engine and a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic add to the solid package

- L Abhishek Wairagade

JEEP IS ON A ROLL and you see more of the Compass than all of the current lot of Fiats on the roads. And going by the long waiting periods for the SUV, it is safe to say that Fiat-Chrysler’s India operations finally have wind in their sails. And they do need it, considering their bread-and-butter, the 1.3-litre Multijet (that goes into Marutis, Fiats and Tatas), will not be around for much longer as it is too expensive to upgrade to 2020’s BSVI emission norms. But that’s not the focus of this review, nor is the Renegade and other Jeeps that will dramatically expand FCA’s portfolio, volumes and presence in the days to come. What we’re driving is the petrol Compass, the only Compass to get the automatic transmission that we’ve all been clamouring for.

A new engine?

Move over the T-Jet turbo-petrol that powered everything including the Abarths, the Compass gets the new Multiair engine which, unlike the T-Jet, comes equipped with variable valve timing. The four-cylinder, 1368cc turbocharged petrol engine makes 161bhp and 250Nm, acceptable figures for an SUV this size. You also get a sevenspeed dual clutch transmission, sans paddleshifters. And this is accompanied by a sizeable weight reduction of 79kg over the 4x4 diesel and a huge price drop of ₹1.70 lakh. However to enable that price drop, the Compass DDCT comes with only two airbags, even in the top-spec Limited (O) variant, unlike on the diesel, which gets six. You also lose out on the drive mode selector and Jeep’s Active Drive traction control system. Aesthetically though, the petrol variant resembles the diesel with a dual tone roof, bi-xenon headlamp cluster, DRLs and 17-inch wheels.

How good is the Multiair?