Jeep Compass created a lot of ripples when it was launched in the market and the Indians bought the SUV in huge numbers. The Compass also delivered on its promise of giving a true blue American SUV experience in a relatively affordable package. This is the reason Jeep Compass still remains one of the most famous vehicles in the segment. Compass locks horns with the likes of Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500, and recently launched MG Hector. The upcoming Kia Seltos will also give the Compass a tough time in the market. Now that almost all makers in the segment are either offering automatic gearboxes with diesel engines or plan on offering the same, Jeep is also pulling up its socks. The US maker is planning on bringing out diesel automatic versions of Compass, till now the brand only offered the automatic transmission with the petrol variants of the Compass. The lone diesel option with automatic gearbox in the Compass line-up is the recently launched TrailHawk variant which costs around Rs. 30 lakh and caters to a different segment of customers.
There are reports on the internet stating that the brand is working on bringing out automatic options for the lower diesel trims of the vehicle as well. The reports state that the move by the company is expected to happen sometime before the introduction of the BS-VI emission norms, around the festive season in India. This would bode well for the company as the sales generally get a huge spike during the festive season which happens to fall around the October-November period.
It is also a good move by the brand as introduction of automatic gearbox on the higher diesel trims of Compass will only end up pushing the prices of the variants. Also, the launch of a lot of feature loaded rivals will surely dent Compass’s share in the market pie. Therefore, giving the customers the option of an automatic gearbox with diesel engine around the time of high sales is a good move. Jeep already has a high end diesel-automatic variant in Compass line-up in the form of Trailhawk that comes with a 9 speed automatic gearbox and is a more off-road focused variant of the regular Compass.
Talking of the engine on Jeep Compass, it is a 2L diesel unit made by Fiat and is rated to produce 173 PS and 350 Nm. As of now it only comes with a manual gearbox. The other option on Compass is the 1.4L turbo petrol unit rated to produce 160 Bhp and 250 Nm.