The all new Jeep Compass has arrived and has turned the eyes of all the auto enthusiasts. The introduction of the Compass gave the Mahindra XUV500 a very strong competitor overnight. A lot depends on the Compass which is the single most-crucial model for Fiat Chrysler in India. Both the cars come with tonnes of features and a lot of power. This article specifically compares the XUV500 AT AWD W10 2.2 mHawk and the Compass 2.0 Limited Option 4X4. These are the top variants of XUV500 and Compass available in India.
PRICE: The Jeep Compass comes with a price tag of INR 20.56 Lakh and the Mahindra XUV500 with a price tag of INR 18.68 Lakh. The value for money is clearly high for the XUV500 but the quality of product is high for the Compass. Jeep claims that 64% of the Compass’s body is made of high strength steel. Considering the safety features and the spacious interior, the XUV500 is a better buy than the Jeep Compass.
MAINTENANCE: Buying an SUV automatically comes with greater maintenance cost. Jeep has not updated anything regarding the maintenance but could have its first service after 5,000kms and subsequent services after every 15,000kms/year. Jeep has only about 1 dealer in India for every 6 service centres of Mahindra and the maintenance cost could be high for the US based company. The XUV500 has its first three services after 5,000kms, 10,000kms and 20,000kms (labour charge during the first 3 services are free). From then on maintenance is done after every 10,000kms. Now the maintenance cost of the XUV500 amounts to only INR 21,800 after 5 years. This might not be the case with the Compass since its spare parts are imported.
PERFORMANCE: Both SUVs sport powerful diesel engines under the hood. The XUV500 produces 140bhp at 3750rpm and a torque of 330Nm at 1600-2800 rpm using its 2179cc engine while the Compass produces a little more power of 170bhp @ 3750rpm and a torque of 350Nm @ 1750-2500 rpm using its 1956cc engine. The Compass has the upper hand when it comes to performance since the brand itself has a superiority in the field of SRT engines which comes as no surprise when their 2.0L engine produces such power. Both the vehicles have a top speed of 185kmph. Now if you’re really into cars then you can tune the XUV500 to yield 170bhp of power. Both have a mileage of 16kmpl and both have disc brakes in the front and rear.
DRIVE: The Compass comes with a 4X4 option and the XUV500 with an AWD. Both technologies are almost similar. Now you might ask “what is the difference between AWD and a 4X4?” In India, if you ask me, I would favour the AWD over the 4X4 (now this differs from person to person) mainly because we don’t need one. If you’re off-roading then 4X4 will be your best bet, but for the common mass AWD is better. AWD gives you more traction control than the 4X4 on normal roads. This is because the 4X4 gives equal torque to all wheels and (here) it’s optional for the Compass. So, if you don’t want it you can turn it off. Meanwhile the XUV500 incorporates the AWD which also distributes torque to all wheels equally but the differentials, can limit slippage between the axles if a low traction situation is encountered. Also, the AWD is a full time 4WD.
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITY: The XUV500 is slightly a bigger SUV than the Compass. It outdoes the Compass in almost every dimension (length, width, height and even ground clearance). The fuel tank capacity of the XUV500 is 70L, 10L more than the Compass. The boot space of XUV500 IS 720L and that of the Compass is 408L. The major disadvantage of the Compass is that it has five seats whereas the XUV500 is a 7-seater.
SAFETY: Both SUVs have almost the same number of safety features but the XUV500 takes the lead in this category. For instance, the XUV500 has brake assist and anti-theft alarm whereas the Compass lacks these. The XUV500 also has an automatic headlamp. The Compass has halogen headlamps while the XUV500 has projector headlamps and both come with DRLs.
COMFORT: The XUV500 comes with 7″ colour touch screen infotainment display with GPS, USB (audio / video), Bluetooth audio, handsfree call, iPod connectivity & picture viewer, configurable wall paper, Android Auto, Connected Apps, Tweeters on Dashboard, DIS in-built in infotainment system. The Compass comes with Uconnect with 7.0 Touchscreen Display, In-built Compass, Integrated Voice Command, Bluetooth Audio Streaming, Media Hub USB Port, Rear USB Port, Auxiliary Input Jack, 12V Power Outlet, Android Auto and Apple Car Play, Speakers (6).
The XUV500 has cruise controls but the Compass surprisingly lacks it. Also, the XUV500 has lumbar support which it’s counterpart lacks and this can be a blessing, especially for those long drives. Mahindra has included a plethora of additional features in XUV500 like the smart card entry, voice commands, rain sensing wipers, roof maintaining a Jeep and it is safe to say that the XUV500 is a spacious, feature loaded, powerful and a rails, sun-roof, moon-roof etc. The Compass has fabric upholstery and leather steering wheel which the XUV500 doesn’t.
VERDICT: The Jeep Compass is the most affordable SUV produced by the FCA but it still stays behind the XUV500 when it comes to the price affordability, maintenance cost and several features Mahindra offers.Mahindra plans to manufacture a XUV500 that could churn out 170bhp horsepower and could be up for sale by the end of 2017. All in all, buying a Mahindra is more convenient than very likeable car meant for the Indian community.
