The past few months have been very exciting for Mahindra. First, the all new Mahindra flagship XUV 700 was unveiled and showcased at the New Delhi Auto Expo. The XUV 700 will be replacing the SsangYong Rexton SUV. Then Mahindra owned iconic automobile design house Pininfarina announced that it will venture into manufacturing electric vehicles. Just a few weeks ago, Mahindra launched the 2018 XUV 500 SUV. Hence, giving one of India’s most popular SUV’s a much-needed mid-cycle/mid-life facelift. India has always been an SUV loving country, even more so in recent times. The demand for SUV’s in India is at its peak! One of the newest entrants to the Indian SUV market – Jeep is amongst the top performing brands, reaping rewards with a high demand for the beloved Jeep Compass. Given the fact that one of India’s most popular SUV – the Mahindra XUV 500 has just received a facelift, the stage is set for a very interesting battle in the mid-sized SUV segment. Can the mighty XUV 500 put an end to Jeep Compass’ party? Or does the Compass still have an upper hand? We find out…
What’s on offer?
The Mahindra XUV 500 and the Jeep Compass are 2 unique vehicles built with a completely different philosophy which reflects the brand heritage and ideology of both car manufacturers – Mahindra from India and Jeep from the USA. Mahindra has been a household brand in the Indian ecosystem, across the various sectors it has a presence in including automobiles. A brand famed for quality, competitive pricing and value for money in all the products they offer. The Mahindra XUV 500 is a true Mahindra product in all its right! A premium entry-level mid-sized SUV, feature loaded, competitive priced and a value for money product. Jeep, on the other hand, is one of the world’s top and most respected SUV brands. The Jeep brand has been long associated with adventure and freedom, a keen companion for the adventurist in you offering an unmatched all-terrain capability to take you anywhere, wherever you wish to go. When Jeep entered India a couple of years ago it positioned itself as a premium brand, however, their cars – the Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Grand Cherokee didn’t quite click in the market due to a very high price. As the Jeep Compass is now locally manufactured in India, the Indian market has appreciated a premium SUV from a world-class manufacturer. The Compass brings the Jeep DNA with an attractive price and at the same time offers the Indian customer a different perspective of SUV. With great engine options, awesome driving dynamics, superior build quality and top-notch engineering the Jeep Compass is a very exciting proposition.
Who looks better on the outside?
The Mahindra XUV 500 has been around for some time now. The Mahindra flagship is a common sight on our roads in cities across the country. Though this is the first major update the XUV 500 has received in 3 years, it must be noted that the general design, dimensions of the car remain unchanged. Mahindra has given the 2018 XUV 500 an updated look rather than a radical makeover. The new changes include a new grille studded with chrome, newly designed wrap-around tail lamps. The XUV 500 gets new diamond cut alloy wheels with 18 & 17-inch options. The Jeep Compass, on the other hand, looks like a smaller version of the Jeep flagship – Grand Cherokee. This is an awesome thing for the Indian car buyer. Yes, we have seen cars with a similar design, dimensions to the Compass but none look as imposing, smart and sophisticated like the Jeep. The Compass is a smaller than the larger XUV but does not compromise on its SUV DNA, road presence. The trademark 7-slat Jeep grille ensures the car in front of you knows a legend is trailing behind. The cladded wheel arches and high ground clearance makes sure the Jeep will take you across all terrains, wherever you want to go! There is a lot of attention to detail on the Jeep Compass, this is evident on the front bumper, headlamps and tail light sections.
What about the interiors?
The XUV 500 can seat 7 passengers (third-row of seats included) whereas the Jeep Compass can seat 5 – the added benefit of the third-row seats gives the XUV 500 the edge over the Compass with respect to practicality and space. When you enter the cabin of the XUV you are welcomed by a premium, practical cabin. If you have driven or travelled in a Mahindra car before the interiors will seem a premium upgrade. The cabin of the new 2018 XUV 500 is more premium with respect to the outgoing model. The addition of soft-touch materials, cross-stitched tan leather seats, a great mixture of chrome and black inserts etc. make the car look more premium/upmarket. The Jeep, on the other hand, welcomes you with wide open doors! Large and heavy doors ensure the passengers inside are safe and secured. On entering the Compass, you certainly won’t complain about the large and supportive seats. A good seating position ensures good all-around visibility. The cabin interiors of the Compass give you a feeling of being in a car 2 segments above. The large white seats with red stitching (only in the top end variant), the soft-touch materials, a metal finish gear lever knob, Jeep embossed seats give the car a premium flair. The piano black finish on the central console & touch-screen is a let down though, as this accumulates dust and fingerprints rather quickly. The seats at the back can seat 3 adults easily. The back seat has a good amount of headroom and knee room making it a great place to be for long journeys.
Who has the better ride?
Keeping India’s infamous road conditions in mind car manufacturers in the Indian industry both local or foreign, established or new entrants must ensure their cars for the Indian market have a very good suspension capable of taking on the worst our roads can throw at them. New entrant Jeep has done exactly this with the Compass. With a high ground clearance, rugged body stance and a well-engineered suspension which uses Frequency Selective Damping the Compass just glides over all rough edges, broken patches, potholes etc. The ride of the Compass is tuned a little on the stiffer side, so you might just get tossed around slightly. However, the Compass makes up for this by offering a superb ride on all surfaces even at high speeds. The Compass is a car which an enthusiast would love to drive offering - great stability, great confidence while cornering, very responsive, great feedback given by steering. The car is agile and goes exactly where you want it to. The chunky steering is the cherry on the icing. The XUV 500 has a strong and able suspension as well. With Mahindra being experts of the Indian SUV market, they know exactly how to make a car for our Indian roads – the same is evident in the 2018 XUV 500. The suspension when compared to the Jeep tends to crash a little over the rougher sections of road. In our opinion, the Compass has a better ride quality over the XUV 500. Being a larger and longer car than the Compass the XUV 500 has more body roll. However, you still feel safe and secured in the car always. The steering of the XUV 500 is engaging to say the least but, not as much as the Compass. The XUV 500 is a good companion to have on the highways, offering good stability and inspiring confidence with good driving manners.
Engine and Performance
Both the Mahindra XUV 500 and Jeep Compass come with petrol and diesel engine options. The 2018 XUV 500 gets a retuned version of Mahindra’s 2.2 L mHawk turbocharged diesel engine which now produces 155 bhp of max power. For those looking out for a petrol XUV a 2.2 L turbocharged petrol engine making 140 bhp of max power is available. Both engines are mated to automatic and manual gearboxes. The Jeep Compass is powered by a Fiat-sourced 1.4 L MultiAir turbocharged petrol engine making around 140 bhp of max power. The petrol engine is mated to a manual and automatic gearbox. For the diesel heads, Jeep has a Fiat-sourced 2.0 L MultiJet turbocharged diesel engine producing max power of 171 bhp. This engine is only mated to a manual gearbox. Jeep will be launching an automatic variant of the diesel engine as the Jeep Compass Trailhawk. Prices for the Trailhawk are expected to be around the Rs.30 Lakh mark. However, the Compass has class-leading figures with respect to engine power. You can expect a combined (city & highway) fuel economy of around 14 kmpl for the XUV 500 and 15 kmpl for the Jeep Compass.
Features & Tech
Both the XUV 500 and Jeep Compass come loaded with features and updated technology. The essentials of course - Touchscreen infotainment systems, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, Aux input, USB connectivity etc. Features such as rain sensing wipers, cruise control, sunroof etc. are not available in the Jeep Compass this is something of a let down for customers having paid a higher price than the XUV 500. The XUV 500 on the other hand scores top marks in terms of features, tech and overall value for money. The list of features on the new 2018 XUV 500 is endless! Rain-sensing wipers, a beautiful Arkamys sound system, sunroof, watch app to control infotainment system, electrically adjustable driver seat is some of the most unique features on the new XUV 500. In comparison to the Jeep Compass which starts at Rs.3 lakh (approx.) more than the XUV 500, Mahindra has really created a product the customers will seek more value from.
Pricing
Taking everyone by surprise the 2018 XUV 500 when launched was cheaper than the previous model. This is a rarity in today’s automobile market and a very commendable job by the folks at Mahindra. The 2018 Mahindra XUV 500 begins at Rs.12.32 Lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) and goes up to Rs.18.98 Lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) for the top end variant. The Jeep Compass, on the other hand, starts at Rs.15.26 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) and goes all the way to Rs.21.88 lakh for the 4X4 top end variant.
Both the XUV 500 and Compass are great packages for the customer offering a different sense of value in their respective ways. It shall be very interesting to see how these 2 cars do battle and win the hearts of the customers. Let us know which car you like more!
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