If you’ve been waiting for the seven-seat derivative of the Jeep Compass, your wait just got longer. Originally scheduled for a launch in 2020, the model (codename: Low-D) will only arrive in India in 2021. Jeep will instead focus its efforts on rolling out the heavily updated Compass in 2020. Jeep’s Ranjangaon facility is the mother plant for the right-hand-drive Compass, and the plan is to ready the updated versions for India and export markets by mid-2020. The updated Compass is expected to get major sheet metal changes, a redone cabin and more equipment. In the run up to the upgraded Compass’ arrival, Jeep will introduce BS6 versions of the 2.0-litre diesel and 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engines, and will also introduce more diesel-automatic versions.
The seven-seat Low-D will have much in common with the updated Compass, and as company insiders put it, will not compromise on the ‘Jeep DNA’ and will have genuine off-road ability. You can expect the Low-D to come in at a premium over the five-seat Compass. At present, the Compass range tops off at Rs 26.80-27.60 lakh with the Trailhawk, and it’s safe to assume Low-D prices will start at this price point.
When launched, the Jeep Low-D will take on monocoque-bodied seven-seat SUVs like the Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace, Skoda Kodiaq and Honda CR-V, along with ladder-frame models like the Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Alturas G4 and Toyota Fortuner.
Further down the road, Jeep will also bring out its own small SUV for India.
Prices are ex-showroom, pan-India