JEEP COMPASS VS MG HECTOR - HOW I CHOSE MY LUXURY CROSSOVER SUV

The most exciting thing in any motor heads life was happening with me.. I was getting to choose a new vehicle. My last vehicle was my Mahindra Thar in 2016 and I relished the opportunity to start the evaluation, comparison and test driving process all over again.

When I started my search in April 2019, in the luxury crossover SUV segment with price range between Rs. 20-25 lacs, I had 3 options to choose from; MG Hector, Tata Harrier or Jeep Compass (Kia Seltos was yet to be launched).

Battle of the Crossover SUVs

In the beginning itself, I rejected Tata Harrier outright, based on my personal experiences of lack of reliability and service support of Tata & M&M. It's a difficult decision not to consider a feature-loaded vehicle like Harrier. But I have learnt from experience that a vehicle which looks good on paper is not necessarily a great vehicle on the road, if it lacks reliability and has niggling problems. Improper after sales service makes the issues worse. 

Tata Harrier. Pic Courtesy - harrier.tatamotors.com

Having decided not to consider Tata, it came down to choosing between the Jeep Compass and MG Hector. The newly launched MG Hector looked like a promising candidate. The brand was making waves in this segment with it's 'Internet Inside' concept. The print, internet and TV channels were falling all over themselves to review this new vehicle. The initial reviews looked very promising and the company was creating a lot of buzz.

This piqued my interest too, and I headed to Thane (Tejpal Motors, Ghodbunder Road, Thane) to test-drive the vehicle (The dealer in Nasik was yet to start the showroom). I checked out the display cars and the vehicle looked superb. All LED lights, lots of legroom in the back and features galore. I got to test-drive the vehicle along with 3 other persons and the showroom rep, as there was a long queue for test-drives. The drive was nothing special and I felt that the car was rather sluggish and reluctant to push beyond it's comfort zone. But thanks to 3 other persons eagerly waiting their turn, I got to drive for only a short distance.

Quite disappointed, I decided to wait for 15-20 days for the Nasik dealership to open, to test drive the vehicle again and then come to a conclusion. Finally I got the call that test-drive vehicles were available in Nasik showroom too. I took a prior appointment and reached on time. But after waiting for 40 mins., I left without a test-drive. There was utter chaos in the showroom and the reps were busy giving test-drives (more like joy rides) to their friends and family. I couldn't wait any longer and left.

After about a week, I went to the showroom again, and this time I was able to get the test-drive after about 15 mins. I was excited to start the drive. The vehicle looks grand, although the 17" wheels look a tad small. I got to test-drive the top-end diesel variant with manual transmission.

Unfortunately, the test-drive was a complete disappointment. The ride quality was rough, the suspension was stiff and road bumps could be felt inside. There was noticeable body roll and the vehicle wasn't really fun to drive. I found the gear shifting clunky and the clutch quite heavy. The sales rep who joined me also knew the drawbacks and tried to sell the vehicle based on it's features; the voice-activated commands, the large tab in the centre console with pre-loaded apps connected through internet and panoramic sunroof being some of the hyped features.  But the features felt gimmicky. The large tab in the centre was sluggish and needed hard finger touches to work. I also found it very disturbing to use this while driving.

On voicing my concerns, the sales rep told me that this was a test-drive vehicle and thus it wasn't a true representation of the vehicle. So I told him to get me a better vehicle to test-drive. After waiting for another week, I called the sales rep again, and then went back to the showroom for Round 3 of the test-drives. The vehicle was newer, but my impressions stayed the same. I was disappointed but I decided not to buy a vehicle because of it's features as these features stay exciting for some time, but soon become the norm. Instead, it's important for a vehicle to get the basics such as safety, comfort, drivability and luxury correct, to ensure a satisfactory long term ownership experience. 

Now let me tell you my experience with test-drives of Jeep Compass. I called the showroom and booked a test-drive. The vehicle was brought for the test drive the next day, 5 mins. before the scheduled time. Since I was unaware about the variants, they got me the Trailhawk variant. I had a fun drive and the sales rep asked me to take it to a particular road which was in very poor condition. This road tested the suspension and it came out with flying colours. Then their driver took over. He took the Trailhawk for some off-roading and I couldn't believe the capability of this vehicle. It went up steep inclines and came back down the same way, without hitting the bumpers. It went over large rocks without breaking a sweat. It's 4WD capabilities are unquestionable. 

After this test-drive of the Jeep Compass, my first impressions were good. The suspension was top-notch, the gear change was smooth, the interiors were simple but luxurious and there were enough features to keep motor heads like me satisfied.

Then the sales rep introduced the variants. On getting to know the price of the Trailhawk (Approx. Rs. 34 lacs), I deleted this option and checked the other variants. After due diligence, I decided to choose between the Limited or Limited Plus variants. I was expecting to hear that there variants were not available, as generally only the top variant is available for test-drive. To my surprise, the sales rep told me that all variants were available for test-drive. This gave me a lot of confidence, as the commitment of the brand can be seen from the fact that 5 - 6 test drive cars are available at the showroom. They got me the Limited and Limited Plus variants over the next few days and I took test-drives to my satisfaction.

After 3 test-drives of Jeep Compass (same number of test-drives as the MG Hector), I was convinced that the Jeep Compass was much superior vehicle than the MG Hector. 

And why's that? Well. to begin with, the engine is super smooth. The power delivery is very linear and you can pull the vehicle to 160 kmph with ease. The cabin is very quiet (quietest in its segment, I am told). The inside comfort is also very good, as you sit in seats wrapped in premium leather. The suspension is super, absorbing most of the jolts from potholes. There is dual zone A/C and the vehicle comes with all safety features as standard. The infotainment screen is easy to use. Additional convenience features like capability to connect Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, even from the back seat USD slot is awesome. 

Jeep Compass has also scored perfect 5 stars in Australian NCAP crash test. Also, let's not forget that Jeep exports Indian-made Jeep Compass to Australia and Japan. That's a big testament to it's quality standards.

The MG Hector does have some benefits over the Jeep Compass. It can seat 3 adults in the back with much more comfort than the Jeep Compass. It's rear seats are also reclining, giving more comfort.These as per me are the biggest advantages.

There is a price difference of nearly Rs. 6 lacs between the top variants of MG and Jeep, with the Jeep Compass being the costlier choice. 

I understand that the MG brand is new and so they have to be price competitive. But you are still paying Rs. 20 Lacs for a brand with no established standard of service quality, spares availability, vehicle reliability and dealer support. I consider this as a big risk, as I am shelling out Rs. 20 lacs for an unknown commodity. Also remember that MG brand is owned by SAIC Motor Corporation, China. This company has already sold vehicles in India in the past in partnership with GM. This partnership didn't work well and ended when GM exited India. Now SAIC is re-entering the Indian market through a different brand. This doesn't inspire too much confidence, because I feel that the company is masking it's past failures under the guise of a new brand name.

On the other hand, Jeep has been present in India since 2017. I got very positive feedback regarding the vehicle reliability and service quality from first-hand users (I can speak only for the Nasik dealer - Moharir Jeep). I figured it was worth paying Rs. 6 lacs more, as over the ownership duration of 7 - 9 years, the price difference would be nullified by a more reliable vehicle requiring less maintenance and more importantly, giving more peace of mind. 

So, after a lot of test-drives, research and soul-searching (giving up on some new features brought by MG is difficult, even though I know that they won't add up in the long term ownership experience), I decided to purchase the Jeep Compass.

Read my next blog on how I chose which variant of Jeep Compass to buy, from the plethora of choices that Jeep offers.