Car Talk

Renuka Kirpalani Is the Host and Editor of the Autocar Show on Times Network. As Part of Her Job She Test-drives and Reviews Cars Launched in the Indian Market. This Time Around, She Evaluates the Jeep Compass

- Renuka Kirpalani

Sometimes brands become synonymous with the product they represent - like Xerox is a word widely used for anything copied, or Fevicol for any kind of gluing agent, and similarly Jeep is a brand that’s synonymous with SUV’s. That’s probably because they were the first to design and build a proper four-wheel drive mass production vehicle, known as the Willys. 70 years later their DNA is as strong as ever and with the current craze for SUV’s in India it’s the right time for them to have made their official entry. The Wrangler and the Cherokee were the first offerings of the brand in the country, but duty structure made them price themselves out of reach of most fans. However, with local assembly in place, Jeep is all set to find their way around the Indian continent with the Compass.