More images that appear to depict Jeep’s new crossover have surfaced. Possibly called Renegade, the crossover will replace both the Compass and the Patriot and make its official debut next week at the Geneva Motor Show.
The images confirm that the Renegade features a softer overall design than the recently-introduced Cherokee, and a rugged-looking front end characterized by round headlights and a short seven-slat grille loosely inspired by the iconic Willy’s that was widely used in World War II. Rumors indicate the crossover might be equipped with a removable roof panel but Jeep is keeping official details under wraps until the opening day of the Geneva show.
The Renegade will share its unibody platform with a Fiat crossover tentatively called 500X. While the Fiat will be offered with both front- and four-wheel drive, the Jeep version will likely boast improved off-road capabilities and an earlier report suggests that it will be exclusively available with four-wheel drive. A two-speed transfer case like Jeep’s more dirt-oriented models has not been confirmed yet.
Power will reportedly come from a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter gas-burning four-cylinder mill. A 1.3-liter turbodiesel four-banger rated at 105 horsepower and 236 lb-ft. of torque will be offered to buyers in Europe, and Jeep might decide to sell it in the and United States if oil-burner sales continue to rise.
Following its debut in Switzerland, Jeep’s latest will enter production in Fiat’s Melfi, Italy, factory next summer and land in showrooms across the country next fall as a 2015 model. It will slot beneath the Cherokee and cost several thousand dollars less.
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