The single-vehicle replacement for Jeep’s current Compass/Patriot twins has been spotted undergoing shakedown testing with it’s production-spec body work.
Set to round out Jeep’s small utility portfolio, the Compass/Patriot replacement will slot between the Renegade and the larger Cherokee. It remains unknown if the new model will carry on with the Compass or Patriot badge, or if Jeep will select a new nameplate altogether.
What ever it’s called, the new SUV will ride on a stretched version of architecture that underpins the Renegade. Like the Renegade the new model will use a nine-speed automatic transmission, with a six-speed manual option still a possibility. The volume engine for the new SUV will likely be a turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0L four-cylinder.
On the styling front it’s clear than the new small SUV will adopt cues from Grand Cherokee. Exposed headlights reveal units similar in style to that of the Grand Cherokee rather than the rounded units used on the Renegade. The front grille treatment on this prototype is decidedly conventional, meaning we can rule out a mug inspired by the somewhat radical Cherokee.
Jeep’s Compass/Patriot replacement is expected to go on sale during the second half of next year as a 2017 model, meaning we could see it debut in production for as early as the 2016 Detroit auto show.
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