It’s time to bid farewell to Jeep’s dated Compass and Patriot siblings and say hello to the brand’s compact replacement for both models, the 2017 Compass that slots between the Renegade and Cherokee, being closer in size to the latter.
While we’ve already seen plenty of unofficial pictures of the new Compass on the web these past few weeks, Jeep officially unveiled the SUV today to mark the start of production at FCA’s Jeep Assembly Plant in Goiana, Brazil.
And the more we look at it, the more it reminds us of a compact Grand Cherokee, which kind of makes sense, given the more characterful Renegade and Cherokee in Jeep’s current lineup, which might not be to everyone’s taste.
We’ll see the 2017 Compass for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, before it goes on sale in North America during the first quarter of next year.
Jeep said that the new Compass will be a “truly global compact SUV” that will be produced with “17 fuel-efficient powertrain options for consumers in more than 100 countries around the world” without divulging any specific details. The North American model will built in Mexico.
Based on an extended version of the Renegade’s platform, the new Compass is believed to be offered with Chrysler’s 2.4-liter Tigershark and/or a newer 2.0-liter turbocharged four paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission in the USA and Canada, but we’ll know more after its world premiere in LA.
Photo Gallery
