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Jeep Compass Concept
The Jeep Compass is
a compact crossover SUV to be introduced for
the 2007 model year. Pricing will start around
US$20,000. Jeep made its public debut of the
Compass at the 2006 North American International
Auto Show in January. The Jeep Compass, along
with the Patriot will replace the Jeep Liberty
as Jeep's entry-level SUVs, and will be one
of Jeep's first crossover SUVs. The
Compass and Patriot are both based on the
Chrysler/Mitsubishi GS platform. These vehicles
will be differentiated by their styling and
marketing: The Patriot is a traditional 4-door
Jeep wagon, while the Compass is intended
as a sporty "hot hatch" crossover
like the Toyota Matrix. The Dodge Caliber,
also based on the GS platform, is a combination
of these two segments.
It will use a four-cylinder
172 hp (128 kW) 2.4 L GEMA gasoline engine
and might also get a 2.0 L Volkswagen-designed
diesel engine for the European market. The
car will also feature an electronically-controlled
all wheel drive system with variable torque
between speeds of 25 and 65 mph for optimal
handling. These will be the first Jeeps offered
in many years that don't feature "trail
rated" models, ie. stock models that
can traverse the Rubicon Trail without modifications.
Since the similar Dodge Caliber debuted with
an SRT treatment, the Compass is expected
to get SRT treatment, possibly in 2007.
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