We've already seen what Dodge has in store for the small SUV market with the upcoming Caliber, and now it's Jeep's turn. Our latest spy photos show a prototype of what is expected to be the 2007 Jeep Compass. This new compact will be one of two new Jeeps based on a front-wheel-drive platform developed with Mitsubishi.
Unlike most Jeeps, the Compass won't be built for hard-core off-roading. Designed to compete with the likes of Ford's Escape and the Honda CR-V, the all-wheel-drive system in the Compass will be more an all-weather system with no low-range gearing. Power will come from a range of four-cylinder engines and styling will be similar to the Compass concept vehicle shown several years ago.
A slightly smaller and more wagonlike Jeep is also expected off the same platform. It will have a lower roofline and a slightly shorter wheelbase. It's expected to arrive next summer a few months before the Compass, but after the spring introduction of the Dodge Caliber. All three vehicles will be built at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois.
Unlike most Jeeps, the Compass won't be built for hard-core off-roading. Designed to compete with the likes of Ford's Escape and the Honda CR-V, the all-wheel-drive system in the Compass will be more an all-weather system with no low-range gearing. Power will come from a range of four-cylinder engines and styling will be similar to the Compass concept vehicle shown several years ago.
A slightly smaller and more wagonlike Jeep is also expected off the same platform. It will have a lower roofline and a slightly shorter wheelbase. It's expected to arrive next summer a few months before the Compass, but after the spring introduction of the Dodge Caliber. All three vehicles will be built at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois.
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