It's not hard to stumble across some sort of disguised Fiat-Chrysler product in southeastern Michigan these days. In fact,Automobile Magazinerecently managed to bump into an early test mule for the forthcoming replacement for the Jeep Compass/Patriot crossovers.
In late 2009, Chrysler disclosed that both the Compass and Patriot - presently built on the late Dodge Caliber's PM/MK architecture - would be replaced by a single model in 2013, and adopt a new, Fiat-sourced platform. Although the time frame has since been delayed slightly (Chrysler now says both the Compass and Patriot will live on until August 2014), the company is already working on concocting a replacement based upon the C-US Wide (CUSW) platform. It won't be the first Jeep to use that architecture, as the forthcoming CUSW-based Jeep Liberty replacement will beat it to market.
That platform, which also underpins the 2013 Dodge Dart,is a longer, wider variant of Fiat's C-EVO platform, which is used in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. As such, it's not surprising to see this early test mule use a Giulietta body that has obviously been both widened and lengthened to fit. As is always the case with engineering mules like this, expect the finished product to share no sheetmetal with the finished product.
We've seen similar bodies used on both Chrysler 100 and 2013 Jeep Liberty mules, but this particular tester does without the 100's Chrysler-like grille insert, and the Liberty mule's substantial ride height.
That change in ground clearance may indicate how Jeep plans on differentiating two models spawned from the same platform. Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly pledged that the new 2013 Liberty will be "a trail-rated, full-blooded Jeep." The Compass/Patriot replacement could then be more car-like, catering to shoppers more concerned with traveling to the mall than conquering Moab.
Both model lines could still share a number of powertrain options. Although we've heard rumors that the CUSW platform could support a downsized, 3.2-liter version of Chrysler's Pentastar V-6, expect these compact utilities to instead make use of a wide array of four-cylinder options, including the revised Tigershark 2.4-liter I-4, along with Fiat's turbocharged 1.4-liter Multiair I-4. A ZF-licensed nine-speed automatic has already been confirmed for the Liberty, and it's a safe bet it too will appear in the Compass/Patriot successor.
The two will not share either production timing or manufacturing facilities. The Liberty will be built in Toledo, Ohio, starting in the third quarter of 2013. The 2014 Compass/Patriot, however, won't enter full production until late 2014, and will be built alongside the Dodge Dart in Belvedere, Illinois.
