It was long ago decided that nothing is sacred anymore. Porsche's got an SUV, Ferrari's got a wagon and now Jeep will get a tiny un-Jeep-like car with a 7-slat grille. What about the Patriot and Compass you say? Well, they lowered the “bar” in a way and have paved the way for what is internally known as the “SS.”
The SS will be aimed squarely at the MINI Countryman which is currently doing extremely well for BMW's brand.
As expected, Fiat will be supplying all the important bits to make this vehicle a reality; the Europeans do small well. The SS project will be spawned in Detroit and, as far as we can guess, the Italian-American mix is the reason why there are two existing alternatives to the future mini-Jeep's shape and vocation.
On one hand, the SS could be a shrunken Wrangler showing a clearer path to Jeep's long-standing pedigree. On the other, a smoother, car-like shape is being considered with the Countryman square in its crosshairs. Either way, the SS will get AWD as an option (FWD standard), but will likely not sport the “Trail Rated” badges on its flanks.
Given that the platform will be borrowed from an existing Fiat product, power will be sourced from the Italian-maker's portfolio. We already have the 101hp 1.4L MultiAir in the 500, so we could expect it to be a base engine. More likely than not, a forced-induction version of the 1.4L, or perhaps the larger 1.9L MultiAir, may find its way under the SS' bonnet as the more powerful option.
If you have to have a small Jeep and the Compass or Patriot don't do it for you, know that you'll have to wait until the second half of 2013 before you can get one.
Source : Car & Driver
The SS will be aimed squarely at the MINI Countryman which is currently doing extremely well for BMW's brand.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
As expected, Fiat will be supplying all the important bits to make this vehicle a reality; the Europeans do small well. The SS project will be spawned in Detroit and, as far as we can guess, the Italian-American mix is the reason why there are two existing alternatives to the future mini-Jeep's shape and vocation.
On one hand, the SS could be a shrunken Wrangler showing a clearer path to Jeep's long-standing pedigree. On the other, a smoother, car-like shape is being considered with the Countryman square in its crosshairs. Either way, the SS will get AWD as an option (FWD standard), but will likely not sport the “Trail Rated” badges on its flanks.
Given that the platform will be borrowed from an existing Fiat product, power will be sourced from the Italian-maker's portfolio. We already have the 101hp 1.4L MultiAir in the 500, so we could expect it to be a base engine. More likely than not, a forced-induction version of the 1.4L, or perhaps the larger 1.9L MultiAir, may find its way under the SS' bonnet as the more powerful option.
If you have to have a small Jeep and the Compass or Patriot don't do it for you, know that you'll have to wait until the second half of 2013 before you can get one.
Source : Car & Driver