Without a doubt, one of the most important pieces to the continuing success globally of the Jeep® brand has to be the compact Jeep Compass. Recently, the iconic off-road brand announced that it would be unveiling a “new Jeep Compass” earlier this month. Instead, we got a look at the updated technology packages to the European-spec models that currently being produced at the Melfi Assembly Plant in Italy. It was quite a let down for all of us.
However, our spy photographers have caught a glimpse at the upcoming 2022 Jeep® Compass. While we have seen spy photos from China, India, and Latin America of the updated Compass roaming, this is the first time we are seeing it on American soil. Caught driving around Metro Detroit, the heavily camouflaged compact SUV hides numerous updates for the 2022 model year.
Our sources are telling us the 2022 Jeep Compass will be loaded will new safety technology and a completely updated interior. When it comes to safety, Compass already offers best-in-class features but we are sure that FCA has some tricks up its sleeves. We are pretty sure, that the 2022 model will adopt L2 autonomy capability that has been showing up in several FCA vehicle lines over the past model year.
As for the exterior of the Compass, don’t expect too much to change. We believe that a majority of the changes will be the addition of a new set of LED headlamps and tail lamps, similar to what the Cherokee and Renegade models got during their refreshes for the 2019 model year. It would only make sense to bring them to the more popular Compass model as well. Whether or not if the LED lighting will be standard across the lineup, is still a question.
Inside, the Compass will be getting a massive amount of upgrades in both technology and design. A redesigned interior will accommodate a new Uconnect infotainment system featuring the new Uconnect 5 software. While we aren’t sure that the screen size might be getting larger from the current 8.4-inch system, we do know that FCA is working on a new series of screen layouts with Panasonic.
We still expect that the North American-spec 2022 Jeep Compass will replace the old 2.4-liter with the Renegade’s 1.3-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine with engine stop-start (ESS) technology making 180 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. So horsepower should be around the same numbers as the old 2.4-liter, but the new powertrain will add 35 lb.-ft of torque more to the vehicle. This should buyers more acceleration power when entering the freeway and more confidence when passing other vehicles.
With the change of the motor, we would also likely see the electrified variants from Europe make their way stateside. What the Jeep brand has done to the Compass in Europe is making its new plug-in hybrid system standard on all four-wheel-drive (4×4) models across the lineup. While that might not happen here, we can expect that the 4xe models will be coming to North America, as the Jeep brand did show them off at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas back in January.
We expect the 2022 Jeep Compass to make its official debut, sometime next year.
