A lot of people (including us) were disappointed when Jeep® unveiled its updated 2022 Compass for the North American market, last summer. It wasn’t over its refined exterior looks or handsome new interior but over the decision to leave the sluggish 2.4-liter “Tigershark” inline-four-cylinder engine under the hood. However, it appears that that might change going into 2023.
In an interview with Autoblog, Senior Vice President and Head of Jeep North America, Jim Morrison revealed that the Compass will be getting “some powertrain upgrades later this year”. While he didn’t give any further details about what engines would be making the cut for the North American market, we have a pretty good idea of what will.
In both Europe and the Latin American markets, the Compass has received the turbocharged 1.3-liter “Firefly” (GSE-T4) inline-four-cylinder engine. Already the standard powerplant in the 2022 Jeep Renegade, the GSE-T4 delivers 177 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. While the horsepower is about the same as the 2.4-liter, the turbocharged 1.3-liter delivers 35 lb.-ft. of torque more to the Compass. This should please those current owners who have complained about acceleration power when entering the freeway and more confidence when passing other vehicles.
We also believe that the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Compass 4xe will arrive in North America, by the end of the year. Just this past month, Jeep announced that it would sell its electrified Compass 4xe outside the European region by announcing its pre-sale in Brazil. With the continuing growth of PHEVs in the United States over the past two years, so, it would make sense that Jeep would bring the Compass 4xe stateside.
The Compass 4xe powertrain integrates two electric motors and an 11.4 kWh battery pack, with a fuel-efficient 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. This architecture provides two cars in one – a battery-electric vehicle featuring an electric motor and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack on the rear axle and a conventional vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE) fitted on the front axle.
Two electric motors, one of which is located on the front axle and coupled to the ICE that, in addition to working in synergy with the engine, can act as a high-voltage generator, as is necessary. The second motor is located on the rear axle and features reduction gear and integrated differential (also known as the “e-axle”). It delivers 60 horsepower and 250 Nm (or about 184 ft.-lb) of torque, generating traction and recovering energy while braking.
The Alfa Romeo brand has already announced that their all-new Tonale, will be arriving in the North American market in 2023 with its version of the 4xe powertrain. The Tonale PHEV will have a greater electric range than the Compass 4xe, thanks to a 15.5-kWh battery pack (4.1-kWh larger than the Jeep Compass).
We expect to hear something closer to fall, officially from Jeep.
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