Diesel Jeep Compass in the Works for European & Asian Markets
Motor1 reports that the proposed diesel will come from Mercedes-Benz, with a much needed boost in torque.
Between 1998 and 2007, our beloved Jeep was part of the alleged “merger of equals” known as Daimler-Chrysler. One of the few good things to come of the union was that Jeep was made a standalone brand, a path maintained by FCA for all of its brands to this day.
That’s not to say, of course, that Daimler-Benz doesn’t still have some ties to its former company (just ask Dodge). Motor1 reports the Compass, which came out on the final year of the union, could receive some much needed power from the Germans for the European and Asian markets.
Over here, the Compass has the 2.4-liter MultiAir four-pot, good for 180 horses and 175 lb-ft of torque. However, an anonymous source for Motor1 says 14 copies are tooling around Detroit with a Mercedes diesel under the hood, which the publication believes to be the OM654 2.0-liter turbo diesel, an engine first introduced with the Mercedes-Benz E220d in 2016. That mill makes 192 horses and 295 lb-ft of trailer-pulling torque.
The Mercedes diesel would go a long way to helping the Compass compete with other diesel crossovers, especially when it comes to towing; the crossover has a 1,000-pound towing capacity, while the Mazda CX-5 diesel can pull 1,000 pounds more.
While Motor1 believes the Compass will remain dieseless in America, it’s possible it could receive a different diesel in the U.S. market if FCA wanted to drop one in. The new Gladiator will have a 3.0-liter turbo diesel in its future, one that could go inside the crossover if the company believes there’s a case for it. Only time will tell.
Photos: Motor1
Join the JK-Forums now!
