2007 Jeep Other on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Jeep Compass/Patriot sing their swan songs with a six-speed automatic

Unless the governor, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, gives them a reprieve, the 2014 Jeep Compass and Patriot are expected to meet their makers sometime next year. Should they perish, it's a shame that it would happen just as they've shed the continuously variable transmission that was their major bugbear, and just as the Compass has gotten its best looks yet.
Both will roll with a proper six-speed automatic transmission, courtesy of PowerTech. Noise-resistant gears and tuning by Chrysler boffins should alleviate the unappealing sounds that were given off by the older CVT. Unless, that is, you choose to have either model equipped with Freedom Drive II; the serious off-road package, available on both baby Jeeps, will still come with the CVT. The base transmission on the entry-level Sport trim remains the five-speed manual.
Otherwise, it's minor changes for the Compass, set off by the new 18-inch wheel option, trim pieces around the car and a back-up camera. The Patriot gets seat-mounted airbags, but is carryover otherwise. With their expected demises perhaps a year away, not much has changed otherwise. Engine choices comprise the 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 141 pound-feet of torque or the 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 172 hp and 165 lb-ft.

Fires, deaths continue after Jeep fuel tank recall

As Kayla White slowed her SUV behind two other cars to exit a suburban Detroit freeway on Veterans Day, it was rammed from behind by a Cadillac STS. Her red 2003 Jeep Liberty bounced off a Nissan in front of it, rolled onto its side and exploded in flames. Other drivers ran to help but were forced back by the heat. Firefighters arrived in just three minutes but were too late. White, a 23-year-old restaurant hostess who was eight months pregnant, died of burns and smoke inhalation. White is one of more than 70 people killed in fires involving older Jeeps with plastic fuel tanks mounted behind the rear axle. Fiat Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, recalled 1.56 million of them in June 2013 under pressure from US safety regulators. But only 12 percent of the SUVs have been repaired in the 18 months since the recall, a much slower pace than usual. And White's Jeep was not among those fixed. Last week, prosecutors charged the Cadillac driver with committing a moving violation that caused a death. But safety advocates and the lawyer for White's family say the blame belongs as much, if not more, on Chrysler and an auto-industry safety system that moves too slowly to prevent tragedy. The rear-mounted tanks have little structure to protect them if struck from behind, making them susceptible to punctures and fires. Moving the gas tank in front of the axle would be expensive and difficult. So Chrysler's remedy involved installing trailer hitches on the rear of the Jeeps as an extra layer of protection. Government testing showed the hitches protected the tanks in crashes up to 40 mph when stationary Jeeps were hit from behind. But at higher speeds, they wouldn't help. White tried to get the repair done a few weeks before her death but was told by a Jeep dealer that parts weren't available, according to Gerald Thurswell, her family's lawyer. He wouldn't identify the dealership, and his contention could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. Thurswell contends the gas tank ruptured, spilling fuel that touched off the fire. A Chrysler spokesman expressed sympathy to White's family but said the company had no written proof that she asked a dealer about the recall. Two crash reconstruction experts interviewed by the AP say gas wouldn't have spilled from White's Jeep if the tank had been mounted in front of the rear axle. Both say a hitch might have prevented the tank from being damaged, but because both vehicles were in motion, neither expert could say for sure.

Researchers who busted VW cheating say FCA's diesels dirty, too

The Wall Street Journal today reported on an upcoming report from West Virginia University's Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and Emissions, which is the same lab that investigated Volkswagen emissions cheating. The report, which will be released in a matter of weeks, alleges that 2014 and 2015 model year Jeep and Ram vehicles with diesel engines emit excess pollution. But it does not specify whether the company used defeat devices. Since the report discusses Jeep Grand Cherokees, and that engine is also available in the Ram 1500, it's safe to assume that one of the implicated engines is the EcoDiesel V6, a unit actually produced by VM Motori. It's unclear whether the report covers any of the Cummins engines used in heavier-duty Ram pickups. This report comes on the heels of a federal investigation into FCA's diesel vehicles. That investigation focused on the EcoDiesel engine used in 2014-2016 vehicles. The feds were seeking a fine of up to $4.6 billion. The EPA and the State of California also previously accused FCA of using a defeat device on the same vehicles back in January. FCA, for its part, alleges that the WVU study might have been commissioned by people interested in suing the company, and disputes the testing methodology, according to the WSJ. We've reached out to WVU to confirm which engines are implicated in its study and will update this post when we have more to share. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: The Wall Street JournalImage Credit: REUTERS/Gary Cameron Government/Legal Green Jeep RAM Diesel Vehicles ecodiesel