FCA is constantly working on the lineup expanding and when it comes to Jeep, there is a lot of interesting things that are about to happen in the near future. Of course, the electrification is one of the things that come to mind, as well as the comeback of the legendary Wagoneers, which will be the biggest vehicle in the company’s lineup. Another brand-new model that is coming is the 2022 Mini Jeep. It has been confirmed by Jeep European Head of Brand Marketing Marco Pigozzi, who said that something interesting is cooking in FCA’s kitchen for the European market.
It’s not hard to make a conclusion that this model will be designed primarily for the European market. We also know that this will be the smallest vehicle in the company’s lineup, notably smaller than Renegade. Therefore, we presume that the focus will be on building a small and efficient city crossover. However, Pigozzi also promises excellent off-road performances.
The new Mini Jeep 2022 should arrive sometime in the next year.
2022 Mini Jeep Design
Of course, the first thing that comes to our mind is what will the 2022 Mini Jeep look like? At this point, we know only basic things about the new model and the most prominent characteristics will be its small size. This will be the smallest vehicle in the company in the lineup, probably for about feet shorter compared to Renegade and two-door Wrangler. However, this also means it will be a foot longer compared to Suzuki Jimny, which is expected to the biggest competitor on the market. Although it doesn’t feature such an SUV-ish shape, Nissan Juke is also one of the potential rivals, although it’s as big as the Renegade.
When it comes to styling, we still don’t know the details. However, AutoExpress has published some rendering photos that obviously show in which direction the new model will go. If you look at these photos, the Mini Jeep 2022 looks like a mix of Renegade and Wrangler. When it comes to the overall shape, it is pretty similar to the four-door Wrangler, just in a significantly smaller size. On the other side, if you look at the front and rear ends, you can notice a lot of Renegade’s influence. The grille and headlights are pretty much identical, as well as taillights.
Still, keep in mind that these are just rendering photos and that the production model will probably come notably different. When it comes to interior design, we can only speculate at this point. One of the things that come to mind is that the new 2022 Mini Jeep would probably bring a lot of lifestyle flavor. A lot of inspiration will come from Wrangler as well.
What About the Platform?
Considering that the new model will be designed primarily for the European market, we might see some pretty interesting things in terms of the platform. As you probably know, FCA has recently started to cooperate with PSA. This means that there is a big chance that this crossover will be co-developed by two companies. One of the possibilities is to see 2022 Mini Jeep Design riding on PSA’s platform, known as the Common Modular Platform, which underprints a variety of small models, including Peugeot 208, Vauxhall Corsa etc.
2022 Mini Jeep Powertrain
Of course, this is another important aspect of the new 2022 Mini Jeep. According to most reports, the new mini SUV will definitely be available in an electrified version. Most likely, that will be the same system that powers the new Renegade plug-in hybrid version. This would mean a combination of a 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and an electric motor on the rear axle. We expect that the max output will also go around 190 horsepower, while a max all-electric range could be a little bit longer compared to current 31 miles. Of course, this means ‘e’ all-wheel-drive as a standard feature, which may be highly beneficial in terms of off-road performances, which should be on a decent level as well.
Besides the 2022 Mini Jeep PHEV, we presume that the new model would be available in a pure gasoline version, so we could see something from PSA under the hood as well.
2022 Mini Jeep Release Date
It’s still early to talk about the more precise launch date. Still, as the new 2022 Mini Jeep is almost a certain thing, it’s not hard to make a conclusion that the new model will hit the market sometime in the next year. The second half seems more likely, but we won’t make any estimations at the moment.
As we’ve just mentioned, some of the biggest rivals will be models like Suzuki Jimny and Nissan Juke. Still, there are many more small crossovers on the European market. Some of the names that come to mind are Peugeot 2008, DS 3 Crossback, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona etc.
