Jeep is getting a replacement for the aging Liberty this year, and Chrysler is trying to build upon the success of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee introduced a couple of years ago with a new version this year that gets a more fuel-efficient, eight-speed transmission and an optional dieselengine.
The Electric Defender test vehicles swap the 2.2-liter, four-cylinder dieselengine and six-speed manual gearbox of the regular Defender 110 for a 70-kilowatt electric motor that puts out the equivalent of 94 horsepower and 243 foot-pounds of torque.
This vehicle brings together MQB elements that could underpin a future generation of SUVs, such as the front and rear suspensions, the 190-horsepower TDI Clean Dieselengine from the new EA288 family, and a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.