Several Compact Crossovers Fail IIHS' Small Overlap Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's newest test — frontal small overlap — is pretty tough to ace. The agency recently performed the test, meant to simulate a crash of a vehicle's front corner into another vehicle, a tree or a pole, on 13 compact SUVs; 11 scored Marginal or Poor.

The new-for-2014 Subaru Forester came out ahead of the pack, earning a Good score and the agency's highest overall safety rating, Top Safety Pick+. Behind it is the slow-selling 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport; it pulled an Acceptable score. The test group included 2014, 2013 and 2012 models.

Recall Alert: Approximately 215,000 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Vehicles

The Chrysler Group issued six separate recalls affecting around 215,000 vehicles in the U.S. According to the automaker, the following vehicles are affected:

• 61,400 model-year 2007-08 Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty SUVs. Chrysler has stated that it's recalling two-wheel-drive versions of these vehicles in order to brace a heat shield that can loosen and contact the driveshaft, causing wear and possible breakage over time. "Chrysler Group is unaware of any collisions or injuries associated with the condition," the automaker said in a statement.

Amid Rise of Crossovers, Jeep Wants Class-Leading Capability

In January, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne outlined dozens of forthcoming models for the automaker's smorgasbord of brands — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, SRT, Fiat and soon-to-come Alfa Romeo. The Jeep brand got quite the overhaul: an updated Compass and Grand Cherokee, which we've seen, plus a Liberty replacement this year and five more additions or redesigns and a refresh through 2016.

If Mike Manley gets his way, none of them will be a shopping-mall crossover.

"We're very clear on what makes a vehicle a Jeep, and one of the things that we've said is we'll always offer segment-leading [off-road] capability," the 48-year-old Jeep division CEO said. "I wouldn't want to create crossover vehicles."

Manley spoke with us at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, which runs through Feb. 18. Besides heading up Jeep, he's also the chief operating officer for Chrysler's Asia-Pacific region.

New Jeeps on Horizon, but Old Names May Resurface

The Chrysler-Fiat product collaboration will continue in the next couple of years as both companies develop new offerings based on common architectures — the next brand to get the attention of company planners is Jeep.

Coming to the New York Auto Show in March will be the replacement for the current truck-based Jeep Liberty, and the big question is whether or not Jeep will keep the Liberty name or revert back to an old favorite: Cherokee. "There are clearly only two options for the name of this vehicle: It's either going to be Cherokee or it's going to be Liberty," Jeep brand CEO Mike Manley recently told industry publication Wards Auto. "We are going to make that decision in the very near future. Both of them are historical names, Cherokee more so than Liberty."

Going with the Cherokee name over Liberty would seem a logical choice, given the massive popularity that the old Cherokee still enjoys among loyal Jeep fans and the more favorable brand equity it has over the Liberty name. Cherokee is also the name that the Liberty has used in overseas markets, so it would require no changes abroad. However, the name conjures a very specific image for Jeep fans: a boxy trucklike SUV. Spy shots of the new vehicle, however, suggest a much more modern and carlike profile.

The new midsize SUV is expected to ride atop a larger version of the compact U.S. wide Fiat platform that currently brings us the Dodge Dart. It will also spawn replacements for Chrysler's midsize cars, but that's not all that's coming from Jeep in the next two years.

2013 Detroit Auto Show: What To Expect

As what is widely regarded as the most important U.S. auto show of the year opens next week in Detroit, an automotive icon returns to the claim the spotlight.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is poised to be the star among the more than 50 production and concept vehicles slated to debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The show runs Jan. 19-27 — with press, industry and charity preview events on Monday-Jan. 18 — at downtown Detroit's Cobo Center. Last year's NAIAS attracted nearly 771,000 people, according to organizers.

Sunday night's press debut of the seventh-generation Corvette is hotly anticipated, and for nearly the past three months Chevy has done much to fan the flames, teasing us with tidbits of information and blink-and-you-missed-it video images. The automaker has disclosed that the new 'Vette will have a new 6.2-liter V-8 engine that's good for 450 horsepower and a zero-to-60-mph time of less than four seconds — all while improving on its 2013 predecessor's 26 mpg; Chevy also has said the 2014 model's aerodynamics were designed with Corvette's years of racing in the American Le Mans Series in mind.

Check back for full coverage of the 2013 Detroit auto show. Until then, here are the vehicles we know about now:

Chrysler Gives Dealers Sneak Peek of 66 Future Cars

Chrysler unveiled 66 cars in its product pipeline at a private dealer meeting Monday in Las Vegas, Reuters reports. One dealer said it "was like a lovefest" as representatives from some 2,600 global dealerships — the vast majority based in the U.S. — beheld a two-tiered stage of future products at the MGM Grand hotel.

Among the cars that dealers shared with Reuters:

• A redesigned Chrysler 200 that departs from the current Sebring-derived 200. Dealers said it looks a lot like the 2013 Dodge Dart.
• A subcompact Chrysler 100.
• A subcompact Jeep crossover, plus redesigns of the Compass, Patriot and Liberty that follow styling cues of the current Grand Cherokee.
• Two Alfa Romeo cars that Chrysler will sell in Fiat showrooms.

Chrysler officials wouldn't comment to Reuters on the story, but during the last closed-door dealer meeting about future products — in Florida in 2010 — the automaker unveiled the current 200 and Town & Country, along with the Jeep Patriot and Fiat 500. The reporting on that meeting turned out pretty accurate, so we're inclined to think these products are legit. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

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Recall Alert: 2012 Jeep Compass and Patriot

Chrysler is recalling 1,689 model-year 2012 versions of the Jeep Compass and Patriot compact crossovers due to problems with their fuel tanks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from Dec. 17, 2011, through Jan. 2, 2012, and have a fuel tank with a faulty rollover valve. In the event of a rollover or other crash, fuel could leak, increasing the risk of a fire. You can find your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.

Chrysler will notify owners starting in June, and dealers will replace the fuel tank free of charge. Owners can call Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Jeep Adds Limited-Edition 'Altitude' Models to Lineup

The blacked-out, menacing-looking Jeep Grand Cherokee that debuted at the Houston Auto Show earlier this year now has a name, as well as a few new siblings. Jeep launched the “Name My Ride” contest to christen the production-intent model and picked “Altitude” from more than 100,000 entries.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude -- with its black-gloss 20-inch aluminum wheels, platinum-chrome front-end trim and mesh grille, black headlamp bezels and black liftgate light bar -- will be joined in showrooms by Altitude versions of Jeep’s Compass and Patriot.

2012 Jeep Patriot: Car Seat Check

The rugged 2012 Jeep Patriot is a compact SUV that seats five. One of the Patriot's trims has Jeep's Trail-Rated designation in case parents want to take the road less traveled while driving the kids to baseball practice. This means it meets certain off-road standards for traction, water fording, ground clearance and more. Patriot competitors include the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Dodge Dart Shines Light on Future Chrysler-Fiat Vehicles

The 2013 Dodge Dart is the first compact sedan from Chrysler in nearly seven years. That in itself is a milestone, but the car also looks competitive against the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze.

Chrysler's compact car plans are thanks to its new partner, Fiat. In the Dart we get the first real-world example of what to expect from upcoming replacement vehicles for the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler 200 and others in the future.

Chrysler has stated that the Dart's underpinnings are based off a new basic platform originally used to design and produce the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in Europe. Chrysler says the Dart platform — called Compact U.S. Wide — will also underpin most of its upcoming midsize and large sedans, crossovers, SUVs and minivans. The exceptions are the Jeep Wrangler, which will remain body-on-frame, Ram's trucks and the 2013 SRT Viper.