REVIEW 2015 Jeep Renegade Sport 4X4
The Jeep Renegade is Jeep’s latest in a long line of revolutionary new or redesigned products since the FCA bankruptcy. It’s pivotal to the brand in the extremely competitive compact SUV space, where the Patriot and the Compass are really starting to show their age. But is the new Renegade up to snuff or just a lackluster waste of time for the Jeep brand? Read on to find out.
The first thing you need to know about the Renegade is that the VIN starts with the letter “Z.” That means it’s Italian. The Renegade is a global product for the brand, and will be sold virtually the same in every country its available. It’s kind of ironic that the global ambassador for the Jeep brand comes from Italy.
But it pays dividends in driving dynamics. The Jeep Renegade is one of the best handling and best driving compact SUVs I’ve ever driven. It shares the platform with the Fiat 500X, which is also another winner, and provides neutral handling with limited understeer.
It’s still a front-wheel drive biased 4-wheel drive system, and it’ll still understeer when really pushed, but the tires give up before the chassis does.
Powering the Sport model is a 1.4L MultiAir 4-banger that’s turbocharged to the tune of 160 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. That’s the same engine in the Fiat 500 Abarth, and although it doesn’t sound as good, it does provide ample grunt for this little bugger.
Joy of joys the Sport’s standard transmission is a standard transmission! A 6-speed manual transmission makes the car feel even more engaging. It’s not the best manual gearbox I’ve ever used; when accelerating hard it’s difficult to feel if 2nd and 4th gears are engaged properly, but it’s easy to use.
The 4-wheel drive system is a disconnecting front axle unit, similar to what’s found on the Cherokee, to improve fuel economy under normal driving. There’s a Snow, Mud, and Sand mode that permanently locks the four-wheel drive and adjusts the power steering, throttle input, and stability control systems to better handle the current situation. Additionally, you can lock the four-wheel drive without selecting any of the modes, or it’ll lock itself when needed under the Auto setting.
Our review unit was very basic, only having the Customer Preferred Package 21A. That means we had a $1,495 Power and Air Group, which you’ll need if you want air conditioning, cruise control, and power mirrors. We also had, as part of the package, the $1,095 MySky Fixed / Removable roof panels and $195 black roof rails.
The MySky allows the Renegade to play a role of mini-Wrangler and remove both the front and rear roof panels. Combined with rolling down the windows, you can experience a lot of the outdoors inside the Renegade. A hex key locks the release in place so passengers can’t play Fast and Furious while you’re driving. A unique option on such an inexpensive vehicle.
Our Jeep Renegade was quite inexpensive. The Sport 4×4 starts at just $19,995, and our sticker price was $23,775 including the destination charge. In this day-and-age, that’s a downright bargain. The fuel economy figures are 24 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway, or 27 MPG combined. Our week of spirited mixed driving netted us 26.6 MPG, but there were times I saw well over 30.
This particular Renegade is a great everyday vehicle, with lots of space and a 4-wheel drive system that could do some light off-roading without any issue. For those who want to take it a bit more seriously, the Trail Rated Renegade Trailhawk is always an excellent option and extremely capable.
No, it’s not a Wrangler, but if the quality and enjoyment of this little Renegade is any indication, the next Jeep Wrangler is going to be something pretty special.
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