Sure, it’s no Wrangler Rubicon, but this little thing will be a pretty good performer compared with its bigger brothers.

The Renegade hasn’t even been released yet in European countries, yet somehow the Italians got their hands on it and have already taken it off-road. I suspect insider wheeling and dealing. I’m looking at you Marchionne!

During a recent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles event, I candidly approached Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, and asked him if he could run down ten things that make the Renegade unique.

It’s quickly becoming apparent that good ol’ America won’t be the only country staking claim to manufacturing Jeeps. Fiat Chrysler has already said the new subcompact Renegade will be built in Melfi, Italy, making it the first place outside the U.S. to build the iconic Jeep nameplate. Now it appears a deal that will allow China to build Jeeps is almost done as well.

OK, it’s finally here – the all-new Jeep Renegade that the brand hopes will give it a unique offering in the small SUV market. Debuting at the 2014 New York International Auto Show, the new Jeep is targeted at what the company describes as “youthful and adventurous customers.” In short, if you’re one of those longtime Jeep enthusiasts who has been making the trek to Moab for the past ten years for Jeep’s Easter Safari, then the Renegade probably isn’t for you.

Even though early reports have said the 2015 Jeep Renegade will be based on the Fiat 500L, these leaked Renegade photos suggest more of a kinship to the Fiat Panda 4×4 pictured below. Don’t get too upset about the Renegade’s possible Panda-based architecture. Jalopnik has called the Fiat Panda 4×4 the “best modern small car“; […] More »