Jeep Renegade Strong No Matter Where You Drive It
Let’s get this out of the way upfront. The 2015 Jeep Renegade is no pretender-to-the-throne. It can honestly wear the name Jeep and not be met with derision save by the most hardcore off-roading fan who might question any vehicle made in Italy that is designed to conquer Moab.
That’s why Jeep has brought journalists to the same off-road course used to introduce the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2010. At the time, I called it the American Range Rover. This Renegade is no Rover but it is a comfortable off-roader.
Something else to get out of the way. The 2015 Jeep Renegade and the 2015 Fiat 500X share the same platform. As one executive put it, that makes them fraternal twins of sorts, but they are two divergent, independent vehicles.
They’re twins born of different design mothers, so to speak. The Jeep Renegade, executives said, was 100 percent designed in Auburn Hills, the Michigan headquarters for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in the United States.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s focus on what the Jeep Renegade is: a true off-road vehicle that can be docile on the road. Let’s call it a refined Jeep Wrangler, because that is the vehicle is most resembles in the company’s lineup.
Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, said the goal was to get as much Wrangler character and influence into the small Renegade package. (It’s a B-class SUV, which makes it the smallest Jeep in the lineup.) It has the vertical front end and what’s called a “slow’’ windshield, as in, it’s not aerodynamically sloped. Like the Wrangler, it has a flat roof and bigger windows that form a lower belt line.
Mike Manley, Jeep CEO and president, made a good observation when he said SUVs used to have to compromise for fuel economy and cabin space. He added they can now provide capability and comfort on the road, too. No fuel economy figures have been released yet for either the 2.4-liter, MultiAir2, Tigershark engine or, my personal preference, the 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir I-4. (What can I say? I’m a sucker for small turbos.)
Jeep has hinted that the 2.4-liter, which is mated to a 9-speed automatic, will get 30 mpg on the highway. That makes sense because the bigger Jeep Cherokee is rated at 27 mpg.
Enough talk about highways. How does this do off-road? Jeep created a special Trailhawk package for the Renegade. The final drive ratio has a 20 to 1 crawl ratio. It is lifted an inch and there are skid plates on the bottom. It also includes a necessary full-size spare because a run-flat tire just won’t do in the wild.
It also has a 31-degree approach angle, 26-degree breakover angle, and 34-degree departure. (Normal is 21-degree approach.) Trailhawk also gets rock mode. In addition, it has an aggressive brake lock differential, and the non-traction tire spins at the same rate as the tire with traction.
All that mumbo jumbo points to a successful off-road vehicle. Driving it around the Hollister Off-Road Vehicle area in California (something every state should have), I notice little difference from the much larger Grand Cherokee. There was one section where the little Renegade struggled that I feel the Grand Cherokee could have conquered easily.
The 2015 Jeep Renegade comes in four trim levels. The Sport starts at $17,995. Consider this the stripper you’ll see on rental car lots. The Latitude is $21,195 and will probably be the volume seller. The Limited comes pretty loaded at $24,795 and the Trailhawk starts at $25,995. The Trailhawk is only available in four-wheel-drive. On all other trim levels, four-wheel-drive is a $2,000 option.
OK, so is everything perfect about the Jeep Renegade? One flaw is the use of an electronic parking brake. Not having a hand break seems to diminish the off-road capabilities.
Also, the MySky panels are great in theory but not necessarily in practice. They are lightweight panels that can be removed to open up the Renegade’s roof. I found them easy to detach and install for a nice convertible experience for around town and rock climbing. Once off, though, the ride becomes extremely noisy over 35 mph—all for the lack of a standard wind deflector.
You can buy one as an option, but, apparently, Jeep feels it mars the sightlines of the flat roof to have it installed from the factory. You’ll never drive twice on the highway with the panels off—and like it. It’s a miscue that harms what is basically a fun idea.
Ultimately, the thing I like most about the Jeep Renegade is its strong combination of on-road comfort and off-road capability. Probably 98 percent of its owners will never test it on anything more trying than a gravel road. But it’s nice you don’t pay a comfort penalty the rest of the time.
2015 Jeep Renegade
THE BASICS
Price, base (with destination): $18,990. Fuel economy: Not officially announced; Jeep says it will get 30mpg highway. Drivetrain: 1.4-liter turbo engine with 6-speed manual transmission. Body:4-door subcompact crossover.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 160 @ 5,500 rpm.Torque: 184 @ 2,500-4,000 rpm. Overall length: 166.6 in. Wheelbase: 101.2 in. Height: 66.5 in. Width: 74.2 in. Curb weight: 3,044 lbs.
THE GOOD
The 2015 Jeep Renegade successfully marries off-road grunt with on-road civility. It’s a really compelling sub-compact crossover for New England.
THE BAD
An electric parking brake seems like a misfire in an off-road vehicle. Plus MySky is noisy above 30 mph. You may not like open-air driving in the Renegade.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Good, capable, off-road products can come in small packages (and even look like a mini-Wrangler, too.)
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