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via Automobile
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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California -- We’re not saying that this dirt trail up a ravine in the Santa Monica Mountains is steep, but all we can see right now over the hood of the 2015 Jeep Renegade is blue sky and the hands of the trail spotter beckoning us onward.
This is not what we were expecting from the 2015 Jeep Renegade, which looks like a cute ute designed only for a big shopping adventure to Target. And as we creep the Renegade forward into we know not what, we’re reminded yet again that a Jeep is what it does, not what it looks like.
Apparently Melfi, Italy, is very like Toledo, Ohio
Of course, let’s not kid ourselves here. The 2015 Jeep Renegade is not a Jeep CJ nor even a Jeep Wrangler. Instead it is a personal-size sport-utility designed for quick family errands around town, not brush-busting high adventure. Small, affordably priced sport-utes like the Renegade are coming into fashion now, and no less than a dozen different brands will have them on the road in America within the next three years.
And the key attribute here is an affordable price. Everyone wants a utility vehicle, whether you live in Arizona, Vermont or, you know, Italy. The utility vehicle is now the definitive car, not the sedan. And a small ute like the Renegade with a price close to $20,000 is the best way to get an SUV into the hands of someone who would otherwise choose a Toyota Corolla.
The 2015 Jeep Renegade is indeed a small vehicle, measuring 166.6 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of just 101.2 inches. The cabin measures out to 99.9 cubic feet for the passengers, 18.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the second-row seat and 50.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity when the second-row seat is folded flat.
The Renegade is built on Fiat-based architecture and components, and this ute is even assembled in a massive Fiat plant in Melfi, Italy. But just as you’d expect from a company whose spiritual home is Toledo, Ohio, the Renegade comes in four different models in seven different trim levels, and there are two different engines and four different drive choices (all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive). It comes in 10 different colors. And there are tow hooks.
Say hello to Mulholland Highway
As we’re flying down Mulholland Highway in the chaparral-covered mountains above Malibu, it comes to us that maybe the Italian heritage of the new Renegade isn’t such a bad thing. We’re driving the top-of-the-line Renegade Limited with the 184-hp 2.4-liter Tigershark engine, the nine-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive. And we’re speeding down the winding road as if the Renegade wants to be an Italian sports sedan.
It helps that this engine spreads its 177 lb-ft of torque across a broad rpm range, and the automatic transmission swaps gear ratios not only quickly but also smoothly. But mostly we’re impressed by the poise shown by the compact chassis, as the special dampers of the long-travel, strut-type all-independent suspension help deliver a supple, controlled ride even on these dual-purpose mud-and-snow-rated tires. The Renegade feels alert, and the electric-assist steering is fine for a ute, where you want a higher degree of isolation from road rumble anyway.
Yes, we’re feeling pretty Italian here, only in a good way. You might argue that the Renegade looks a little Italian as well, but the cuteness of the exterior styling doesn’t irritate us at all in this Limited’s shade of high-fashion green. More important, the self-conscious Jeep cues of the interior trim (“EST 1941” has even been embossed in a few places) makes the Renegade more than a simple box, while the control layout, seating ergonomics, and fine choices in materials (plastic or not) represent the best of Italian design. There’s even an optional panoramic sunroof that lets you not only tilt/slide open a panel but also remove both panes altogether to really let the light shine in.
Get your Jeep on, guy
Of course, there’s only so much cuteness one can stand, so we leave behind the sunroof, the 6.5-inch touchscreen for the electronic interface, and the comprehensive Uconnect audio system of the Renegade Limited and instead try on a Renegade Trailhawk. We admire the way that upright seating always seems to accentuate spaciousness. We admire the practical 18.5 cu-ft of cargo area behind the second seat and the clever adjustable-height cargo floor. All this helps remind us that Jeep people carry mountain bikes, backpacks, and ski gear, not just boxes of electronic stuff from Best Buy.
The Renegade Latitude and the Renegade Sport come standard with the 160-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter Multiair Turbo, but this engine comes only with a pretty nice six-speed manual transmission. Probably you will prefer the nine-speed automatic, and this comes only with the 184-hp 2.4-liter engine. More importantly, you can have the Renegade in front-wheel drive as a Limited, Latitude, or Sport. You can also have the Limited, Latitude, Sport, or Trailhawk with full-time, all-weather Active Drive, an all-wheel-drive system that disconnects the rear wheels for better fuel efficiency when you’re just cruising around on the highway. And when you get Active Drive, you get a four-mode control that allows you to calibrate the AWD system for automatic, mud, sand, or snow, and ABS-controlled hill-descent control is part of the package.
Naturally you’re interested in really getting your Jeep on, aren’t you? So you vector right to the 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk 4X4, and there you are on your hands and knees while you peer underneath to see if there’s a chassis skid plate. There is. Perhaps even better, the Trailhawk has a different front and rear fascia to improve approach and departure angles in off-road situations. Plus the Trailhawk 4x4 comes with five-mode control for its Active Drive system to calibrate for automatic, mud, sand, snow, or rock. The Trailhawk 4x4 even comes with a super-low 20:1 drive ratio to make it possible to creep across obstacles at ultra-slow speed.
We were as skeptical as anyone about the wisdom of pointing this lightweight sport-utility up a narrow dirt ravine, but there we were nevertheless. And the Renegade Trailhawk 4x4 made us look like a pro. We wouldn’t bash it across boulders, but a trail-spotter can lead you almost anywhere else simply because the Trailhawk is so short, while 8.1 inches of wheel articulation, 8.7 inches of ground clearance and 19 inches of fording capability take care of the rest. The 2.4-liter engine proves very controllable when matched with the automatic, and the hill-descent control is surprisingly effective. The Renegade is not a CJ, but it can go places. It’s a Jeep.
Shopping every day, adventure on the weekend
Almost no one you know will ever get mud on the 2015 Jeep Renegade. In fact, we always object when sport-utilities are shown in adventure situations because real people in the real world do not use SUVs in this way. So the people you meet at the wheel of the Renegade will be more interested in its price, its fuel economy, its excellent range of active safety features, and the amount of stuff that can be carried when the second-row seat is flipped down. They will probably complain that the Renegade’s short wheelbase and minimal overhangs lead it to hop a little bit across the seams between the concrete slabs on the freeway.
If we were grownups, we’d all ask for no more than that. But because we love the whole idea of the Jeep thing -- EST 1941! -- we love that the Renegade comes with tow hooks. Maybe you’ll never have to winch your Renegade into a parking spot at Target, but the tow hooks are a signature of the whole peculiar Jeep enthusiasm.
Jim Morrison, director of the Jeep brand, admitted to us that he took home a Renegade prototype and then went to an off-road park on a rainy weekend with his teenage son. They bashed around for an afternoon, Morrison in the Renegade and his son in a Wrangler. He tells us, “I didn’t take the Renegade to the car wash afterwards, because when I parked it in the executive lot on Monday morning, I wanted everybody to see that the tow hook was thick with mud.”
A Jeep is what it does, not what it looks like. The Renegade might look a little cute to some, but the bodywork is there pretty much only to keep off the rain. As we recall, the original 1941 Jeep looked as if someone had cut up some steel from a Quonset hut and bashed it into place around the chassis with a hammer. If you’re all crazy about what the visual essence of a Jeep should be, maybe you should just be driving a plain old car instead.
via Motor Trend
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At first glance, there's no vehicle in the Jeep lineup more fitting of the Renegade name than the 2015 Jeep Renegade. A Renegade is defined by my Google machine as "a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles." As the first Jeep to be built outside of North America (in an Axis country, at that!) the Italian Renegade may appear to be traitorous to some of the brand's diehard fan base, but as a first drive of the new baby Jeep proves, the Renegade's still got all the hardware needed to appeal to both the Jeep faithful and those just looking for a rugged little ride.
The Renegade may be built from the ground up in Melfi, Italy, on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' new small-wide 4x4 architecture, but it still oozes Jeep DNA. About the same wheelbase, height, length, and width as the legendary XJ Cherokee, the new Renegade ticks all the boxes Jeep buyers look for. With its design inspired by the current Wrangler, the original Willys MB, and military jerry cans, the Renegade sports a refreshingly familiar boxy shape complete with Jeep design cues that are both obvious -- like its seven-slot grille and searchlight-sized headlights -- and subtle, like its drooping door line and X-shaped taillamps.
Though the Renegade will share its platform and assembly line with the Fiat 500X, Jeep engineers are keen to point out that they're the ones who did all the heavy lifting on the Renegade here in the U.S. With Jeep's legendary off-road abilities in mind, Jeep engineers spent as much time developing the Renegade on the trails in Moab, Utah, as it did on suburban roads outside its Chelsea Proving Grounds. With the competing demands of both hardcore off-roading and urban commuting in mind, the Renegade's unibody platform is made up of more high-strength steel than any other Jeep in the lineup. According to Jeep, this not only reduces chassis flex on the trail but also makes the Renegade a better drive out on the roads.
Powering the new baby Jeep is a range of familiar engines. Standard is FCA's 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo I-4, which makes the same 160 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque in the Renegade as it does in the Dodge Dart. Unlike its corporate sibling, the Renegade's MultiAir engine comes in both front- and all-wheel drive, and, much to our delight, with a six-speed manual the only available transmission. Available across the board and standard on higher-trim Renegade Limited and Trailhawk models is the Jeep Cherokee's 2.4-liter Tigershark I-4, good for 180 hp and 175 lb-ft of twist, mated to Chrysler's new nine-speed automatic. Two all-wheel-drive systems are available on the Renegade: Jeep Active Drive, which routes power to the rear wheels via a quick-connecting power transfer unit, and the Renegade Trailhawk's Jeep Active Drive Low, which uses a unique final drive ratio that allows first gear to double as a low-range with a 20:1 ratio.
From a packaging perspective, the Renegade is a pretty neat little Jeep. The cabin is bigger than expected, the materials all feel high-quality, and all the controls in the center stack, including the all-wheel-drive lock and Selec-Terrain switches, are within easy reach. The seats are comfortable up front and in back, and the 40/20/40 rear seats are plenty roomy for adult passengers. The only odd thing about the Renegade's cabin is the view out front -- that accentuated Jeep greenhouse means its designers were forced to push the windshield cowl far forward, with the driver and passengers sitting far back in the cabin. That said, that big greenhouse gives the Renegade a massive amount of headroom -- room that only grows if the removable My Sky roof panels are spec'd. Those roof panels stow under the floor in the Renegade's 18.5 cubic inch cargo area.
The two powertrains, sampled in a near-base Renegade Sport and near-loaded Renegade Limited, are both solid. With so few automakers offering up manual-equipped all-wheel-drive vehicles these days, I started my drive off behind the wheel of a Renegade Sport before Jeep wised up, realized no one would buy one, and took it away. Aptly named, the Renegade Sport may serve as the base model in the Renegade range, but it certainly doesn't feel it. The MultiAir isn't fast, but it does feel quick thanks to the short first through third gears. The shifter is pretty slick too, encouraging the driver to perform quick shifts. The powertrain actively encourages the driver to ring the little Jeep out, and the Renegade mostly delivers, with solid brakes and slow but good steering, so long as you're not driving on tight switchback canyon roads. While less sporty in character, the Renegade Limited's 2.4-liter engine and nine-speed auto combination is an equally engaging powertrain. Destined to be the volume engine and transmission, the little four-banger offers up good power and performance roughly equal to the MultiAir. The nine-speed transmission continues to improve as Chrysler shoehorns it into more of its models, and the Renegade is its best application yet, with the transmission rattling off quick, smart shifts. The rest of the Renegade Limited package delivers too, with a quiet, upscale cabin, and a compliant, well-sorted ride.
While the new Renegade performs well on the road, the burning question most have about the littlest Jeep is how it handles the rough stuff. Pretty well, as it turns out. Sitting on top of the Renegade lineup is the new Renegade Trailhawk. As is the case on its Cherokee big brother, the Renegade Trailhawk is more than just a badge and trim job. The Renegade Trailhawk gets some unique hardware, including Jeep's Active Drive Low all-wheel-drive system, an 0.8-inch suspension lift (for 8.7 inches of ground clearance), Goodyear Wrangler tires on 17-inch wheels, and front and rear tow hooks rated for twice the Renegade's weight. Thanks to the suspension lift and off-road tires, the Renegade Trailhawk is able to boast better approach, breakover, and departure angles than its Cherokee Trailhawk big brother. On the software front, the Renegade Trailhawk gets Rock mode on the Selec-Terrain system, what Jeep calls an electronic "Brake Lock Differential," and a 4-Low mode, which uses the nine-speed's 4.71 first gear ratio combined with the Trailhawk's 4.33 final drive ratio to effectively take the place of a traditional two-speed transfer case. With first gear functioning as a low-range on the Trailhawk, the Renegade's programmed for second-gear starts, though Jeep says the transmission will kick down into first if the throttle is depressed more than 80 percent. While many might be understandably apprehensive about the Renegade's Trail Rated off-road chops, a short, technical off-road course proves that the Renegade is infused with plenty of the DNA that's made the brand a legend off-road. The course included dirt roads, simulated river beds, steep rock climbs and descents, and frame-twisting trenches. Per my guide's recommendations, I went through the course the first time in Rock mode, which minimizes the slip allowed by the electronic differentials and locks the Renegade in 4-Low. Not that I expected Jeep to set up a course the Renegade wouldn't be able to handle, but the Trailhawk proved shockingly capable. The first set of soccer-ball-sized rocks was no problem, nor was the incredibly steep, rocky hill following it -- that hill even saw the Renegade pick up its inside front and rear tires as I navigated the course. Those obstacles were soon followed by frame-punishing dirt troughs that the Renegade took to like a billy goat, its underside seeing plenty of sunlight as it pushed and dragged itself through. Instilled with confidence after another go, I spent my last go-around of the course switching back and forth between the Selec-Terrain's modes. While Rock proved most suitable for the particular course, Sand was fun over some of the loose dirt on the course, allowing the Renegade to hang its tail out a bit like a rally car.
While plenty capable off the beaten path, it is possible to get the little Jeep stuck. I found this out rather embarrassingly with the Trailhawk in Auto mode by slowly climbing a steep, gravely hill the tires dug themselves into. Embarrassing, sure, but not the end of the world -- locking on all-wheel drive and getting a little running start got the Renegade to the top of the hill, no problem. With the Nissan Juke, Kia Soul, Chevrolet Trax, and Mini Countryman targeted as its chief rivals, the Jeep Renegade is priced to compete. Prices start at $18,990 for a base front-drive Renegade Sport and top out at $26,990 for a Renegade Trailhawk. The volume Renegade Latitude will start at $22,990 for a front-drive MultiAir model, and the luxury-aimed Renegade Limited will go for $25,790 for a front-drive Tigershark model. The as-tested price for our Renegade trio ranged from $24,075 for our lightly optioned Renegade Sport 4x4, $33,335 for our loaded Renegade Trailhawk, and $34,175 for our fully optioned Renegade Limited 4x4. The Renegade may have a name and origin befitting of an alleged traitor, but if our encounter with the new little Jeep has proven anything, it's that the Renegade still manages to stay true to Jeep's roots while appealing to a wider audience. With the Renegade, Jeep has managed to make a world vehicle equally appealing to those doing the mall crawl as those who rock crawl. With the Renegade already off to a flying start in parts of Europe, Jeep is hoping the Renegade will be welcomed with open arms in its home market when it hits dealers here in January.
via Autoweek
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Is Jeep's first small SUV too cute? Can anything be too cute?
What Is It?
Behold the birth of a brand-new Jeep, a down-size departure for the icon that will open it up to a whole new set of buyers in the small SUV category. The Jeep Renegade 4x4 and 4x2 will seek to attract entry level Jeepers while giving the Jeep faithful a capable and cheerful-looking cute ute.
"I relate this vehicle to a puppy dog," said head of Jeep design Mark Allen. “Its ears are too big, its eyes are too big, all that is what I see in this vehicle. I tried to walk it right up to the edge of cute but not go beyond that.”
You decide. We think it’s just the right amount of cute. Styling was done “100 percent” in Michigan, Allen said. But it does share one or two or 30 parts with the Fiat 500L and upcoming 500X, things like the steering column, front wheel bearings, a bunch of fasteners and the floor boards. Still more Fiat parts were modified for this Jeep application. Altogether, the Melfi Italy-built Renegade will be the first Fiat Chrysler Automobiles vehicle to use the new Small-Wide 4x4 architecture. With a wheelbase of just 101.2 inches and an overall length of 166.6 inches (making it approximately 25 inches shorter than a Chrysler 200 sedan) it will occupy the small end of the Jeep lineup's size spectrum.
U.S. Renegades will get two engines and two transmissions. The 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo producing 160-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque will be mated to a six-speed manual. The 2.4-liter 180-hp, 175 lb-ft Tigershark will be paired with a nine-speed automatic that has already made cameo appearances in the Jeep Cherokee and the Chrysler 200, among others.
Just because the Renegade is small, it does not mean that it skimps on engineering and technology. The Renegade's body is composed of approximately 70 percent high-strength steel for increased structural stiffness, while also featuring four-wheel independent suspension and increased ground clearance in the Trailhawk version -- one of the four trim levels. The Renegade uses a Koni frequency selective damping (FSD) front and rear strut system for what Jeep promises will be better handling and road grip, as well as muting out bumps on poor road surfaces.
The interior features Jeep's new "Tek-Tonic" design language, exemplified by intersections of squared-off design details with soft-touch surfaces. Both the interior and exterior pay homage to Jeeps of decades past with a number of design elements, such as the X-shaped tail lights that recall the stampings featured on Jerry cans. The exterior design also features plenty of traditional Jeep hallmarks, including a seven-slot grille framed by a front fascia surround, trapezoidal wheel arches, and a body-color windshield surround. The rear cargo area offers 50.8 cu.ft. of space with 60/40 folding rear seats.
While the Renegade certainly is not as open to the elements as the Wrangler, it nevertheless features an optional My Sky roof system, composed of two large removable transparent roof panels that can be stowed in a special “pizza insulator” bag in the trunk. Adding to the outdoor theme is the mud-splatter graphic on the gauge cluster, at the center of which drivers will find a 3.5-inch monochrome display or an optional 7-inch TFT color display screen. Speaking of screens, the Renegade offers Jeep's UConnect touchscreen infotainment system in 5-inch and 6.5-inch sizes that will permit voice-activated audio system controls, in addition to Bluetooth connectivity and an audio text messaging system.
What Is It Like To Drive?
The Renegade’s small wide architecture will fit 16 different powertrains and driveline setups. We in the U.S. will only get a few of those 16, but after a day driving different U.S.-spec Renegades on a variety of surfaces both on- and off-road we came away thinking it’s generally a pretty sound setup.
Off-road the Renegade is surprisingly capable. In fully-loaded 4x4 trim it can do most anything, from crawling over rocks to descending massive, steep hills with hill-descent control slowing each wheel individually. The “Trail-Rated” Trailhawk trim level gets extra ground clearance and better approach and departure angles so if you want to go Rubicon, get that one. We tried out a bunch of terrain and had no trouble surmounting everything the park could put in our way. This is more capable off-road than anything in the class, easily.
The lack of a hand brake will be seen by traditionalists as unforgiveable. We found it would have been a nice feature to have when just backing the Renegade out of a downhill parking space, for instance. Four-wheelers use it to get out of all kinds of tight spots. The fact that it was eliminated to make room for -- gasp -- cupholders will be hard to take for old-school wheelers. However, Jeep says cable-operated handbrake levers have problems of their own and result in some owner complaints. You can't please everyone.
We tried out the hill-descent control on a very long, very steep downhill pile of sand and had no trouble at all. It was a breeze, the electronics of ABS and traction control applying itself perfectly to perform the function done by low gearing on old Jeeps. What a world!
We got a chance to try out the full articulation of the 4wd on a short, controlled course made specifically for that task at Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area in California and encountered no problems, never scraping so much as a diff pumpkin. You can get a Renegade with the "Trail Rated" badge and if you give it a whirl in the dirt you'll see that it has earned the moniker. It might be fun to take one of these to the Rubicon once the snow has cleared away up there and give it the ultimate test. We suspect it would pass with flying colors, mostly Earth-tones.
On-road it had its good and bad points. The engines were just fine for all urban and suburban tasks. They’ll both get you up the freeway ramp and let you pass whatever you want to pass. So don’t worry about which engine to get, both are fine. The manual transmission felt cheap, however, with long throws and vague engagement. Spacing between second and third gears was a bit too far. On certain tight twisty roads we found ourselves wanting for a second-and-a-halfth gear. Hey, there are six gears in this box. Faster third- and fourth-gear corners were no problem, however. At first, that manual shifter felt pretty flimsy. It's shared with the Fiat 500 variants and feels downright cheap. The throws are long and gear engagement isn't exactly reassuringly clicky. After a while, you get used to it.
And we would have softened up the rig’s frequency sensitive dampers a lot more. Just regular bumpy pavement on regular old “roads” transferred an awful lot of pavement whacks into the cabin, more so than we would have preferred. Maybe we’re just too sensitive, but it seems competitors like the RAV4 and CR-V are far more livable.
Do I Want It?
When the Renegade goes on sale in March it will be available in four distinct trim levels, beginning with the Sport which will start at $18,990. The Latitude trim level will add a little more equipment including a backup camera, leather-wrapped steering wheel, roof rails, ambient LED interior accents, six-speaker audio, and 16-inch aluminum wheels, and will start at $22,290. The Limited trim level will add more luxury goodies in the form of heated seats, 18-inch wheels, and exterior chrome accents, among other items, and will start at $25,790. These first three trim levels will be offered on 4x2 and 4x4 versions of the Renegade alike, with 4x4 coming in at a $2,000 premium over the starting prices listed above.
The range-topping 4x4-only Trailhawk version will be paired exclusively with the 2.4-liter engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission. It will be easy to distinguish from other versions of the Renegade owing to revised front and rear fascias, red-painted functional tow-hooks, front and rear scuff plates optimized for 31-degree approach and departure angles, and a slightly increased ride height.
And then there’s the quality question. Both Jeep and Fiat are below industry average in quality according to JD Power, Consumer Reports and AutoPacific ratings, though George Peterson, President of AutoPacific, believes "…the Jeep Renegade promises to reverse that." Let’s hope it does.
Overall, there’s nothing in the small SUV class this cute nor this capable in the dirt. Daily life in suburbia might wear on you a little, unless you’re either tough or oblivious. But cuteness goes a long way and, based on that, we predict sales success for this little dirt darlin’.