Jeep Renegade is interesting, fresh, useful and large enough car in all aspects. With its unmistakable image resembling a military icon from the 1941, Willys. Although it is a representative of soft compact SUV adventurers, it is still a Jeep. With four-wheel drive AWD, 20-centimeter ground clearance and great diesel engine, Jeep Renegade AWD does not hesitate when the surface under wheels becomes muddy, wet, dusty or snowy.

Jeep Renegade with four-wheel drive AWD is an SUV by genealogy, yet large enough to be able to perform the duties of the first car in the medium sized family. It shows above-average performance off the asphalt where it leaves behind the majority of its SUV competitors.

 Jeep Renegade takes advantage of X-Trail conversion

Sport utility vehicles or sport terrain vehicles nowadays are becoming more sporty and less terrain vehicles. Nissan has, until recently, insisted with the robust shaped X-Trail in this vehicle class. They wanted to look more aggressive and less gentle as competitors. But now, the new X-trail writes another story and Jeep Renegade tries to take over its place.

Jeep Renegade interior: no longer so American

Since the Jeep brand is no longer 100% American, the difference is obvious in the cabin. We can say the Jeep Renegade interior is very adapted to European buyers.

Progress is reflected in very good basic ergonomics. The position behind the steering wheel, movements of gear lever, knobs and gauges – the whole combination deserves our compliments.

Jeep Renegade Limited (the second lowest equipment level) is pretty well equipped. There are Fiat’s UConnect infotainment system with 5-inch touch screen, car radio, navigation system, Bluetooth and dual automatic air conditioning.

Among safety systems we should mention the serial system to prevent tipping over, warning of unintentional lane changes, which also has a steering assistance. A system for preventing collision at low speed is also a serial safety equipment, but every now and then it responds with a bit too much panic.

2-liter diesel in Jeep Renegade is powerful enough, with a lot of torque

An excellent 2-liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine with 140 hp and 350 Nm of torque available from 1,750 rpm onward suits well to Jeep Renegade. The engine easily deals the asphalt and off-road requirements. From standstill to 100 kilometers per hour accelerates in less than ten seconds, and the engine should also tow up to 1.5 tonnes of heavy trailer without any noticeable difficulties.

In fact, we can say with a clear conscience that this engine is indeed most suitable choice for this car. Also, because the fuel consumption is not much different from Europe’s most popular Jeep Renegade engine, 1.6-liter Multijet with 88 hp. Furthermore, we also see no good reason to go for the stronger and more expensive option with 170 hp and the same torque, for example.

The rough sound of the diesel engine, with early morning cold vibrations, belongs to the character of this adventure eager car. Only the operation of the start / stop system is a little confusing and slow at times.

The measured fuel consumption was around 7.6 liters per hundred kilometers, and with a lot of patience and Eco driving on asphalt roads you will be able to go just under six liters. The engine character cooperates well with the six-speed manual transmission, which is pretty accurate and works smoothly. Maybe a little shorter distance between gears would be nice, but you can’t have it all.

Jeep Renegade luggage compartment deserves a plus

The luggage compartment in Jeep Renegade, with rear seats up, is rather in the form of a square. The total amount of luggage you can carry is limited to 351 liters. We also found three useful hooks for bags, anchorages for the net at the bottom, 12-volt outlet and two lights.

The trunk is extendible in a ratio of 60:40, but the rear seats can be folded together only with the backrest. This means that the newly created surface is slightly inclined. The total volume in this setting is 1,297 liters.

Have you reached the end of the asphalt? No problem!

The key difference this Jeep makes compared to in most cases very urban-oriented rivals, is when you drive off the asphalt surfaces. There, Jeep Renegade drives well above average and as a real Jeep it does not disappoint. With 20-centimeter ground clearance it is able to cross even larger stones or roots. Equipped with the electronically controlled all-wheel drive, Renegade can be confident to climb up some serious slopes.

The basis of the Jeep Renegade’s terrain boldness represents an electronically controlled four-wheel drive named Jeep Active Drive system with Selec-Terrain traction control system. The driver is able to choose between four driving programs, depending on the complexity of the situation under the wheels: snow, sand, mud and automatically adjustable program auto. This program can quickly and accurately identify and respond to the changes of the road surface.

What we really missed, as far as terrain driving is concerned, is the Hill Descent Control (HDC), which is, with some other off road options, available only in Jeep Renegade Trailhawk. We think that all Jeep’s, equipped with AWD, should have this assistant.

We can confirm that Jeep Renegade is well made

The Italian-American partnership obviously works well, since Jeep Renegade is their best selling model of all times and the first one built outside the United States. It is manufactured in Fiat’s factory SATA in Italy, where they also make its Italian cousin Fiat 500X. These two cars share the same technical basis. Another two Jeep Renegade assembly lines are located in China and Brasil.

The factory claims that before leaving the production line, Jeep Renegade must pass 1,800 quality tests. The car is really well made and although driven more on rough roads than on asphalt, we heard no disturbing crickets. Even the sound insulation is relatively impressive, as the noise of the air flow around the rather square shaped body is not as disturbing as it could be. Even at higher speeds.

Price, competition and rivals

The base price for the Jeep Renegade stands at 29,700 EUR in Germany, while in the United States you can only get a 2.4-liter petrol version with 180 hp for around 27,000 USD.

The competition in subcompact crossover SUV class is tough. Some potential rivals are:

• Fiat 500X
• Honda HR-V
• Hyundai Tucson
• Kia Niro (video comparison below)
• Kia Sportage (video comparison below)
• Mazda CX-3
• Nissan Juke
• Nissan Qashqai
• Opel Mokka
• Peugeot 2008
• Renault Captur
• Toyota C-HR (video comparison below)

Jeep Renegade (2016) vs Toyota C-HR (2016)

Kia Niro (2016) vs Jeep Renegade (2016)

Kia Sportage (2016) vs Jeep Renegade (2016)

Technical data: Jeep Renegade AWD Limited 2-liter Multijet

Design and concept

• Subcompact crossover SUV
• 5 door
• 5 seats

Engine

• Type: diesel, liquid cooled, 4-cylinder
• Engine capacity: 1956 cm3
• Maximum power: 140 hp at 3750 rpm
• Maximum torque: 350 Nm at 1750 rpm

Transmission

• Electronically controlled all-wheel drive AWD
• Jeep Active Drive system
• 6-speed manual transmission

Dimensions and weights

• Length: 4,255 mm
• Width: 1,805 mm
• Height: 1,684 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,570 mm
• Minimum ground clearance: 200 mm
• Turning circle: 11.1 m
• Curb weight: 1,430 kg
• Maximum permissible weight: 2,010 kg
• Maximum permissible trailer weight: 400 kg (light trailer) / 1,500 kg (with brakes)
• Luggage compartment capacity: 351 liters, or 1,297 liters (rear seats folded)

Performance and fuel consumption

• Top speed: 182 km / h
• Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km / h: 9.5 s
• Urban driving fuel consumption: 6.0 liters / 100 km
• Open road fuel consumption: 4.6 l / 100 km
• Combined fuel consumption: 5,1 l / 100 km
• Fuel tank capacity: 48 liters
• Emissions: 134 g / km CO2

Image credit: Jeep