The Renegade is like a gateway drug for Jeep buyers.听Once you experience how it drives听and its off-road abilities, you鈥檒l see why other, burlier听Jeep models are so popular.
The Takeaway
The Good:听罢丑别听听is a solid,听budget-minded 4×4听with听the soul of a听Jeep. The rear seat and cargo space are larger than you鈥檒l听find in a much bigger SUV听costing twice as much. The nine-speed transmission is geared for fuel economy鈥攐n the highway, it delivers 30 miles per gallon.
鈥婽he Bad:听In our tests, the combination of the 2.4-liter engine, the nine-speed transmission, and Colorado鈥檚 high altitude left the Renegade lacking in oomph. Drop the vehicle into four-wheel drive and it slows down even more. In dense city traffic, fuel economy drops into the low 20s. Inside, a USB port and a听touchscreen听radio interface with Bluetooth connectivity and backup camera bring the Renegade鈥檚听electronics into this decade, but we were surprised to find no heated front seats, a feature we felt should be standard.
鈥婽he Verdict:听Thanks to its four-wheel-drive听prowess and respectable highway mileage, we think this is a great car for city dwellers who like to play in the mountains. It鈥檚 not a bad commuter, but it will also get you up to the ski hill in ten听inches of snow or through sloppy mud on the way to your camping spot. It falls short on the long-haul drives鈥攁 comfortable road-tripper it is听not.
Specs
笔谤颈肠别:听$23,295;听$26,980 as tested
鈥婨苍驳颈苍别:听2.4-liter inline four-cylinder
顿谤颈惫别迟谤补颈苍:听Nine-speed automatic, 4WD
听EPA Fuel Economy:听24 mpg combined; 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway
The Engine
The 2.4-liter engine pumps out 180 horsepower, which would be plenty in an econobox sedan or hatchback, but it turns the听bricklike Renegade, tricked out with the additional weight of the four-wheel-drive drivetrain,听into a slow听but steady听vehicle. On a 70 mph听sprint up I-70 into the mountains, the engine had to drop into fourth听gear and rev up to 4,500 RPMs just to keep up with traffic. That said, the smallish听engine and nine-speed transmission turn听the听Jeep into a mileage champ: on an 80-mile round-trip into the mountains and back on freeways and highways, we notched 30 miles per gallon.听
What the Renegade lacks in interstate mojo, it more than makes up for when the road turns to hell and you have to鈥攐r want to鈥攕low down. Its lack of power means less chance of spinning out the wheels in sand, snow, mud,听and muck. To further help you with those adventures, Jeep outfitted the Renegade with a terrain-mode dial underneath the radio that optimizes the four-wheel-drive system for snow, sand, or mud. It鈥檚 an advanced feature that distinguishes the Renegade from other economy-minded, pint-size听SUVs like the Nissan Juke and Mazda CX-3.听
The Ride
If you had to place the Renegade between the听legendary off-road monster听Wrangler and the luxurious,听air-suspended ride of the Grand Cherokee, we鈥檇 say it falls closer to the Wrangler,听with a relatively harsh ride that inspires confidence when you鈥檙e off-roading.
On our test, we switched into 鈥渟now鈥 mode and blasted over snow-packed roads with no听problem. The four-wheel-drive system held its grip better than we expected, even doing donuts on an icy turnout. Off-road, the Renegade鈥檚 small size allows it to go where few new four-wheel-drive rigs can go these days. It鈥檚 actually smaller than the iconic Wrangler.
There are sweeter driving rigs than the Renegade and SUVs that get better gas mileage, but there听really isn鈥檛 one that can tackle off-road this well and at this price.
Cargo
Inside, high ceilings (even in the second row) make the Renegade听feel听like it has more room than it does.听People six feet and taller will love it.听Cargo capacity tops out around 50 cubic听feet with the rear seats down, which is competitive with other vehicles in its class.
One issue: a听lot of that cargo room is vertical, not horizontal. That鈥檚 ideal for hauling dogs and houseplants听but makes throwing bikes and skis in back more difficult than it would be in, say, a Subaru Outback. We did love the hidden tray underneath the floor of the rear cargo area that was perfect for stowing muddy ski boots so they didn鈥檛 muck up everything else.
Buying Advice
The Renegade Latitude 4×4 falls into the same one-quiver category as the Subaru Outback,听thanks to respectable听gas mileage and off-road performance. It鈥檚 not as zippy as the Outback, and the gas mileage isn鈥檛 quite as good, but it rides more like a Jeep than a sedan, which some people will appreciate. And it has more comprehensive four-wheel-drive options, which come into play when you鈥檙e deep in the muck.听