The Jeep Renegade is the smallest cutest Jeep ever… is it the biggest on character?

Jeep is not new to this compact cross-over thing – the tough 4x4s company spotted the tendency early, and created the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass, as 2 offerings in this category.

Jeep cross-overs

One could say that Jeep was very early, as the Jeep Cherokee of the 80s (not Grand Cherokee) was quite compact, which would qualify it as a compact cross-over in today’s terms.  In 2006 already, it was one of the first to offer a modern compact cross-over SUV as the Jeep Patriot.  Then, in 2007 it followed with the Jeep Compass.  While the Jeep Patriot stayed patriotic to the Jeep 4x4 layout, and offered angular body, with flared wheel arches which made the front fenders look like stuffed-full chipmunk cheeks – it had great personality.  Jeep Compass steered a new direction, becoming a Jeep front-wheel-drive, with more normal styling.

As other brands rolled out their compact cross-overs, Jeep had to re-invent theirs.  The design brief was to look at Jeep heritage, cashing in on one of the world’s strongest vehicle brands (certainly 1 of only 2 4x4/SUV brands with such a rich past) and inject an extra-strong dose of charisma.  This had to be one cross-over no-one could ignore.  Picking the Renegade name, previously associated with the Jeep CJ models (which became Wrangler as we know it today) the name also resonates with this cute Jeep.  Cute, Jeep?  Oh yes.

Jeep motif sprinkles

The brand-ID 7-slot grille is a Jeep given.  So its got that.  But looking at the Jeep brand logo, one notices it is the pure&simple eep grille with a pair of round headlights, from the original army Jeep.  Incorporate this design into Renegade, was the agreement, and give it a flat horizontal bonnet.  Add a pair of orange reflectors on the sides, and stretch out the wheel arches as much as you can – these have to, as per Jeep design rulebook, be squared-off.

Swing around the back, and the taillights delight in their simple interpretation of the jerry can, as another throwback to this iconic association with Jeep.  Who said one cannot have a cross in the taillight to make the rear indicators?

Jump inside and you and your fellow occupants quickly start playing the game of spot-the-hidden.  There are Jeep motifs sprinkled throughout the cabin.  Can you spot these hidden graphics?

• On the centre console, below the climate controls, a diagonal Jeep logo (grille and headlights) is moulded in

• Just below it, the storage shelf with another Jeep logo, and an outlined map… perhaps just for fun, or to remind one of the Jeep 4x4 heritage, and to encourage      you to go explore in your fun-seeking cute Jeep

•  Cup holders are designed to look good (not just be functional) with squared-off edges, and jerry cans as icons printed into it

• Look at the front door speakers – on their frames are a Jeep logo

• Look more carefully, and you’ll spot the Jeep logo on the sides of the rear-view mirror (it doesn’t have to be there… it is just for fun)

•  The front-seat seatbacks have the Jeep face stamped   

• Then, what we first saw on the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk tested here is the silhouette of the original Jeep “driving” along the edge of the windscreen – seeming to be a Jeep thing now – but more prominent and angled in the Jeep Renegade

Baby-Jeep drive

When one moves straight across from a more conventional round and corporate-styled cross-over into this baby Jeep, the contrast is strong, with an immediate sense that this is still very much a Jeep – it has a square and rugged no-nonsense dashboard, and the window lines are all rectangular, while the look out ahead actually shows you a view across the horizontal square bonnet… like a good solid SUV, retaining that Jeep feel.

The engine tested in this unit is a 1.4L T, making it the first time such a small engine, and also the first time a petrol turbo, is installed in a Jeep.  In this front-wheel drive guise, it develops 103kW at 5000 and torque of 230Nm at 1750 r/min.  It is best to step on the pedal quite often, and at highway speed, the small engine can feel underpowered, losing speed, and asking to be change down to 5th or sometimes 4th gear.  Jeep claims 7.6 l/100km in the urban cycle and 6.0 in the combined drive, but this will need the driver to have a patient right foot.  Our test route, which included an intercity back&forth trip, showed 10.0 on the computer.  Between the main instruments is a smaller digital display, which can show items like instant fuel consumption, which is also in a circular gauge, which can be either helpful or distracting.

Stepping out from the brisk Audi Q3 1.4T reviewed, the Renegade performance felt rather unhurried.  Sure, this is not meant to be a quick vehicle, yet, in comparison, despite the Audi engine quoted at slightly higher 110kW and 250Nm, the acceleration numbers speak for themselves:  the Jeep needs 10.9 seconds where the Audi takes 9.2 for manual and 8.9 for the auto.  Jeep also offers a Renegade 1.4L T 4x4, which ups power to 125kW and 250Nm, with performance improving to 8.8 sec for this auto-only.

On the road, the Renegade feels solid and well planted, and easy to drive with the 6-speed manual and pedal controls light without being overly so.  An automatic 9-speed gearing option is not available in 4x2, but only in 4x4 with the abovementioned more powerful engine.  Other engine options are plain 1.6, a diesel 1.6 Multijet, and a 2.4 petrol.

If you do go for the front-wheel drive rather than the 4x4, the good ground clearance of 175mm will let you enjoy your Jeep Renegade on rough terrain too, easily traversing that pebbled grassy driveway entrance the holiday destination did not mention in their brochure.

Not without a design flaw, though.  Being a straight-up vehicle, the logical ergonomic place to fit the switch for the electric-lock of the tailgate would be at the recess below the badge between the taillights, where the hand naturally moves to engage the switch, right?  Erm, no.  Somehow this natural switch position is blanked off by a plastic plug, with the real switch sitting hidden just above the bumper.  Silly.

Choices

The Jeep Renegade comes in entry-level Longitude with 1.6 engine, Limited spec for the 1.4L and 1.6 diesel, and range-topping small-and-tough 2.4 Trailhawk.

The Limited Launch Edition, as tested here, saw the first 500 takers of the Renegade (the Limited was the only model available at introduction) get a value-add packet of leather upholstery, built-in navigation system and an upgrade from 17 to 18-inch alloy wheels at no extra cost.

The standard Jeep Renegade Limited spec is already comprehensive, including electro-mechanical parking brake with hill-start assist, ABS with Brake Assist and traction and stability control, front + side + curtain airbags, climate control with easy-and-nice-to-use rotary dials, multi-function steering wheel buttons for audio, phone, cruise control and computer menu, touch-screen, aux, USB, front and rear 12-Volt outlets, tyre pressure monitor, electric driver lumbar (lower-back) support, and rear parking sensors (with a rear camera optional).  Unusual for this sector, it has optional Blindspot & Crosspath Detection.

Marketed as “The most capable small SUV ever”, for this you will need to get the Trailhawk model which has hill descent control, 4x4 driving modes, and skid plates for the transmission, suspension and fuel tank.

The Premium Lighting Group option package includes light sensor with automatic high-beam, HID headlamps, rain sensor and auto-dim mirror.  The optional panoramic roof is called MySky, with power tilt/slide front and fixed rear with a separate switch for the electric-sliding inner cover.

Roof rails are included, in black on Latitude and grey on Trailhawk, and silver to match the silver grille on Limited models.  If you find the grille too painted-silver, you could buy the black Trailhawk grille, which emphasises the round-eyes face and chrome 7slots completely.

The Jeep Renegade comes in typical Jeep colours, some of which it shares with the palette on their biggest icon, the Wrangler – the photos you see here are Solar Yellow, while Omaha Orange, bright blue and red makes a adds a choice of bright colours.  For the more army Jeep look, choose Commando (army olive green) or Anvil (the greyish-greenish paint).  For the interior, the test car came in Trespass Black, but you can also be bold and interestingly colour-fun-filled when choosing Freefall, which is a combination of chocolate brown against Ski Grey leather with orange accents (orange on seat edges and stitching, and anodized tool-like orange finish for air vent bezels, speakers and gear surround).

Incidentally, the Jeep Renegade 1.6L Longitude price was repositioned from R 340 990 to R 316 990, bringing good news for those wanting to get into a Jeep.  The 1.4L T Limited 4x2 manual is priced at R 375 990 (as was this Launch Edition) spanning to around R450k for the 4x4 models.  At R376k it sits right there at the upper end of the vast array of compact cross-overs… but only Renegade has the unrivalled unmistakable look and fun character, and only Renegade is a Jeep.

The Jeep Renegade is the smallest cutest Jeep ever… is it the biggest on fun character?

Wherever the Jeep went, comments were uttered by appreciative mouths, praising its let’s-have-some-fun design, seen in the interior with its Jeep logos, and exterior Jeep face with compact square dimensions.  The Jeep Renegade is the smallest cutest Jeep ever, and the biggest on fun character… like a toddler wearing a hardhat, overall and safety boots, playing in the mud.