Jeep Renegade 2.0 MultiJet II 170

The compact crossover segment still doesn’t have what you’d call a proper 4x4 within it. most manufacturers would say that’s because compact crossover buyers simply aren’t asking for a car with plenty of grunt, a low-range transfer box and ground clearance to shame a Land cruiser. But to a car maker like Jeep, it’s an invitation to launch one.


enter the renegade, a 4.2-metre 4x4 that’s been designed in the Us, is based on a Fiat supermini platform and is being built in Italy alongside Fiat’s forthcoming 500X. powered by a choice of multiair petrol and multiJet turbodiesel engines, this Jeep has lockable permanent four wheel drive, an ultra-short crawler ratio, hill descent control and, if you go for the range topping Trailhawk diesel auto we drove, as much ground clearance as a range rover evoque.

The supermini underpinnings are a bit of a red herring. Inside and out, the car is a closer match for a Nissan Qashqai than a Juke. Boot space is on a par with a family hatchback, while passenger space, and in particular headroom, is more generous. The seats are a touch flat, hard and short in the base, but they’re entirely comfortable over middle distances.

cabin materials are a mixed bag. There are fairly rich mouldings in places, but the switchgear is classic and pretty dull Fiat Group fare. and yet the renegade carries its material plainness well because there are enough flourishes to lift the ambience.

There are oversized air vents, bevel trimmed instruments and even what the car’s designers nicknamed an “oh shit” handle ahead of the front passenger seat.The renegade isn’t particularly refined, but the way it conducts itself comes as a relief in the wake of the undercooked cherokee (see p62).

Large door mirrors and upright a pillars make for plenty of wind noise at speed, and both the 2.0-litre diesel and automatic transmission could be smoother, but performance is just strong enough to be a selling point. The chassis, meanwhile, is well balanced, controlled, stable and adequately quiet over scarred roads.

The ride fidgets at high speeds, but the controls are sensibly weighted and feel broadly consistent.on standard-fit Goodyear m&s tyres, the renegade develops a limited quantity of lateral grip on asphalt and suffers with a squidgy sense of directional imprecision. Both are tolerable if you’ve need of the car’s ability off road, where it’ll ford, climb, slither and claw more determinedly than you’d believe of anything spawned by a punto. most, we suspect, don’t need those abilities, and given that their influence touches and compromises not just this car but every model in the range, you’d be surprised if the renegade became an overnight success. But it has lots of attitude and no little charm and those aren’t bad places for any car to start.

JEEP RENEGADE 2.0 MUlTIJET II 170 TRAIlHAWK AUTO

Price   £25,000 (est)

0-62mph   8.9sec

Top speed   122mph

Economy   48.7mpg (combined)

CO2   155g/km

Kerb weight  na

Engine   4 cyls, 1956cc, turbodiesel

Power   168bhp at 3750rpm

Torque   258lb ft at 1750rpm

Gearbox   9-spd automatic

SO GOOD

• Unreconstructed 4x4 appeal
• Stable and balanced on the road
• Genuine ability off road
• Roomy cabin

NO GOOD

• Mixed material quality
• Choppy high-speed ride
• Powertrain could be smoother