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NEWS
GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Jeep goes Renegade
Forget Jeepster, Renegade is Jeep's new “most capable” baby SUVJeep has set aside the expected Jeepster moniker and has labelled its all-new light-car sized SUV Renegade.
A familiar nameplate within the Jeep timeline, the all-new Renegade was unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show and will power the US off-road brand’s growth in markets across the globe. And that includes Australia.
The new Renegade slots into the burgeoning small SUV segment and will sell against the like of Nissan’s Juke, Ford EcoSport, Holden Trax and Hyundai’s yet to be released iX25. Although designed in the USA, it will be built at Melfi in Italy on Fiat production lines and offer a range of variants and up to 16 powertrain combinations.
Across the range there will be a choice of naturally-aspirated and turbo petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, in some cases matched to the tiddler segment’s first nine-speed automatic transmission. Dual clutch and manual gearboxes will also be featured.
Set to hit roads in Europe and the USA in the last quarter of 2014, the new baby Jeep will not arrive in Australia until late 2015. Then, Australian Renegade buyers will likely be offered a simplified range.
Expected to underpin the local line up is a naturally-aspirated petrol manual front-drive entry-level Renegade. Featuring Fiat Chrysler Group’s 1.4-litre MultiAir2 engine rated at 103kW/230Nm, the entry-level car will likely also offer the option of a dual-clutch auto.
At higher specifications local buyers will likely be able to choose a 125kW/250Nm turbo version of 1.4. Higher-spec turbo-petrol front and all-wheel drive variants will get Jeep’s new nine-speed auto. At the top of the line-up will be a naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre or 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Renegade Trailhawk, which is claimed to deliver true off-road ability.
Jeep may have built its reputation on the tough-as-nails mechanically simple body-on-frame Wrangler, but the new Renegade couldn’t be more different.
Even aimed at the value-focussed small-end of the SUV marketplace, the new Renegade features a modern monocoque body-in-white that makes extensive use of high-strength steels in its construction. The range will offer high levels of connectivity, up to seven airbags, fuel-efficient stop-start technology and active safety features including lane departure aids and anti-collision autonomous braking.
The Renegade is built on Jeep’s all-new “small-wide 4x4” platform, which the maker claims “combines best-in-class off-road capability with world-class on-road driving dynamics”.
The Renegade Trailhawk will deliver what the brand claims will be “best-in-class 4x4 Trail Rated capability”.
In the full off-road version, the Renegade will feature “class-exclusive” Jeep Active Drive Low. The all-wheel drive system uses an ultra-low 20:1 ‘crawler’ function and a version of Jeep’s multi-mode Selec-Terrain system. Hill-start assist and hill descent control systems will also be offered in top-spec versions.
Other segment firsts offered across the Renegade line-up include the choice of two My Sky open-air roof systems. One version comprises a lift-out roof panel, while the other gets an electrically operated panorama roof function.
The new baby Jeep also ushers in a new interior design language for the brand. Dubbed Tek-Tonic, the form language is “defined by the intersections of soft and tactile forms with rugged and functional details”. So there... You’ve been told!
In reality this translates to what is almost a modern, dare we say urban, interpretation of classic Jeep utilitarian themes combined with elements from sports and adventure clothing and equipment. Sounds odd, but it works...
Key to the brand’s global aspirations, the new Renegade will eventually be sold in more than 100 markets worldwide.
“The all-new 2015 Jeep Renegade expands the brand’s product portfolio and targets the rapidly expanding small SUV segment around the globe with benchmark levels of efficiency and driving dynamics, while at the same time delivering best-in-class 4x4 capability that customers expect from Jeep,” said global Jeep boss and Asia Pacific Fiat Chrysler supremo, Mike Manley.
“Renegade symbolises the brand’s renowned American design, ingenuity and innovation, marking the Jeep brand’s first entry into the small SUV segment in more than 100 markets around the globe,” he said.
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Written byMike Sinclair
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