Jeep Renegade 2015 Review

Jeep Renegade Longitude and Trailhawk
Road Test

While the Jeep Renegade looks like a grown-up's Tonka toy, you'd be remiss to dismiss it as a gimmick. Having driven both two-wheel drive and  four-wheel drive configurations back-to-back over the past fortnight,  however, it's not hard to conclude that in the case of the Renegade, less is most definitely more. The Jeep Renegade range is priced from $29,500 (plus on-road costs).

"What do you think of the new Jeep?" asked the SES fundraising collector as he taps me up at the traffic lights.

You know a new car's making all the right moves when it's instantly recognisable on the roads.

If success were all about looks then the Renegade is already 80 per cent of the way there – it's a desirable little SUV, and it's in-your-face styling leaves no doubt that this is a Jeep.

Jeep is introducing a five-model line-up for the Renegade, ranging from an entry-level $29,200 (plus ORCs) Sport model with its (81kW) 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine to the $41,500 (plus ORCs) range-topping Trailhawk, the only four-wheel drive model on offer.

For a comparative review, we've chosen the mid-range Longitude and top-end Trailhawk models.

Across both models, the Renegade's design is executed flawlessly. It has strong purposeful exterior styling with bold lines and clever touches such as the jerry can inspired taillights. The detail is carried throughout the cabin design, with homages to Jeeps of old wherever you look.

With such a daring design, it could have quite easily become a pastiche, out-quirking the Nissan JUKE or Toyota's Rukus. But the Renegade feels authentically 'Jeep', and everything works well together.

Inside, there's a chunky grab handle for the passenger – a carryover from the original Willy's Jeep – a mud-splash decal on the rev-counter and a tyre track embossed floor mat. Aesthetically, it all works.

The cabin in each vehicle is very well finished but with a big list of standard equipment, the two-wheel drive Longitude doesn't really feel like a cheaper option. Its cloth seats are well-finished and feature the familiar Jeep name emblazoned across all five seats. It has great technology including reverse parking camera, blind-spot monitoring system, reversing sensors, a 5.0-inch touchscreen with integrated voice command, and a pretty competent six-speaker audio system.

While the Longitude's mono touchscreen is smaller than many in the segment, it's incredibly easy user interface is a real joy. Buttons are large and the touchscreen display bold and super simple to navigate. Phone pairing was a snap and, once connected via Bluetooth, the audio streaming system automatically picked up my iPhone every time I jumped in the car, playing whatever music app I had most recently been using. There are not a lot of cars that will do that without you needing to touch the phone first.

The Trailhawk four-wheel drive model steps the in-car tech up a gear with the same great iPhone integration, larger 6.5-inch full-colour touchscreen, standard satellite navigation and a nine-speaker BeatsAudio system. I didn't find the performance of the audio particularly outstanding, in fact music seemed to lack clarity and the equaliser wasn't as dynamic as expected.

The Trailhawk variant also adds a leather interior and options such as a panoramic sunroof, which is powered at the front ($1900), and a lane-departure warning system ($500), both of which were fitted to the test vehicle.

While the design and technology themes across both cars are successful, the experience for the driver is not so consistent, with the Longitude and Trailhawk models not quite in tune. The driving experience between the two varies considerably on-road, with the cheaper and simpler Longitude easily edging its more expensive sibling for comfort and drive quality.

Both cars benefitted from a very quiet cabin and the Longitude felt particularly refined with little road noise. However, tyre and road noise were quite noticeable in the Trailhawk due to the 17-inch all-season tyres fitted to that model.

And those tyres were less than ideal in on-road driving, with a jarring tendency to tramline which was evident on both well-worn country roads and freeways. While these tyres are probably great for long wet winters in the US, I'd swap them for a less obtrusive road tyre for day-to-day use in an Australian summer.

The ride on smaller 15-inch wheels and road tyres in the Longitude was much less bothersome. Featuring Fiat Chrysler's 1.4 MultiAir turbocharged four-cylinder engine – paired with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and idle-stop technology – the Longitude is a great little SUV, for the city, and when pushed on the open road, can deliver more spirited performance without drama.

By contrast, the only powertrain offered in the Trailhawk, which is the range's sole four-wheel drive model, is a rather sleepy 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine – mated with an overly complex nine-speed automatic transmission which is slow to change gears and hunts during normal road use.

The sluggish performance of that unit paired with the permanent four-wheel drive in Trailhawk makes for a heavier drive overall – and I can't help feeling that Jeep should have spec'ed the Aussie Renegade with a turbo-diesel powertrain. I reckon it would make the world of difference to the on-road drive experience for the baby Jeep.

Having driven both models back-to-back, it's hard not to conclude that less is most definitely more when it comes to the Jeep Renegade. The Longitude is a charmer. I liked its styling and performance, and its light steering and comfortable driving position make the Longitude an easy car to drive.

In fact, if it weren't for the price, I reckon it would be a great choice for a first car. In four-wheel-drive guise however, and with that current engine and transmission, it's much harder to recommend.

As Australia's love affair with the SUV continues unabated, Renegade sales should romp along, but its premium pricing, and those Trailhawk shortcomings, will make its success harder than it should be.

All is not lost with the Trailhawk as it is good performer off-road. But it's not as pleasant to drive as the Longitude, and unless you were putting its four-wheel-drive capability to use on a weekly basis, I'd suggest there are more accomplished vehicles for the money.

That said, if a stand-out soft-roader is on your wish list, and your budget can stretch a little, the Renegade Longitude is seriously worth a test drive.

2015 Jeep Renegade Longitude pricing and specifications:
Price: $34,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 103kW/230Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 137g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk pricing and specifications:
Price: $43,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 129kW/230Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 175g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Honda HR-V (from $24,990 plus ORCs)
>> Mazda CX-3 (from $19,990 plus ORCs)
>> Suzuki Vitara (from $21,990 plus ORCs)