Jeep Renegade 2016 Long Term Test - 3

Jeep Renegade Longitude
Long-Term Test (Finale)

The motoring.com.au long-term test is an opportunity for the team to get behind the wheel of a vehicle over a three-month spell. In the case of the Jeep Renegade it turned out to be a little shorter due to an extended period at the dealership to fix a transmission issue. By the end of the loan period, the Renegade had revealed a few more flaws, so it wasn’t hard to hand back the keys.

The Jeep Renegade Longitude arrived in the motoring.com.au garage back in May 2016 and has been put through its paces as an urban runabout, camera car and family hauler during its time with us.

The Longitude sits at the midpoint of the Renegade range. Featuring funky urban styling with instant kerb appeal, the Renegade's design offers much to appeal to the city SUV driver. It combines the practicality and space of a five-door SUV with the efficiency of a four-cylinder powertrain and front-wheel drive.

Powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine paired with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Jeep produces 103kW and delivers plenty of power once you get it going. As fellow reviewer, Ken Gratton noted in his Jeep Renegade long-term update, however, there's a fair amount of lag to wade through first which is worsened by the lack of urgency from the dual-clutch system.

Accelerating from a standing start can be a bit hit and miss; you're certainly not going to want to take any chances pulling into fast-moving traffic as the Renegade does not respond well to a rapid press on the throttle.

Combine this lack of forward momentum with some noticeable torque steer, as was also found by colleague, Geoff Middleton, and the Renegade certainly scores high on the frustration chart.

Also pushing all the wrong buttons is the Renegade's unusual combination of a glacial idle-stop system and limited hill-hold function. When stopped in traffic, the idle-stop is very slow to engage and while its name may suggest otherwise, hill-hold does not always hold the Jeep on hills. When stopped in traffic on an incline, it can be very disconcerting to have the car roll backwards once you've taken your foot off the brake to apply the accelerator.

Ken decided his best option for a smooth take-off was to hold the car in position with the electric park brake whereas my preferred solution was to disengage the idle-stop altogether. As a country driver, I find idle-stop is rarely engaged on my drive routes, so when it does kick in, it's always rather obtrusive. If you're not familiar with idle-stop then you might find our explanation of how idle-stop technology works particularly helpful.

I was originally scheduled to drive the Jeep Renegade earlier in our loan period, but my turn was postponed as the test vehicle had to be returned to the dealer for transmission issues. As Geoff reported, Jeep explained that the transmission control module had been replaced and the idle-stop 'seen to' and he was happy with the vehicle during his loan period, although I still experienced issues in the transmission during my week.

On one occasion, a very noticeable knock was heard when upshifting during acceleration while at other times the gearbox seemed to stutter. In reverse at low acceleration, the transmission would shudder and it all gave the distinct impression that all was not quite right with this car.

Given I've previously reviewed a Longitude model in comparison with the four-wheel drive Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, and favoured the Longitude in that drive, I'm keen to give Jeep the benefit of the doubt with this particular vehicle but it is unfortunate that issues persisted, even after a visit to the Jeep technicians. I guess that's one of the risks that's run in exposing media outlets to a vehicle over a longer term.

Another outcome of the overexposure to this Jeep was that we became attuned to its squeaks, rattles and creaks. These noises came from throughout the body and were a real surprise to me, given the solid feel of the car I drove at the end of last year. That car felt well put together, and had a build quality that matched its rugged looks.

This car on the other hand had a strong creak from the driver's door, a squeak from the passenger-side B-pillar and a rattle in the dash. And these were not slight noises that you would strain to hear, they were persistent and not okay in a vehicle with just over 10,000km on the clock.

If the Renegade had been a four-wheel drive press car, then it would have been easy to dismiss those squeaks as the result of a previous flogging on off-road terrain, but as the two-wheel drive model it’s hard to see how it would have been punished enough to develop such concerning noises in such a short period of time.

While the negatives outweighed the positives on our long-term test of the Jeep Renegade, all was not lost and there's actually lots that we really liked.

We were all in agreement that the Renegade has a great ride quality. Ken concluded the Jeep is an impressive tourer which rides fairly firmly but could still take a pounding in the suspension while Geoff liked the Renegade's ability to hold on in corners.

I found the Renegade's ride to be comfortable and with its tight frame, it is pretty lithe on country roads. Once the engine is spooled up and the transmission has shifted up a few cogs, the Jeep is an enjoyable little jigger.

Its design is also well thought through and executed. While the Renegade is highly stylised, nothing feels overdone, and the attention to detail through the cabin, which pays tribute to classic Jeep styling, is excellent.

Cabin accommodation is sufficient for a family of four plus a four-legged friend and certainly more comfortable to drive on road than the Jeep Wrangler. Technology is lacking for the price and while it is equipped with a reversing camera, the Renegade's five-inch screen appears tiny in comparison to the seven- and eight-inch screens that are becoming the norm in competitor vehicles.

The Jeep Renegade has the makings of something pretty good, but our extended test has thrown up more items in the 'against' column, than the 'for'. In its class there is simply better buying available for the money.

Related reading:
Jeep Renegade Long Term Test: Introduction
Jeep Renegade Long Term Update

2016 Jeep Renegade Longitude pricing and specifications:
Price: $33,000 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 103kW/230Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 137g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star EuroNCAP

Also consider:
>> Suzuki Vitara S-Turbo ($29,990 driveaway)
>> Honda HR-V VTi-L (from $33,340 plus ORCs)
>> Mazda CX-3 S Touring (from $33,390 plus ORCs)