Jeep Renegade lands at $29,500

One of the most anticipated vehicles from American SUV specialist Jeep in decades, the Renegade, enters the price-sensitive compact SUV market costing significantly more than its rivals.

Pricing for the new vehicle, the unusual design of which is described as 'disruptive' by Jeep Australia, begins at $29,500 -- several thousand dollars more than its direct rivals.

By way of comparison, the Jeep Renegade is $3650 more expensive than the entry-level Nissan QASHQAI (from $25,850), $3010 more than the Subaru XV ($26,490), $4510 more than the Honda HR-V ($24,990), $5510 more than the Holden Trax ($23,990) and $9510 pricier than the top-selling Mazda CX-3 (from $19,990).

Patrick Dougherty, CEO of local Jeep importer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia (FCAA), justifies the pricing strategy on the basis the Renegade is not a conventional compact SUV.

"We're trying to get away from the traditional [positioning] with this vehicle in particular because it's different, it's unique," he explained.

All models are front-drive except the rugged (and most expensive) Trailhawk model. 4WD is an option on most models in the US.

"We're not trying to put it in a box with a Mazda vehicle or a Hyundai vehicle or a Holden. It's very Jeep, it's unique, and we think we can capture some volume at the price points we have," stated Dougherty.

For close to $30,000 plus on-road costs, the entry-level Jeep Renegade Sport comes with an 81kW/152Nm 1.6-litre petrol engine that drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.

If you want an automatic transmission you'll have to plump up $32,500 – although that also lands you a more powerful, more efficient 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine hooked up to a six-speed twin-clutch auto.

Four Renegade trim levels are available in all – Sport, Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk. There are three four-cylinder petrol engines and three transmissions: the five-speed manual and six-speed DCT, plus a nine-speed auto.

All models come with seven airbags, reversing camera, alloy wheels, Uconnect 5.0-inch touch-screen display, Bluetooth streaming, voice control, cruise control, electronic park brake, four speaker stereo and 'premium' cloth seats.

"We've tried to put more equipment as standard on each vehicle," said Dougherty, who conceded that that was wiggle room in terms of price in the mid-term future, particularly if/when the vehicle is sourced from China or India, rather than Italy as is currently the case.

"I think that there's always a possibility to get it lower," he posited. "As we become more global we'll do more sourcing in this region and that would be even more advantageous for many reasons."

He wouldn't put a timeframe on when Aussie-spec Jeeps will be sourced from Asia but said an announcement was likely in 2016.

Standard features for the mid-spec Longitude models include larger 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate-control, auto headlights and wipers, rear parking sensors, a leather-clad steering wheel and blind-spot monitoring.

Big-ticket items reserved for top-spec Limited variants include a larger Uconnect touch-screen with navigation, leather upholstery, xenon headlights, a high-res colour trip computer, 18-inch alloy wheels, eight-way power-adjustable and heated front seats, tinted windows and a nine-speaker Beats Audio system.

The Limited model is also the only variant offered with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a $500 option.

The most expensive model in the range is the Trailhawk model, the only Aussie Renegade with the 2.4-litre 'Tigershark' engine, pumping out 129kW/230Nm through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The top-shelf Renegade Trailhawk also gets a raised ride height (see the reviews section for more details), a low-ratio mode with 20:1 crawl ratio and improved approach and departure angles thanks to redesigned bumpers. It also gets underbody protection, special leather upholstery and Trailhawk badging, plus a trademark red tow hook at the back.

Despite being positioned at the upper end of the price-sensitive compact SUV segment, sales in which are up 26 per cent so far this year, the Renegade will be a crucial model for the brand going forward insists the local Jeep boss, who is confident it will be strong seller in Australia.

"I think the success of the product across multiple international markets now tells us that we've got a good opportunity here," said Dougherty.

"We're not staking or hanging our whole business on Renegade but we believe it could grow into significant volume for us."

In contrast with overall market growth of 3.6 per cent and an SUV sales spike of 15.4 per cent in the same period, Jeep sales in Australia are down 9.4 per cent year on year to September 2015 (22,163 to 20,078), with all models except the Cherokee recording negative growth.