The 2017 Renegade is all Jeep in a small package
2017 Jeep® Renegade Trailhawk
2017 Jeep® Renegade Trailhawk
2017 Jeep® Renegade Trailhawk
2017 Jeep® Renegade Trailhawk
2017 Jeep® Renegade Trailhawk
As temperatures finally began to move to the warmer side in mid-March this year we had the opportunity to spend a week with the smallest offering in the Jeep line, and it is the only model in the line that is not made in America, the Jeep Renegade. This was the second week since its introduction that we have had with a Renegade, the first with the Latitude version and this time with the top of the line Trailhawk edition.
This new ‘back to our roots’ Renegade offering shows exactly just how serious that Jeep is about keeping the brand alive and continuing to make what has become known around the world as one of the best off-roading and rugged vehicles on the market. The new Renegade has been given all the same DNA right from the ground up to give the world a true Jeep offering that starts in mid $20,000 range. Though it is made in Italy and is built on a Fiat 500X frame, it still proved itself to be all Jeep.
The Trailhawk model is what we would call a ‘Jeep’ step above the other models getting just a little extra of the DNA for attacking the great outdoors with a vengeance. This version is 0.8 inches higher, has a 20:1 low gear crawl ratio up and down hill, skid plates, special 17 inch wheels clad with all-terrain tires and front and rear tow hooks to help get others out of tight places.
Also included with the Trailhawk is a the Terrain-Select feature with settings that include auto, snow, sand and mud along with a 5th Trailhawk only feature, of rock mode that equips the Renegade with hill decent control. With all of these outdoor attacking features this version of the Renegade is ready for anything, we would not have even thought twice about heading to Moab and driving on any of the many rock trails in the area. Being a smaller SUV the front and rear attack angles are much greater making the Jeep easier to maneuver in tight spaces.
We did have the chance to just head up in the local foothills using mostly the sand and mud features and the small SUV preformed exactly as advertised even when we were coming down a very steep hill the decent control kept us traveling slowly, and Craig never felt that he was not in control of all that was happening with the Renegade.
Deanne had the Jeep during a lot of the week as her friend Cindy had come into town for a few days for a baby shower and they used the Renegade to gather all the supplies for the event and get them there with ease. With the smaller footprint the Renegade is very easy to maneuver in parking lots, yet still has plenty of cargo room in the rear for smaller families or empty nesters like us to be able to help out.
The Renegade can be purchased with a couple of different engine options, for those that want to have a manual transmission to really keep the old Jeep DNA alive 1.4 liter Multi-Air turbo charged engine that is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission, for those are very serious about their Jeep’s this would be a perfect way to go, this option also will get up to 31 mpg on the highway if gas mileage is an important consideration.
The other option is a 2.4 Tigershark I4 engine that makes 180 horsepower with 174 ft.-lbs. of torque, quite strong for the small SUV. It is coupled with a 9 speed manual transmission, one of the first vehicles to ever offer 9 speeds and the only one in its class, this is standard on the Trailhawk, the smaller motor with a manual transmission is not available. We liked having the extra power and agreed it was needed to for acceleration into traffic during every day driving.
Inside the designers, of course, have included all the modern touches we would have expected, our eyes went right to the center of the console where high on the dash are a pair of air vents that almost look like eyes at first with the 6.5 inch touch screen directly below, it is a very bold and futuristic look. Also included are colored accents that surround some of the vents the speakers and along the base of the gear shifter, these can be had in the same color as the exterior or of a different color to add uniqueness to the SUV.
The Bluetooth worked flawlessly as we would have expected from any Chrysler product, the steering wheel included all the buttons necessary to run any of the functions including sound, phone, cruise and control of the 7 inch LED screen located in the middle of the speedometer and tachometer used to monitor other vital functions from speed to tire pressure. Overall the controls were very easy to understand and use, and large enough for us not to make a mistake when reaching for a certain one on the center stack.
Probably the best option that can be had in the Renegade was the My Sky dual panel sun roof. It is a two part sun roof one in the front and one located over the rear seats, it can be completely concealed or opened for the occupants or the pieces can be taken out completely for a true open air Jeep feel. Of course there is a place to store the pieces in the rear storage area for those that need more air, without much thought! We did find that it took a lot of practice to learn how to get the panels back into place after they had been removed. Something to consider if a change of weather is imminent.
With the addition of the customer preferred package from Jeep the front driver’s seat was powered, along with adding a dual zone temperature control and a 9 speaker sound system with a sub woofer in the rear compartment. The seats were very comfortable and well bolstered and were of a faux leather material and were heated along with the steering wheel, again a very important decision to make with our cold Utah winters.
Outside the look of the new Renegade is very unique, and we had various comments on it throughout the week, and it seemed that most folks were either were enamored with it or really disliked the way it was presented, there didn’t seem to be much middle ground. As we pointed out back to its roots with a sort of boxy styling look, but still including the now famous 7 slat grill and very round headlights pronouncing to all, it is at its core very much a Jeep.
There are many colors available that would allow the buyer to come up with a very unique combination for their own tastes and likes was a very appealing idea to us, as many manufactures have realized sometimes it is more about the unique look than speed or other considerations. With the Renegade one can have a very unique look and yet a very versatile everyday driver that can also get to pretty much anywhere one could imagine, and still not put a huge dent in the monthly budget.
We found the Renegade was great fun to drive with capabilities that we could have expected from a much pricier vehicle. About the only drawback we came up with was our average of only 24 mpg on the week, seemed little low for a smaller SUV.
See the new Renegade today at Doug Smith Jeep 523 West Main Street in American Fork, 801-492-1110, Doug Smith Jeep at 1339 North Main in Spanish Fork, 877-629-6450or at Larry H. Miller Jeep in Provo at 1825 North University Parkway, 801-356-4100.
Base Price: $26,495
Price as Driven: $32,085
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