If off-roading isn’t in your playbook, the Renegade Latitude is the best place to start.
It stands out among its rivals in that way—and, assuming that’s a good thing for you, it’s pretty capable. Every Renegade gets Jeep’s signature looks: upright style, seven-slot grille, tall ride height. The Renegade is smaller than the rest, and less practical, but also less expensive.
While the Jeep Compass looks more mature, and the Cherokee can tow more and tackle tougher trails, the 2021 Renegade will still satisfy fans of the brand with its boxier aesthetic, open-top option, and off-road capable Trailhawk model.
Exterior:
Jeep fits the same seven-slot grille to the Renegade’s nose as every other car in the stable flanked by round lights, boxy lines, and an upright hood. (Pro tip: The Jeep badge is subtly larger on the Renegade than any other vehicle, if you want to brag next to the rest.)
You'll either love or hate the Renegade's chunky styling, but it leaves you in no doubt about the car's potential. Jeep says the Renegade’s polarising, toy-like looks combine the sophistication of the Grand Cherokee with the rugged appeal of the classic Wrangler. The main challenge was to set the car apart from some of its ‘cuter’ rivals in the crossover class – hence the bluff ‘seven-slot’ nose, squared-off wheelarches and bulbous tail-lights inspired by old US Army petrol cans.
Interior:
Inside, Jeep squeezes in even more character touches. The Jeep ‘face’ of round headlights and the seven-slot grille is embossed into the rear-view mirror,
speaker surrounds and the tailgate. The vent surrounds are apparently inspired by base-jumping equipment, the pod-like central vents by ski goggles, and you even get a mud splatter graphic instead of a redline in the rev counter.
It's filled with odd shapes, toyish trimmings, and small design surprises—such as maps imprinted into cupholders. Consider us amused. Too bad its chunky roof pillars make for significant blind spots, by far the most egregious in this class of vehicles.
The Renegade’s funky cabin was given an update in 2018, so it now gets a standard 8.4-inch touchscreen interface and a 7.0-inch TFT screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. You get the usual array of connectivity, including USB sockets, 12v charging and Bluetooth phone connections.
Engine and Performance:
It's a good thing that Jeep owners enjoy raw experiences, because there is no polish to the Renegade's standard four-cylinder engine. Needing 9 seconds to reach 100 kph, the 1.4 Litre Turbocharged engine isn't much of improvement in either refinement or performance. With 147 HP and 230 Nm of Torque mated to a 7-speed dual clutch, the Renegade is not intended to hustle hard, but it holds its own better than one might think.
The ride is generally composed and comfortable. Steering is quick to respond to driver inputs, and there's less body roll around corners than you might expect from a vehicle shaped like a Christmas ornament.
Space and Practicality:
It's practical and roomy for a car with such a small footprint, but the Renegade is not without compromise.
The Renegade's seats have clearly been doing their yoga stretching exercises, as they have no problem folding flat to create a level load floor. But even then, the space is average at best. Limited storage pockets and the lack of a full-length door cubby up front make storage opportunities scarce compared with other vehicles in the segment. While there are three seatbelts in the back, the middle seat is quite narrow and knee room is in short supply for all rear passengers. Head and shoulder room is better, though, and Isofix child seat mountings are standard.
The boot offers a competitive 351 litres of space with the seats in place, and up to 1,297 litres when they’re folded.
Verdict:
Ask anybody to sketch a 4×4 and they’ll probably draw something that looks a bit like a Jeep Renegade. This boxy little adventurer has all the features you’d expect to find on a hard-core Wrangler, just condensed into a bite-sized, city-friendly package. The Renegade isn’t quite as comfortable as some small SUVs but it’ll leave them far behind when the going gets tough.
The Renegade is a bit like a kid who's put on an incredible hulk costume for Halloween. It looks like a seriously chunky off-roader, but in a cheeky, charming way. Overall the Jeep Renegade is a practical and distinctive small SUV that offers low running costs and impressive on and off-road ability.
It's not all the modern tech in a budget package. It's not a roomy people hauler, and it's not a sporty utility vehicle you can race down winding back roads. What the Jeep Renegade is though, is a car that would get you through an epic adventure- a vehicle where every drive are stories of incredible moments.
Price: Php 1,490,000 (with discount)
Photos by: Glover Reselosa and JM Delos Reyes
Comentarios