The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV. It was shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show, production began in late August of that year, and it became the smallest vehicle in the Jeep range until the arrival of the Avenger. It sits between the Avenger and the Compass and uses the FCA Small Wide 4×4 platform shared with Fiat and Alfa Romeo models.
Jeep Renegade at a glance
| Maker | Jeep (FCA, now Stellantis) |
|---|---|
| Shown | March 2014, Geneva Motor Show |
| Production | from late August 2014 |
| Platform | FCA Small Wide 4×4, shared with Fiat and Alfa Romeo models |
| Built | Melfi, Italy (with the Fiat 500X); Goiana, Brazil; Guangzhou, China |
| Drive | front-wheel drive standard; Active Drive I and Active Drive Low |
| Traction | Selec-Terrain with Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud and Rock modes |
| Roof | My Sky panels, retractable or removable |
| US trims | Sport, Latitude, Altitude, Limited, Trailhawk |
| Trailhawk | four-wheel drive only, 20 mm lift, skid plates, red tow hooks |
| First for Jeep | the first Jeep produced exclusively outside North America |
History of the Jeep Renegade
A small Jeep for the world
The Renegade was revealed at Geneva in March 2014 and went into production that August. It is the first Jeep product made only outside North America: it is built at Melfi in Italy, where the code name is BU/520 and the Fiat 500X is made alongside, at Goiana in Brazil as the B1 together with the Compass and the Fiat Toro, and at Guangzhou in China under the code BQ. It has been sold in North America, Europe, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Japan and China.
Four-wheel drive and My Sky
Standard Renegades are front-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive available on the Sport, Latitude and Limited; the Trailhawk is four-wheel drive only. The four-wheel drive systems are Active Drive I and Active Drive Low, both paired with Jeep’s Selec-Terrain, which on the Trailhawk offers Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud and Rock modes. The Renegade also offers My Sky, twin roof panels that can be retracted like a sunroof or removed completely for open-air motoring in the manner of a Wrangler.
Trims from Sport to Trailhawk
In North America the range runs from the Sport, with a 1.4 litre MultiAir turbo or a 2.4 litre four, a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic, steel wheels and a black grille, through the Latitude with 17-inch alloys and a touchscreen, to the Limited with the 2.4 litre Tigershark engine, a nine-speed automatic, leather and chrome trim. The Trailhawk is the off-road version: 2.4 litre Tigershark in America or 2.0 litre Multijet in Europe, a nine-speed automatic, red tow hooks, an off-road suspension with skid plates, 17-inch wheels, unique fascias and a 20 mm lift kit, plus the Trail Rated badge, a black hood decal and red fender badges. A Deserthawk version added its own decals, a towing package and an even taller lift.
Design and features
- My Sky roof: two panels that retract or come out completely.
- Active Drive Low: the Trailhawk’s four-wheel drive system with a low range.
- Selec-Terrain: five modes including Sand and Rock on four-wheel-drive Trailhawks.
- Trailhawk lift: a 20 mm lift, skid plates, red tow hooks and unique fascias.
- Built outside North America: Italy, Brazil and China only.
Jeep Renegade versions
- Renegade (2014–): the standard subcompact crossover.
- Sport: the base trim with steel wheels.
- Latitude and Limited: mid-range and luxury trims; Longitude in Europe.
- Trailhawk: the Trail Rated off-road version.
- Deserthawk: a Trailhawk with desert trim and a taller lift.
The Renegade is the smallest Jeep, below the Compass and the Cherokee, and it shares its platform with the Compass. More models are in the Jeep collection.
Video: Fahrbericht: Jeep Renegade: Echter Ami mit italienischem Einschlag
Video by news2do on YouTube.
Sources
- Jeep Renegade, English Wikipedia: launch, platform, plants, four-wheel drive, trims
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