Jeep has long been known as the master of the 4×4 segment, which is why it surprised us when the American carmaker decided to launch the Renegade. The latter is Jeep’s first compact crossover vehicle as the company looks to compete in the highly trending segment.
It is going to be an uphill battle for the Renegade as it will be competing with other great vehicles like the Peugeot 2008, Mini Countryman, Skoda Yeti and market dominator, Nissan Juke. However, the Renegade has an advantage as it has Jeep’s hallmark 4×4 technologies that can tackle any uphill with ease.
This is something none of its competitors is able to offer, particularly the Nissan Juke. There are 6-different powertrains that comes with the compact 4×4. Three of them are petrol mills while the other three are turbo-diesels.
In detail, the petrol motors offered are the 110bhp 1.6-litre and a 140bhp or 170bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre. It is able to sprint from 0-60mph in just 8.8 seconds, with a top speed capped at 121mph.
Then there are the diesel motors which are the 120bhp 1.6-litre and a pair of 2.0-litres offering 140bhp or 170bhp. The less-powerful 2.0-litre can return 55.4mpg while the 1.6-litre produces 120g/km.
Consumers can choose from the 5/6-speed manual, a twin-clutch semi-automatic or a nine-speed traditional automatic transmission to operate the Renegade.
On the downside of things, off-roading does not appeal to the vast majority. However, the fact that the Renegade is flexible in its offerings will give it an extra edge in the route to dominating the compact crossover segment.
