2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude 4×4: JK-FORUM REVIEW
Confidence, utility and spunk rolled into one blindingly green package. The Renegade shows us how to do more with less.
“Not a real Jeep”, “a Fiat,” “hipster Jeep,” “city folk Jeep” … the list continues until it includes foul language. Yes, we’re aware of how some of you feel toward the baby of the Jeep lineup. But whether you like it or not, it has a Jeep badge, so we’re going to review the heck out of it.
The Jeep Renegade heads into its second year of production feeling much more confident about itself. I don’t know about where you live, but there are little Renegades everywhere you look in the Midwest. Its cute-yet-rugged attitude appeals to folks who would most likely never buy a Wrangler or Cherokee, yet they’re curious about the Jeep brand’s mystique.
I recently spent a week at the wheel of the 2017 Renegade Altitude 4×4, and I was quickly reminded of just how charming this seven-slot-grille-bearer is. In addition to its spunky character, my test vehicle came in Hypergreen exterior paint, and featured gloss-black wheels. If you ask me, it looked like a life-sized Hot Wheels.
Despite testing vehicles of all price ranges and pedigrees, seldom have I received more text messages from friends and neighbors wanting to know more about a particular ride. It seemed as though people wanted to know my opinion of the Hypergreen Jeep before I even had the chance to drive it. That’s a good thing, right?
Yes, It’s Cute Inside and Out
Let’s address the green elephant in the room. Yes, the Renegade is an adorable little Jeep, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. I’ve tested it twice — once in Omaha Orange and Trailhawk trim, and now the Hypergreen. To say designers nailed the whole character thing with their design is an understatement.
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With that out of the way, we can focus on what makes it so cute, or I guess “cool” if you’re a tough dude who doesn’t want to buy a cute Jeep. The Altitude trim is a special edition that basically grabs bits and pieces from throughout the lineup, and puts together one cool Renegade. For example, the Altitude features the nicer bumpers and fog lights from the Latitude trim, and ditches the 16-inch wheels for trim-specific 18-inchers. Exterior black badging and grille slots replace the traditional chrome accents.
The interior also receives a bit of an upgrade, offering slight tweaks from the Sport and Latitude trims. Gloss-black interior accents replace matte-silver or black bits, while a chunky, leather-wrapped steering wheel and a standard backup camera bring the technology into modern times. Keyless access and push-button start are quite welcome in a vehicle well under $30,000, as is the 6.5-inch Uconnect navigation/infotainment screen — a $1,346 option, although the standard (non-navigation) screen is a decent five inches.
Seats are wrapped in cloth and feature a Jeep-ish pattern to keep them visually entertaining. These ultimately do their job and keep you from having to sit on the floor. Furthermore, our Renegade was equipped with the $1,495 My Sky power retractable and removable roof panels, which although quite neat, are terribly overpriced.
Can It Jeep?
I opted for the city life with the the sleek Altitude, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get dirty. As you’d expect, the 4×4 trim features the Selec-Terrain System found in the Trailhawk versions of the Renegade, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. It’s also equipped with all-speed traction control, and cornering fog lamps that follow your steering wheel’s input.
There’s one key element I’ve yet to mention, which has a huge impact on the Renegade. This little guy is powered by the 1.4-liter I4 MultiAir turbo engine, which is the only engine you can get with a six-speed C635 manual transmission. That’s right, this sucker has a manual!
Don’t get too excited like I did. The 1.4-liter engine is everything you’d expect a 1.4-liter engine with 160 horsepower to be — slow. Sure, if you manage your throttle properly, and get clever with the gear ratios, you can somewhat have a decent highway driving experience, but otherwise, you’ll be left in the dust. In addition, the six-speed manual transmission isn’t really the right fit for the Renegade. Oftentimes I found myself focusing most on managing revs to keep forward propulsion alive.
Due to the nature of the tiny turbocharged engine, the boxy and not-aerodynamic-at-all Jeep dropped revs as fast as a darn race car. As a result, this forced me to shift faster and more often, taking away some of the joy associated with driving a colorful Renegade.
All things considered, the Renegade offers a heck of a good ride considering its price, and it handles superbly at low and high speeds.
Overall
City-dwellers, road-trippers, country folks, and everyone in between, rejoice. If there’s one vehicle that’s close to being a “one size fits all” it’s the Renegade. Sure, my particular test model featured the wrong engine and transmission, but that’s easily fixed. All you need is the 2.4-liter TigerShark with its 180 horsepower paired to the nine-speed automatic transmission.
The cutest (or coolest) Jeep of all feels just as comfortable at the grocery store and school pick-up line as it does at the ranch or the beach. If sweet looks, efficiency, a practical interior, and “ballin’ on a budget” is what you’re after, you’d be hard-pressed not to highly consider the Jeep Renegade.
2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude 4×4
- Starts at: $17,995
- Price as-tested: $28,025
Photos via: [napcar photography]
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