There are more than 70 safety and security features available on the Jeep Renegade, including Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Full-speed Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking, and a Blind Spot Monitoring System.
Those keep their eyes open for you while you’re on the road, but they don’t necessarily translate to perfect crash-test safety ratings.
Jeep’s baby trail basher was evaluated by both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The former agency has four ratings: Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. It gave the 2015 Renegade top marks for its performance in moderate front overlap and side impact tests, and for the strength of its roof. Unfortunately, the Renegade’s head restraints/seats and integrity in the event of a small front overlap collision only received scores of Acceptable. Its optional Advanced Technology Group received four out of six points – an Advanced score – for its front crash prevention capabilities. Half of those points came from the package’s ability to automatically brake in the IIHS’s 12-mph test and reduce impact speed by 10 mph. The Renegade cut the impact speed by 5 mph in the organization’s 25 mph test, earning it another point. The final one was racked up by the Advanced Technology Group’s forward collision warning system.
The four-wheel-drive version of the Renegade received an overall score of four out of five stars from the NHTSA. Its side crash performance – against both barriers and poles – was top notch (in the front seat area), but that rating was tempered by the SUV’s four-star front crash protection and three-star rollover results. Although the Renegade didn’t tip over during its evaluation, it did stand a 23-percent chance of rolling. The 2WD Renegade fared similarly. However, it received a slightly better rollover score.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
