JEEP RENEGADE

Jeep Renegade Limited 1.0 GSE 2WD

What is it?

As you may have already noticed with previous issues, the Jeep Renegade has recently had a facelift, a subtle one, but a facelift nonetheless, there’s also a hybrid version that we covered a few months back.

Although the new lights aren’t exactly something to get excited about, what I found more interesting is that due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations, it’s now available with a new 1.0-litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine.

On Road

Zooming off on my errands for the first time was quite a surprise as the 1.0 litre, 120bhp engine is quite sprightly, though its 0-60mph is just over 11 seconds.

That said, aim it at an open country road and you have to work the silky smooth 6 speed manual gearbox to keep up momentum, which to be honest, is half the fun! If you want a Renegade with a bit more umph, there are other engines to choose from.

The 1.0 litre is far better suited to town and city driving where it excels with its smooth stop-start system and great all-round visibility. Although the MultiAir engine can sound a bit gruff on hard acceleration, in normal use it’s actually quite refined, even at motorway speeds.

I always find that Renegades handle the road rather well, from pottering around town, to spending a day exploring Wales. The ride is what you expect from a vehicle with a Jeep badge on it, yes it can roll around corners a bit, but it’s well contained and forgiving. Of course there are going to be better handling SUVs in its class, but you’re driving a Jeep.

Fuel wise, on a long motorway journey with a good half hour of country lanes and small villages, the computer was showing that I’d achieved 38mpg, which I didn’t think was too bad, considering it’s shaped like a box.

Off Road

Sadly, the 1.0 litre GSE is only available in 2-wheel drive, which meant no challenging green lanes.

As you’ll notice with the photos, I still ventured off the beaten track, and on the odd occasion we encountered some mud or slippery wet grass it handled itself well.

When I’ve driven Renegades off road in the past, I’ve always been wary of what appears to be a lack of any decent approach angle, but it’s an illusion, as no matter where I’ve ventured, I’ve never managed rip a bumper off yet. I may have once slid down a hill sideways and caved in a rear door on a tree, but that’s another story...

Interior

Comfortable and well appointed is how I would describe the interior, I particularly like the little nods Jeep’s heritage with small images of GPs scattered around the place.

Jumping behind the wheel for the first time you’ll be quite surprised by the amount of space that’s between you and the windscreen. I measured it, there was exactly 4 feet from my body to the base of the windscreen, couple that to the generous amount of headroom and you get the feeling you’re in a much bigger car.

The dash layout is scattered with wonderful knobs and switches - which is a good thing. Of course there’s the usual touch screen, but it isn’t huge and certainly not distracting.

In the back, although the rear seats are comfy enough, if you have a driver and front passenger who are both over 6ft tall, rear leg room isn’t great, so short people only.

The rear load space is a good size, as you’d expect with such a boxy shape, with 351 litres with the seats up, and 1,297 with the seats down.

Conclusion

Personally I don’t think the Renegade is the prettiest car in the car park, but that’s just my opinion, but as we know, we should never judge a book by its cover ‘n’ all that. The only really annoying part for me is the alarm system, it beeps quite loudly when you unlock it using the key fob, then beeps twice again when you open any of the doors. For the life of me I couldn’t figure a way of switching it off.

Overall I enjoyed the little Renegade, despite it being 2wd. There are quieter, more comfortable and more fuel efficient 1.0 litter 3 cylinder SUVs out there, but the Renegade gives you a bit more personality, and it certainly stands out more in the supermarket carpark.

Price - £24,905 with options £ 28,055

more at » https://www.jeep.co.uk