2015 Jeep Renegade Latitude Review - The Sibling Complex

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole
Fast Facts

2015 Jeep Renegade Latitude 4x4

2.4-liter Tigershark SOHC I-4, MultiAir 2 variable valve and lift timing (180 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm; 175 lbs-ft of torque @ 3,900 rpm)
Nine-speed ZF 948TE automatic transmission w/ Jeep Active Drive Low 4x4
21 city/29 highway/24 combined (EPA Rating, MPG)
24.7 mpg on the 70/30 city/hwy, Colorado Mountain course (Observed, MPG)
Tested Options: Popular Equipment Group (Power seats, 40/20/40 split folding rear seat, dual zone climate control, 9-speaker audio), 9-speed automatic transmission, 2.4-liter TigerShark MultiAir, Keyless Entry, Remote Start.
Base Price (Latitude)
$24,290*
As Tested Price
$27,975*
* All prices include $995 destination fee

There are myriad ways to improve SUVs and Jeep won’t do any of them to the Wrangler.

Instead, the Wrangler remains hopelessly impractical, wonderfully unapologetic and, to own, like living with a Libertarian: there are no compromises and everything is wonderful when you play by their rules.

Thankfully for the rest of us, who welcome a little compromise, there are other Jeeps. A crowd of SUVs — and soon to be pickup — will sport the seven-slot grille for mountains of money to keep FCA running well into the black at the moment. When it’s convenient, those cars are compared to the Wrangler to tout their capabilities. When it’s not, well, let’s remember the Compass.

Like Robert Hunter said (kind of): The problem with the 2015 Jeep Renegade is the problem with me.

Exterior


I have a theory that despite the out-there sheet metal (compared to the rest of the Jeep lineup), the paintball-splattered decals and funky neo-nostalgic look, the Renegade isn’t meant to attract the newly licensed, zit-faced driver. Jeep may be going after the old Honda Element buyers, the kind of people who ask for a senior discount at Wendy’s for their cup of chili and small frosty. The Renegade’s clunky curves and deliberate “heritage cues” are just enough to be cute. And I mean cute in the same way grandmothers mean cute.

From the outside, the Jeep Renegade oozes kitsch. Littered with a half dozen Easter Eggs that I couldn’t care less about, there are a few functional features such as the MySky removable roof panels (which require a remarkably heavy key or equivalent Torx screwdriver to remove) and large greenhouse that I appreciate.

Mark Stevenson makes a great point that the Renegade is longer than you’d imagine: it’s longer than the Wrangler and only one foot shorter than a Wrangler Unlimited. Still, the Renegade has short front and rear overhangs, large wheel arches and 118.6 cubic feet of total space inside. That figure is slightly smaller than the Wrangler’s 120 cubes, but the case could easily be made that the Renegade’s packaging is much better — but more on that later.

Access to cargo in the rear is easy and around hip level (30 inches), and the elevated seating position combined with a steeply raked windshield, lower belt line and higher roof offer better outward visibility than others in its segment.

Clearly, the Renegade isn’t exactly aerodynamic. Its boxy shape and upright posture collect plenty of wind on the interstate, with a measurable amount of road noise coming through the cabin.

Exterior appearances mean everything, and in the segment next to the Kia Soul and Nissan Juke, the Renegade doesn’t make the fatal flaw of being boring. If anything, the car’s excessive cuteness is an asset now (even if it’s a liability later); polarizing — but effective.

Interior


There are nicer places to be than inside a Jeep Renegade, we can admit that to each other now. A red Renegade Latitude darkened my doorway for two days before I finally had the courage to turn the key (figuratively, not literally) and fire up the cute ‘ute for a run up into the mountains.

Upon landing my ample rear in the Renegade’s budget thrones, I immediately thought: “This could be worse.” That’s true: Jeep will sell an $18,000 Renegade without air conditioning, hand-crank windows, steel wheels and misery as standard.

Inside the Latitude, the Renegade gets a respectable 5-inch screen, power driver and passenger seats, remote start and cloth buckets. Trimmed respectably, the Latitude is firmly in the middle of the road — and it’s better that way. I’ve been in Trailhawk-spec versions of the Renegade, and can report that it’s like tequila: paying more for a Renegade doesn’t mean you’ll feel better in the morning.

The 40/20/40 split folding rear seats come in handy for rear passengers who want a cupholder, or for a family dog to poke its head through while in the cargo area. I could fold my 6-foot-3-frame into the rear seats sans eagle pose.

The hip point is especially high in the Renegade and outward visibility is better than advertised. Its tall position and upright view make the Renegade a much easily maneuvered car, and more approachable than a Juke.

Or maybe looking out the window is better than scanning the insides. There are clever packaging tricks, such as putting the middle air vents on top of the dash, but overall, the Renegade feels halfway there. The shifter and speaker accents visually break up the sea of black, but look like poor aftermarket parts. The climate controls are FCA bin materials and there are just too many blanks in the center console.

Infotainment


The Renegade’s tech headline may well be its 7-inch multifunction display in the gauge cluster, which is available in Limited and Trailhawk trims. The display is bright and easily readable, a gee-whiz technology touch that starts at $24,795.

If you don’t spring for the Trailhawk or Limited, the Renegade is on par with much of its competition. In all trims, the Renegade sports Jeep’s Uconnect infotainment suite, a relatively unfussy but long-in-the-tooth entertainment unit that varies based on price and trim. In standard Sport models, a basic AM/FM radio with auxiliary ports comes standard. For $2,385 more, buyers upgrade to a 5-inch touchscreen display with Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, and a backup camera, among other upgrades. In Latitude, Limited, and Trailhawk versions, the system can be improved further to include navigation and a slightly larger, 6.5-inch display.

The 5-inch screen in the Latitude is passable without ambition. Like most of my college career.

Powertrain


The Renegade’s first priority is likely efficiency above anything else. The two available 4-cylinder engines, which produce 160 and 180 horsepower, deliver mileage in the high 20s, according to the EPA.

The bigger engine, a 2.4-liter four, dubbed TigerShark, was taken from the Chrysler 200, Jeep Cherokee, and other global cars and married to the same 9-speed automatic transmission in those previously mentioned cars. That gearbox has had a particularly difficult birth — when it first appeared in the Cherokee, it seemed wildly confused — but the transmission’s behavior is slightly better in the Renegade. The 2.4-liter engine’s 180 horsepower and 175 pounds feet of torque rating are only slightly more potent than the smaller motor’s might, but the TigerShark can tow 2,000 pounds and drinks regular fuel. With 4WD, the 2.4-liter returns 21/29/24.

Both engines are surprisingly competent in their respective arenas, although neither engine is particularly overpowering. If you’re expecting to need 4WD at some point in the future, you may want to lean toward the 2.4-liter engine, although there’s no way to avoid the 9-speed in that configuration.

And it’s the gearbox that lets the Renegade down, for now. Up at 11,000 feet, the Renegade huffed and puffed to 75 mph, but only after coaxing. The transmission hunted, stalked and traipsed through its gears before finding the right cog — often at the expense of speed. Going up the mountain, I set the cruise control at 75 mph only to find the car flummoxed around 69 mph. Manually pushing the gearbox into lower gears was the right solution, and I finally managed the speed limit — albeit at a penalty to mpg.

In short, the 2.4-liter is fine. The gearbox is a different story.

Drive


There will be no holes in a crossover-crazed market for a domestic automaker. As Jeep continues its march toward obscene profitability, they could put a Power Wheels motor on a Radio Flyer with a seven-slot grille and sell plenty. The bar for the Renegade is impossibly high when you have V-8 powered Grand Cherokees and Wranglers with 300 horsepower — only 10 years ago it was 190 horsepower.

The Renegade is adequate, albeit a little tied up by its transmission. It can pull up a mountain pass with some inspiration, and a heavy right foot, but around town it manages the slog just fine. There’s considerable lag (and noise) before it finally hikes up its pants and gets along, but the same could be said about comparable engines.

In reality, the Renegade suffers from having more popular, more potent stable mates that run and climb with more gusto. The Fiat 500X, which the Renegade shares a platform, doesn’t have the same encumbrances namely because it doesn’t have a seven slot grille.

(Interior photo courtesy Jeep)




Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Pete Zaitcev Pete Zaitcev on Nov 06, 2015

    Again the 2.4 and 9sp. I feel we won't get a review of 1.4t until Jack or Bark get their mitts on one. Could be a long wait.

    • Stevelovescars Stevelovescars on Nov 10, 2015

      I drove a 1.4T/manual/AWD example at my local dealer and thought it was a pleasant combo. I found the engine to be smooth and powerful (enough) and the stick operated smoothly. At the MSRP of $22,500 (with AC and cruise control but no upgraded stereo or wheels) I thought the interior was appropriate and I liked the steel wheels just fine. There aren't many AWD cars in this class with a manual transmission left on the market. Jeep also has the Wrangler, perhaps a Subaru if you can find a stick shift anywhere, and this. The Fiat 500X doesn't offer a manual with AWD and it feels much smaller inside based on my brief drive in one, but I did like the styling better and thought the interior was nicer as well. At mid 20's I think a mid-line Renegade compares well to a Subaru CrossTrek. There are few vehicles that make much sense once they are loaded up like press cars tend to be. At those prices one starts looking at different classes of cars/trucks. At least I do.

  • Dero Dero on Dec 19, 2015

    As a former Wrangler owner (2001), remembering the maneuverability - especially in tight, off-road spaces makes me wonder why I moved to a Ram 3500. The Wrangler's drawbacks were related to abysmal fuel economy under all conditions and the 3400 rpm din at 70 mph. The Ram's 6.7L diesel and 4WD gets better mileage than the old Wrangler and has good ground clearance - front and rear. Still, I miss the old Wrangler and decided to give the Renegade a try even though it only possessed a naturally aspirated, 2.4L power plant. It had modest performance, decent paint and finish, but there seemed to be no reason for the injection-moulded front spoiler hanging down at parking bumper and curb height. It seemed unreasonable to hobble a vehicle in a product line known for off-road capability and I could see that appendage being rapidly ground away by a high-crowned dirt road. Purpose? None that could be seen by looking under the car. Conclusion? It is the entry-level Jeep and with that comes all the potential that the Renegade will become the equivalent of Cadillac's Cimarron. It inherited very little from the original line beyond the name and grille. There's not much risk in a prediction that initial interest in the Renegade will be tempered by its realities and fail to maintain the legendary resale value of Wranglers or Grand Cherokees. Because more time is spent off-road than on, there's another Wrangler in my future for the times a horse trailer or 5th wheel isn't in tow.

  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
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