By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 5, 2016) I didn’t know what to think about the Jeep Renegade. It’s not that I thought the cute ute was incapable of living up to the Jeep name. That worry was eliminated just after the concept was shown at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show when a Chrysler engineer admitted that a properly driven Trail Rated Renegade Trailhawk could make it through the Lyman Trail at the company’s Chelsea, Mich., proving ground. Given the muck and mess and elevation change found on this trail, that was high praise indeed.

What bothered me was the fact that it is built off Fiat underpinnings at a Fiat plant in Melfi, Italy. Having toured Fiat’s Turin, Italy, plant in the early years of this century, this did not fill me with hope. Touring that plant was like a trip back to the 1930s, with strange overtones of Mussolini combined with assembly practices of the “good enough” school of build quality.

Also, the design is just this side of full-on cartoon, and festooned with enough Easter eggs to make the Easter Bunny jealous. Why does a Jeep need so many hidden-in plain-sight reminders of the brand’s history? Is it that younger buyers don’t know or care about how Jeep came to be, that Jeep designers themselves aren’t certain what makes a Jeep a Jeep, or that image-conscious buyers need these reminders to drive home why they bought this instead of some other small off-roader?

That said, the Renegade made a decent first impression with its Omaha Orange exterior and Bark Brown/Ski Gray interior working better together than a mere recitation of those colors might suggest.

And you immediately get the feeling this vehicle is more cohesive and, well, Jeep like than the DaimlerChrysler Compass and Patriot that first threatened to devalue the brand. Aimed at the surprisingly hot B-class cute ute segment, the Renegade is a bit bigger than most of the players in this segment. Cars like the Kia Soul might match its 101.2-in. wheelbase, but nothing else in the segment is quite as long (166.6 in.), wide (74.2 in. with mirrors folded) or tall (66.5 in.), and certainly nothing is as square rigged as the Renegade. Which means the interior feels surprisingly roomy, light and airy. So much so that you feel as though you are inside a crossover one size larger.

Rear seat passengers share in the fun with an optional split/fold rear bench that is located well off the floor, features plenty of leg room, is easy to enter and exit, and leaves plenty of room overhead. It isn’t the penalty box the rear quarters of many small crossovers can be, and rear seat passengers not only have a clear view forward, there are large side windows to eliminate any feelings of claustrophobia or nausea.

The ability to see and judge the horizons as well as what’s to each side significantly reduces the likelihood that folks in the back will be using the cloth seats as a canvas for a multi-color impressionist painting.

Another item that will help keep them from losing their lunch is a pretty well resolved suspension, especially in terms of ride. Granted, our Renegade was the Latitude, not the more off-road focused Trailhawk, but it nonetheless rode without the harshness or the level of pitch and roll sensitivity you would expect from a high-riding off-roader. The steering is direct, but you are stopped from treating the Renegade like a sporty car by the roll angles that remind you this vehicle’s milieu is as much off pavement as on. And it is the softness of the suspension bushings that not only soak up the bumps that might otherwise be transmitted straight into the cabin, but allow enough movement of the control arms and anti-roll bar so that they rattle over humps, bumps and other disturbances. Unfortunately, though this noise is undoubtedly benign, it does not elicit impressions of high build quality.

That is underlined by a couple of other foibles found in the Renegade. The control stalks feel slightly cheap and have a very pronounced — and stiff — feel; the turn signal being the most blatant offender. The “notch” between off and on feels like you are pushing the stalk up and over a steep, sharply defined ramp, a feeling which is amplified by the slick plastic used to make the stalks. A more gradual engagement ramp would go a long way to improve this situation.

In addition, the otherwise laudable Uconnect infotainment system is slow to react, feeling like a first generation version of Cadillac’s CUE system. Using the 6.5-in. touchscreen to switch from the navigation function to any of the other functions incurred a noticeable delay not found with other Uconnect units we have tried. This may have been a glitch in this particular unit, but it is worth mentioning that the window sticker’s $1,245 line item for the navigation and Uconnect grouping includes mention of a five year SiriusXM Travel Link and Traffic subscription. Enough, it should be said, to make the infotainment unit’s inexplicable delay look insignificant in comparison for city dwellers.

Instead of the standard turbocharged 1.4-liter MultiAir four mated to a six-speed automatic, our test vehicle was fitted with the 2.4-liter Tigershark four mated to a nine-speed automatic. This motor has 20 more horsepower than the smaller engine, but nine fewer lb.-ft. of torque, all driving through the optional Jeep Active Drive all-wheel drive system. Unlike the smaller-engined Renegades, or front-drive models, the 4x4/Tigershark powertrain is capable of towing up to 2,000 lb.

The 4x4 system also features a rotary controller located just forward of the gear lever that lets the driver choose the drive mode (Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud) and gives him the ability to lock the system into four-wheel drive for maximum traction. There was little opportunity to test the Renegade off road. However, an easy to decipher drive select system with automatic 4x4 engagement that fully disconnects in 4x2 mode should meet most needs.

Fitted with this powertrain combination, the nearly 3,400 lb. Renegade won’t win any drag races or fuel economy contests. It takes just over nine seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, and fuel economy is EPA rated at 21 city/29 highway/24 combined. The highway number seems a bit optimistic — you are pushing a bluff shape through the wind, and engagement of ninth gear is about as common as sightings of Santa Claus — but the combined fuel economy number is close to accurate. The little Jeep responds to drivers that look and plan ahead, tailoring their throttle application to current and emerging driving conditions. Drive unaware, nail the throttle to fill a gap or keep up with traffic as it accelerates away, and you will pay the price in both fuel economy and engine noise. Plan ahead, apply the throttle smoothly, and you will be rewarded.

Easter eggs abound, this one on the tailgate's inner panel. The iconic Jeep "face" is repeated on the speaker surrounds, MySky torx key, inside rearview mirror surround and elsewhere.So will your banker. The Renegade Latitude 4x4 has a base price of $23,395, but our tester topped out at $33,055, including the $995 destination charge. That nearly $10,000 difference can be pared down if you are willing to do without some of the tech trinkets. The Cold Weather Group is a no-brainer addition for those in colder climates for the fact that it contains three near-mandatory items: heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a windshield wiper de-icer.

And the rain-sensitive wipers and all-weather floor mats are nice, too. With the great sightlines, robust structure, easy to see corners and ample interior, the Advanced Technology Group’s $995 might be unnecessary. It includes lane departure warning, full-speed front collision warning, and rear parking sensors. Then again, with today’s seemingly rampant distracted driving, it might be worth the cost.

The $125 passive entry option could be jettisoned, as could the $695 Safety and Security Package. Except this package includes blind spot and cross-traffic detection along with the tonneau cover and security alarm. You don’t really need the latter, but the former is a nice bit of kit. Navigation is far from a necessity for most, and smartphones with the proper app can substitute if necessary, which means the $1,245 Navigation Group is out.

If you don’t tow, you might want to consider the 1.4-liter MultiAir eying and pocket the $1,480 savings. Ditto the upgrade to 18-in. wheels and tires ($595), the addition of remote starting ($125), and — for all but the most rabid sun worshiper — the $1,470 MySky power retractable/removable roof system. On the other hand, the Popular Equipment Group adds a whole lot of useful items (40/20/40 split rear seat, power adjustable driver’s seat, automatic dual-zone climate control and more) for a reasonable $645.

Watching the pennies may not be necessary for one subset of small crossover buyers, however. Though vehicles like the Renegade are aimed at young singles and families just starting out, they are equally attractive to older and more established buyers who want the convenience of a crossover, but not the bulk.

These buyers are very interested in larding up their rides with all the options, and should make the Renegade a very profitable yet full-fledged addition to the Jeep brand. Huh, now I think I understand the Renegade’s mission.

The Virtual Driver