Jeep’s ten-year-old boxy SUV is updated for 2024 – can it still keep up with the competition?
A lot can change in ten years, but looking at the Jeep Renegade, which has just been updated for 2024, you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing has changed at all. It first went on sale in 2014 at a time when the market was flooded with a growing market of boxy crossover-hatchbacks, and before the arrival of the Jeep Avenger in 2023, the Renegade was Jeep’s first all-new model introduction for almost a decade. That wasn’t the only ‘first’ in the Renagade’s repertoire – it was the first Jeep ever to be built outside of the United States, and the brand’s first car to be born directly from the collaboration of American and European designers and engineers. In its second full calendar year on sale (2016), the Renegade turned Jeep into the 100,000-a-year player in the European car market it had previously only ever dreamed of becoming. The bonanza didn’t stop there. The firm broke through the 150,000-unit threshold in 2018, with 45% of its Continental sales volume coming from you know where. Now the car is leading Jeep into the electrified era.The Jeep Renegade comes from a company that reaches back into its seven and half decades of 4×4-making history. Distinctiveness, character and capability are always a given with Jeep, but is the substance right? And is the execution still in tune with what buyers want from a crossover? Some changes have been made for 2024, but the Jeep Renegade package is fundamentally the same as it was a decade ago. No changes have been made to the exterior, but Jeep’s decision not to significantly update the Renegade’s design was always a tactical one. By the brand’s own admission though, the model had fallen behind owing to its lack of technology. As part of this latest update, there’s a new infotainment system, plus some efficiency upgrades – but will they help the Renegade stand out among a host of more modern rivals? Let’s find out…The Jeep Renegade range at a glanceThe Jeep Renegade was previously offered with a selection of petrol engines, plus one diesel powertrain, but as of 2024 is exclusively electrified. The mildly electrified Renegade e-Hybrid opens the range, powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 128bhp and 177lb ft available. It’s assisted by a 20bhp electric motor and a 48V battery positioned between the two front seats. Next up is the Renegade 4XE, which pairs four-wheel drive with plug-in hybrid power. It’s driven by a 178bhp combustion engine, partnered with a 60bhp, 184lb ft electric motor and an 11.4kWh battery. Power stands at 237bhp in total, with around 21 miles of electric-only range.VERSIONPOWER1.5 T4 E-HYBRID 130HP DCT FWD128bhpGSE T4 240HP AT PHEV 4xe237bhp
Source: Autocar
