Most crossovers have — or offer — all-wheel drive.
Most SUVs have — or offer — four-wheel drive. Both systems drive all four wheels, but AWD is usually less capable off-road than 4WD. On the other hand, AWD has the upside of fewer parts, less weight and so (usually) better gas mileage and handling on-road.
The Jeep Renegade is a crossover that offers an AWD system with similar-to-SUV 4WD capability, without the additional parts, weight and gas costs that usually come along for the ride with 4WD.
Or the cost.
What It Is
The Renegade is a compact-size crossover that's generally similar to others about the same size, such as the Volkswagen Taos and the Mazda CX-30.
With a big difference.
Other small crossovers have (or offer) a light-duty AWD system that differs from the 4WD systems most SUV have (or offer) in that they do not have a gear-reduction function (i.e., Low Range.)
That limits what they can handle off-road (and when there's deep snow on the road).
The Renegade offers that function, without the addition of a two-speed transfer case and the weight and expense that comes with it. Instead, it uses the transmission —in Trailhawk versions — to provide a similar leverage advantage for bullying through deep snow (and mud off-road).
Base price is $27,805 for the Latitude trim, which comes standard with a lighter-duty AWD system that's more like the ones that come standard with or are available with other small crossovers.
A top-of-the-line Limited lists for $32,845.
The Trailhawk — which comes with more ground clearance (8.7 inches vs. 8 inches for other trims) as well as underbody skid plates, 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, tow hooks and other upgrades to make it more capable off-road — lists for $31,945.
What's New for 2023
Other than a slight shuffling of trims — including the dropping of the formerly available Sport trim — the Renegade carries over unchanged.
What's Good
More available capability in a crossover that isn't an SUV.
Looks more like an SUV than the typical crossover.
Better gas mileage than most SUVs.
Lower cost than most SUVs.
What's Not So Good
Standard engine is small for the weight — and there's no optional engine.
Gas mileage isn't much better than that returned by many SUVs with much larger (and stronger) engines.
Premium fuel required.
Under The Hood
Regardless of trim, every Renegade is powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 177 horsepower and 210 foot-pounds of torque.
A nine-speed automatic is standard, as is AWD.
The Jeep offers something else, too.
It's an upgraded Selec-Trac AWD system with a gear-reduction function that multiplies the torque available at low speeds. It is similar in terms of what it does to the two-speed transfer case most 4WD SUVs have — but without the transfer case.
And that's why the Jeep's mileage — 23 mpg city, 29 mpg highway — is better than what you'd get with a 4WD SUV.
However, it's not much better.
As a point of comparison, a Jeep Wrangler — with 4WD (and a two-speed transfer case) and a much larger V6 engine — still manages 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.
Still, it's a larger vehicle — which you may not want. And it's an SUV, which you also may not want.
On the other hand, you may not want to pay for premium unleaded fuel, which is what the Renegade's tiny, turbocharged engine requires in order to deliver its mileage and performance numbers.
On The Road
Why not just get — and drive — an SUV?
That's fine, if you want an SUV. But this Jeep provides a kind of midpoint in between an SUV and a crossover. Which kind of makes it a ... crossover.
It's easier to get into than a typical SUV because it's not as lifted as many SUVs are, and it's easier to drive (or rather, to maneuver) than any current four-door SUV because it is much smaller than they all are.
How small?
It's just 166.6 inches from front to back.
As a point of reference (again), check out the Jeep Wrangler, which is one of the smallest 4WD SUVs currently available. The four-door version is 188.4 inches long, or almost 2 feet longer. And that's about as small as it gets, if you want a four-door SUV. (The Wrangler is available in a shorter, two-door version — but then you only have two doors.)
The Renegade's shortness makes its turning radius tighter than the typical four-door 4WD SUVs; it's almost 3 feet tighter than the Wrangler four-door's (36.3 feet vs. 38.8 feet), and it can fit into tight curbside parking spots the four-door Wrangler must pass by due to its length.
At The Curb
The big sell here — beyond the extra measure of capability afforded over other small crossovers — is how much space there is for the size it is.
There's 41.2 inches of legroom up front, 35.1 inches in the back, and 18.5 cubic feet of space for stuff behind that. Drop the rear seats and the space for cargo opens up to 50.8 cubic feet. This is much more space than you'd have to work with in the two-door Wrangler, which only has 12.9 cubic feet of space for cargo behind its rear seats, maxing out at 31.7 cubic feet total.
The four-door has more — but then you'd have to buy (and pay more for) the four door, which starts at $35,895, or about $8,000 more than the Renegade's base price of $27,805.
The Rest
All trims come standard with a trailer sway controller (even though this little Jeep is only rated to pull a maximum of 2,000 pounds), and there's still a 12-volt power point up front. Many newer design vehicles have eliminated the 12-volt power point, or placed it where it's hard for the driver to reach, such as in the back seat area.
The Bottom Line
Maybe it's not a "real" SUV — and that's true. But maybe you don't want just another crossover, either.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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