I was actually really excited to drive the 2015 Jeep Renegade until I learned that my press fleet tester was the front-wheel drive model. That’s right: I went from what I believe was the finest sports car I’ve ever driven to a Jeep with an economy car drivetrain.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
Maybe it’s just as well. My coworkers have spent time offroading the 4x4 Renegade. Now I’m going to test the version that, let’s be honest, most people will end up buying. (Or will they? The Jeep crowd is more hardcore than most.)
Anyway, this is a Renegade Limited with the 2.4-liter NA Tigershark four, the nine-speed automatic, and no fancy 4x4 system for rock climbing. I can’t say it’s how I’d option my Renegade, nor can I say I love it so far.
Things I like: Love the exterior design; lots of nice details in the interior; it’s a good size, being roomy and practical without being too big or a pain to park; still reasonably fun to drive.
Things I don’t like as much: Infamously bad transmission takes forever to find gears; not especially quick in any environment; loads of body roll; why doesn’t it have four-wheel drive?; this is no one’s fault but my God is that color hideous.
The price on this one is an extremely reasonable $25,865. I welcome your questions. Expect a writeup next week sometime.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.