2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Last year Fiat Chrysler Automobiles launched two B-segment SUVs based off the same platform but with very different designs and personalities. The more stylish Fiat 500X that I drove recently is targeted at a mainstream audience that wants the high-riding look of a utility with a modern look but has no intention of ever tackling anything more challenging than a gravel driveway. For those that actually want a real off-road capable SUV in a small package, there is the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk.
Small utilities are popping up everywhere in recent years from mainstream car brands like Honda and Mazda to luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz with the GLA. While everyone of those vehicles offers the taller stance of a utility and even optional all-wheel-drive, virtually none can really be considered off-road vehicles including the 500X. This is what sets the Renegade apart, at least in Trailhawk form.
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
From its base Sport trim level up through the Trailhawk, every Renegade looks first and foremost like a Jeep. From the seven-slot grille and round headlamps up front to the square taillamps, you won’t mistake this for any other brand. The whole body has a boxy purposeful look that screams out that this is a descendant of the Willys MB that took soldiers to the battlefield 75 years ago.
In profile, the Renegade’s roof is 3.4-inches taller than the 500X and in classic Jeep fashion, the overhangs are kept to a minimum to maximize the approach and departure angles when climbing over boulders. The Trailhawk adds an extra 0.8-inches of ride height, bringing the ground clearance to 8.7-inches with 8.1 inches of wheel travel.
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
In typical 21st century fashion, lesser Renegades come standard with front-wheel-drive while all-wheel-drive is optional. The base engine is the Fiat 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbo with a six-speed manual but most Renegades including all Trailhawks exclusively use the aging 2.4-liter with a nine-speed automatic. The standard 3.734:1 final drive ratio on other Renegade models is lowered to 4.334:1 for the Trailhawk.
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Trailhawks are the only Renegades that get the Jeep Active Drive Low system added to the Selec-Terrain four-wheel-drive. That gives the Renegade a 20:1 low range crawl ratio and a switch that lets the driver choose from auto, snow, sand, mud or rock modes to control the torque distribution among the wheels. In an era when even small cars are increasingly equipped with 18 or 19-wheels and ultra-low profile tires, the Trailhawk gets taller, skinnier 215/65R17 tires and alloy wheels in place of the 225/55R18s on the top Fiat. I didn’t do any off-roading with the Renegade but other reviewers that have generally agree that while this is no Wrangler, it is the most capable small utility out there and it earns the Trail-Rated badge that Jeep only puts on its most rock friendly models.
Click here to compare the Renegade to its competition
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Inside, the Trailhawk is not as utilitarian as you might expect given its boulder traversing capabilities. This is definitely not a Jeep you’re going to just hose down after a day of playing in the mud. The seats and steering wheel are wrapped in leather and the dash is finished in a standard in keeping with modern expectations. The black that dominates is accented with bright red trim around the shifter, door speakers and outboard air vents. The tachometer also provides a reminder of the Renegade’s capabilities with a splash of mud where the redline would normally be. Just in case you forgot you were driving a Jeep, the Renegade also provides plenty of easter eggs consisting of the iconic slot grille and round lamps. You’ll find this icon embossed in the speaker surrounds, the sides of the telematics unit behind the mirror, the inside of the tailgate, inside the head and taillamps and probably countless other places that I didn’t find.
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
The Trailhawk also gets a very interesting open-air driving system. A switch at the front edge of the headliner lets you move back the panel above the front seats in a typical power sliding sunroof fashion. If that’s not enough, a second special key (again with the Jeep icon cast in) can be inserted to release the large latch at the front of the panel. This lets you completely remove the panel. The same can be done with the panel over the rear seats. A large pouch is provided in the cargo area for storing the panels so you don’t have to leave them behind. The composite panels are light and easy to remove, but a bit finicky to put back without a second set of hands to line everything up.
2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
The extra roof-height of the Renegade contributes to headroom for taller passengers in the back seat and six-footers will have adequate leg room. There is 18.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats. With the seats folded, that swells to 50.8 cubic feet of very usable space.
As you might expect given the off-road tuning of the Trailhawk, it doesn’t ride as well as the 500X with a sometimes bouncy demeanor over the often uneven pavement of southeast Michigan. I suspect the lesser Renegades have tuning somewhat more like the more comfortable Fiat and if you don’t plan to do any trail running or rock crawling, you might want to choose one of those over the Trailhawk.
All of the skid plates, tow hooks and off-road four-wheel-drive hardware also add bulk to the Trailhawk. Being taller than the Fiat, the Renegade is heavier in all forms, starting at 3,044 pounds for the front-drive 1.4-liter. At 3,573-pounds, the Trailhawk is 600 pounds heftier than the all-wheel-drive 500X I drove. The 180-horsepower engine offers adequate but not exciting performance and the transmission shifts smoothly and predictably. The EPA rates four-wheel-drive 2.4-liter Renegade at 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. I averaged 22 mpg over my week of mixed city and highway driving.
The differences between the Renegade and 500X likely provide a preview of what we might expect from Ford in the next few of years as it introduces four new SUV nameplates. In all likelihood, we’ll see at least two and possibly three utilities in this same size class. One will probably be a Lincoln to go up against the GLA and Audi Q2 and we’ll probably see two Fords, one that is more of a tall hatch similar in theme if not style to the 500X while another will be more of a traditional SUV. That one may not have the off-road capability of the Renegade Trailhawk, but it will provide an interesting alternative.
The 2016 Renegade starts at $26,495 and my pretty much loaded test unit stickered at $31,400 including delivery charges. It’s not cheap but those that like the Jeep look but want to stick to pavement can get a Renegade Sport starting at a far more reasonable $17,995. I’m personally still not inclined to buy a utility of any flavor, preferring something with a lower stance. But for those that do, the Renegade is an option that doesn’t look like all of the others.
Click here for complete specs of the 2016 Jeep Renegade
