Jeep’s latest model, the small Renegade, has created quite a stir on the online world, with most comments being positive about the brand’s first entry into the small SUV segment. Officially revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, the 2015 Jeep Renegade promises to be a strong contender to the Nissan Juke and other crossover from the segment.

As you may have heard, the Renegade shares its underpinnings with the upcoming Fiat 500X and the existing Fiat 500L range, and will be built alongside its Fiat sibling in Melfi, Italy.

The Renegade was designed to accommodate up to 16 different powertrain combinations, including four MultiAir petrol engines, two Multijet diesels, flex-fuel capable units, two manual, one dual clutch and a segment-first nine-speed automatic transmissions.

The Jeep Renegade will be sold globally, with the most important markets to be North America and Europe. In the States, engine options will include two gasoline units: a 160hp 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual and a 184 2.4-liter four-cylinder linked to a 9-speed automatic.

In Europe, the range will include three petrol and two diesels. These include 170PS (168hp) and 140PS (138hp) versions of Fiat’s 1.4-liter Multiair four-cylinder, and the 184hp 2.4-liter Tigershark petrols, plus the 110PS (108hp) 1.6L, 120PS (118hp) 1.6L and 140PS (138hp) 2.0L diesels.

The Renegade will be offered with two all-wheel drive systems, the full-time Active Drive that sends up to 100 percent of torque to any axle when necessary, and the Active Drive Low that comes as standard on the Trail Hawk model and which adds a low range with a 20:1 crawl ratio in first gear. The latter also includes hill-descent control and Selec-Terrain traction control with Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud options (plus Rock 4×4 on the Trail Hawk).

By Dan Mihalascu

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