The cubist Jeep Renegade has been in production for almost a decade now, and its parent manufacturer is trying to keep it fresh and relevant by treating it to a technology update for 2024. The non-plug-in, petrol-electric, mild-hybrid drivetrain continues in service to keep the eco-credentials in check, so can the ageing Renegade in this specification convince us that it's not mutton dressed as lamb?
In the metal
There's a certain appeal to the Renegade's blocky, vaguely old-school shape, we grant you, as it competes in a section of the market where many products are anonymously styled, smoothed-off and homogenous, but this is not a car design that is in any way in its first flush of youth. For the 2024 model year updates, visually nothing has changed, so if you've always liked the set-square appearance of the Jeep then you won't be put off by this latest version. About the only thing to note is that this revised e-Hybrid model gains the small, lower-case, green 'e' on its boot lid to signify that it's the mild-hybrid version.
If the outside is starting to show its age, albeit masking it as well as it can, the same can't be said of the interior - which just looks badly dated now. Jeep hasn't held back on the tech count, giving the 2024MY Renegade e-Hybrid a new full-TFT 10.25-inch instrument cluster (replacing a simplistic seven-inch unit previously), an enlarged 10.1-inch infotainment system (which has five times faster processors and an Android operating system, to massively improve its responsiveness and appearance from the old 8.4-inch 'Uconnect' set-up), wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital rear-view camera, USB-C sockets to go with the USB-As, and also a fresh design of steering wheel. Further, the updated onboard software is now 4G connected and can be updated over-the-air as well.
All very noble. And all utterly incapable of hiding the fact that the basic dash architecture in the Renegade is a cliff-face of cheap-looking, charcoal-grey plastics. The door cards aren't much better either, while even the seats feel a bit limp and as if they're not as supportive as they should be; like they've already seen 50,000km of usage, when in fact they're straight from the Jeep factory.
OK, so you can still operate most of the Renegade's large-button switchgear while using gloves - something that this US firm is proud of, given its strong off-road heritage - and at almost 4.25 metres long, space in the rear of the crossover is actually quite commendable (even if the 351-litre boot capacity isn't anything to write home about), but the long and short of it is that the Renegade's cabin isn't very impressive at all these days, enhanced tech levels or not. Oh, and the new steering wheel is just too big.
Driving it
Although Jeep has recently revealed the more modern Avenger e-Hybrid, the running gear in this Renegade e-Hybrid isn't shared with that model. In fact, it has been in service since 2022 and so this blocky crossover uses a 1.5-litre 'T4' engine, along with a 15kW (20hp) electric motor housed in a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and only connected to the even gear shaft.
The power for this comes from a tiny 0.8kWh, 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack, so there is a limited amount of electric drive available in the Renegade e-Hybrid. Its electrical system is mainly there to provide silent starts, a good deal of energy recuperation through coasting and regenerative braking, and timely power boosts to the combustion engine when needed - all of which reduces its fuel consumption. Although we're not sure about the phrase Jeep uses for its low-speed crawling capabilities, which is 'e-Creeping'. Ugh.
Anyway, the long and short of all this is a Renegade with a maximum 130hp and 240Nm, capable of running 0-100km/h in less than ten seconds and yet purportedly also using just 5.7 litres/100km, with CO2 emissions at a lowly 128g/km - resulting in an affordable €200 per year tax requirement, only without all the faff of the full plug-in hybrid set-up in the Renegade 4xe.
On which note, even though this is a Jeep, the Renegade e-Hybrid is front-wheel drive in this specification. It does have features such as Hill Descent Control and four-mode Selec-Terrain (Auto, Sand/Mud, Snow and Sport) to help it go further into the rough stuff than you might imagine of a '4x2', in the manufacturer's own parlance, but it is not a rough-and-tumble off-roader in the traditional sense either.
This means the Renegade e-Hybrid is primarily a road vehicle, for all the wilderness tilting of parent company Jeep - and, frankly, it's a long way from brilliant on tarmac. The ride comfort is OK, although the Renegade e-Hybrid can feel a little ponderous in the wake of large compressions in the tarmac, like the suspension has momentarily lost control of the body as it bounces around on its springs. This looseness is a sensation exacerbated in the corners, where the Jeep is roly-poly and imprecise. Admittedly, the example we tried out was running on winter tyres, optimised for temperatures of less than seven degrees Celsius, and the weather was a balmy 17 degrees C so that wouldn't have helped the Renegade's overall composure, but this is not a vehicle with particularly good handling.
That won't matter too much to the typical Renegade customer, though, so the bigger issue is that this crossover doesn't feel particularly sophisticated. The 1.5-litre engine sounds coarse when it is revved to any significant degree, while the seven-speed gearbox in this e-Hybrid is nowhere near the last word in either responsiveness or refinement.
And while the chunky exterior appearance of the Renegade is its selling point, it also makes it a bit rowdy to travel in - the upright windscreen, an almost total lack of concessions to aerodynamics and large door mirrors result in a fair amount of blustering about the passenger compartment, while you'll also hear plenty of road and suspension noise on the move too. The Jeep's slightly rugged comportment might have been acceptable back in 2014 or '15, when it was novel and standing out from the norm as the pseudo-off-roader of the crossover pack, but today? It just feels off the pace for all the main dynamic considerations, sadly. Not bad... but not polished, either.
What you get for your money
Jeep is only going to sell the Renegade e-Hybrid in one specification, called Limited. This brings with it the new array of interior screens, as well as 17-inch wheels, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, rear parking sensors, wireless smartphone connectivity and a smattering of advanced driver assist safety systems. For all that, it's just a smidge beyond 38 grand, which is competitive enough - albeit Jeep's own Avenger significantly undercuts it on price and outperforms it in nearly every department, save for rear-passenger space. So, whether you think the Renegade is affordable for something so rugged looking, or overpriced for an outmoded small crossover, all depends on how much you really want to buy one.
Summary
The technology updates in the Jeep Renegade e-Hybrid are most welcome and this is still a crossover that cuts its own aesthetic furrow in this class - nothing looks quite as distinctive as the Renegade does, so it will still win fans on showroom appeal alone. Regrettably, to drive it is rather less splendid, having a noisy engine, woolly handling, so-so rolling refinement and a general feeling of being ready to be put out to pasture. You might be able to ignore these issues, though, if you have your heart set on its cubic form, and with the amount of space on offer in the cabin it can still make a lot of sense to give the Renegade e-Hybrid some thought as a new-car purchase. And then buy the more advanced Avenger instead.
