2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk REVIEW | Jeep’s Funky Mixed Bag – Climbs Like A Goat, Drives…Hmmm?
SOCIAL CLIMBER OR ROCK CLIMBER? THAT IS THE SIZEABLE QUESTION ASKED BY THE 2016 JEEP RENEGADE TRAILHAWK. Because it’s good at one, and not so good at the other.
The Renegade plays in the fashionable small SUV segment, and is all pastel colours, funkified style and customisation options.
But it is also a Jeep, a badge born of an ability to get down and dirty. The Trailhawk range flagship tested here, with its raised ride height, low-range gearing and an all-wheel-drive lock button, shows a clear off-road intent.
So can this sub-$40,000 small SUV merge hipster with hardcore?
Vehicle Style: Small SUV
Price: $39,000 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 129kW/230Nm 2.4 litre 4cyl petrol | 9sp automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 7.5 l/100km | tested: 11.4 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Let’s deal with the elephant in the corner of the paddock first – when the Jeep Renegade launched early this year it was pricey. It has since had three price cuts.
What began as a range costing between $29,500 and $41,500 (plus on-road costs) now asks between $26,000 and $39,000 (plus orc). Curiously, the top models haven’t been cut by the same degree as the base models.