Jeep Renegade Trackhawk? Don’t Rule It Out

Jeep's Grand Cherokee Trackhawk performance SUV has certainly triggered a positive response from fans, enough so that the carmaker is open to the idea of further Trackhawk models.

And while it's unlikey to produce 522kW like its big sister, the compact-sized Renegade SUV might lend itself to a model that could be dubbed 'baby Trackhawk'.

Jeep head of brand, Scott Tallon, stopped short of confirming that the company was looking at giving the diminutive Renegade the trackday makeover, but instead acknowledged the idea was an “intriguing” one.

“’Performance leaning utility’ is a relatively new concept,” Tallon said, speaking with TMR.

"There's only been a few players in this space. So as this space develops there could be an opportunity for anyone to capitalise on it, and as long as it meets our internal benchmarks, like the Trackhawk we have today, I think it's something worth taking a closer look at."

“At this time, though, [we have] no current plans. But the Renegade is intriguing, yes.”

The Italian-made Jeep Renegade, which shares its basic underpinnings with the Fiat 500X, is a logical candidate for a performance makeover, as parent company FCA could turn to Fiat partner Abarth for a range of go-fast goodies without outlaying vast sums for development.

Despite its SUV identity, the Renegade is no higher off the ground than a Toyota Corolla, meaning handling changes would be easy to achieve, as well.

Compact SUV