Jeep Renegade Review

The Jeep Renegade is a vehicle that offers a fun boxy style, but it’s not nearly as large as some of Jeep’s other SUVs like the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited. It also has a much more affordable starting price. The compact Renegade offers rugged exterior features, impressive off-road capability, and you can also get that great open-air feel with it from the My Sky open-air roof panel system that conveniently stows in the rear cargo area. There’s the choice of two fuel efficient engines with the Renegade including a new 1.3-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine, and also a 2.4-liter Tigershark engine with up to 180 horsepower. The Renegade can also be equipped with two 4x4 systems fit for city or off-road. For 2020, the Jeep Renegade lineup consists of Sport, Latitude, Limited, Trailhawk, and also a number of special edition models.

SUVs.com had the chance to check out a 2020 Jeep Renegade Latitude model. To continue learning more about the Renegade, keep reading below!

Despite being compact, the Jeep Renegade has a fun style. Jeep likes to say that it was born to stand out.

“From stylish design cues to panoramic views, it’s both city-friendly and off-road ready,” writes Jeep on its website.

For 2020, the Renegade features fresh styling with rugged body forms and aggressive proportions.

You have two available sunroof options to help you feel closer to the outdoors in your Renegade. There’s the dual-pane panoramic sunroof that opens wide with just the push of a button but if you want even more of an open-air feel, you could opt for the My Sky power removable sunroof. The My Sky sunroof system has two panels that can be easily removed and stored flat in the height-adjustable cargo area.

There’s lots of variety offered with the Renegade’s exterior as there’s a long list of colors to choose from. There are also multiple available wheel and tire combinations.

The Jeep Renegade Latitude that SUVs.com recently had the chance to check out had a cool blacked-out look to it that gave the compact SUV an even edgier feel.

Jeep says there’s no room for boring inside the Renegade and we have to agree that the vehicle does have a fun, sporty vibe. The steering wheel has an athletic and modern feel to it and the touchscreen also stands out.

While the Renegade is a compact SUV, it’s surprisingly spacious! You have a solid amount of headroom and when you opt for one of the exciting sunroof options, the interior feels even larger. The Renegade’s interior also comes with an exciting range of available materials that seamlessly blend style with comfort. To help make your Renegade feel even more comfortable, you can also opt for the available heated front seats, the heated steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control.

You can stay highly connected in your 2020 Renegade with the available Uconnect 4 8.4” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, HD radio, voice command, and Bluetooth. To make your Renegade’s interior feel even more modern, you can opt for the available 7” digital driver display. There’s also an available 4G WiFi hotspot that covers up to eight devices within a 50-foot radius.

There are clever storage solutions with the Jeep Renegade including the front-passenger seat footwell and the rear cargo area that folds flat. The 60/40 split-folding rear seats are great for storing cargo, and the front passenger seat can also fold forward when transporting longer items. 

As for performance, there are two different engines offered with the Jeep Renegade. There’s a 1.3-liter four-cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine, and also a 2.4L Tigershark.

The 1.3-liter four-cylinder direction injection turbo engine gets up to an EPA estimated 32 mpg on the highway (in front-wheel drive models), and it also produces 177 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine also features stop/start technology when paired to the nine-speed automatic transmission.

The available 2.4L Tigershark engine, meanwhile, features advanced MultiAir technology for outstanding power with low emissions. The Tigershark engine offers an impressive 180 hp and 175 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Renegade may be small but considering how it’s a Jeep, it still offers legendary capability. It can be equipped with two 4x4 systems fit for city or off-road. For ultimate capability, the available Jeep Active Drive Low system delivers a 21:1 crawl ratio. The available Selec-Terrain Traction Management System has a number of different modes to choose from to help your Renegade adapt to a variety of surfaces such as snow, sand, mud, or an exclusive rock mode that comes available on the Trailhawk models. The Jeep Renegade Trailhawk models also sport the highly coveted Trail Rated badge, meaning it passed a series of grueling tests to wear it proudly.

The 2020 Jeep Renegade isn’t just a capable vehicle, but it’s also safe. The Renegade’s rigid chassis is manufactured with advanced high-strength steel that helps with crash protection. There are also seven airbags that come standard. Jeep says there are more than 70 standard and available safety and security features offered with its Renegade, including forward collision warning-plus and departure warning-plus.

The 2020 Jeep Renegade is priced from $22,620 with the front-wheel drive version. The price goes up from there, though, if you opt for a higher trim model or one of the special edition versions. Adding one of the available 4x4 systems will also drive up the price, as will any additional packages or accessories you opt for.

The Jeep Renegade’s competitors include the Mazda CX-3, Subaru Crosstrek, Nissan Rogue Sport, Honda HR-V, and many others.

As always, be sure to test drive any vehicle you might be interested in purchasing. It’s also important to check with your local Jeep dealer to see if there are any offers or incentives you can take advantage of. Doing some additional research to make sure the vehicle is the perfect fit for you and your needs is also smart.

The National Highways Safety Administration gives the Jeep Renegade 4 out of 5 stars in all crash test ratings and a 4-star overall rating. The front seats were well protected in the side collision but the rear passenger dummy experienced enough force to cause serious injury. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also crash tested the Renegade. A weak spot is the small overlap front test, which was done in 2015 and suspiciously hasn’t been done since, improving the Renegade’s ratings.

Like the Ford Escape and Ford Edge, the video shows the dummy’s head makes contact with the front airbag briefly before sliding between the side and front airbag to make contact with the A pillar. The readings from the dummy did not indicate serious injury was caused, but there is potential for serious injury, especially if velocity is increased. On the plus side, the available collision prevention technology receives an “Advanced” rating, the second highest available. We think the Jeep Renegade is about as safe as most SUVs on the market, but there are higher rated subcompact crossovers like the Fiat 500x and Mazda CX-3.

The Jeep Renegade represents a fresh spin on iconic Jeep brand styling. It may be a compact SUV, but it brings a bold, rugged look that stands out. It’s both city-friendly and off-road ready and that’s what makes it such an attractive option to so many people. The two available sunroof options offer that great open-air freedom that many people are looking for with a Jeep. The interior is also comfortable and looks a lot more modern than you might expect. The steering wheel has a great look to it, for example, and all the connectivity features are wonderful.

There’s a lot to like about the bold Renegade including its more affordable starting price, although it’s no Wrangler Unlimited.

We gave the 2020 Jeep Renegade an SUVs.com deal score of 81/100. Would you ever consider a Jeep Renegade? Please do leave a comment on our YouTube review of the vehicle and let us know!