Well, in just a few short weeks the Renegade will be here (probably), so let’s talk about it.
We’ll admit that it’s cute looking, and we’re not sure how we feel about that. Jeep is America. Jeep is World War II. And apparently now, Jeep is cute. Cute is different.
But let’s get some facts straight. You can get a manual transmission. A continuously variable transmission isn’t even an option. It can operate in four-wheel drive mode, and the Trailhawk version is always in four-wheel drive.
You get eight inches of ground clearance and 19 inches of water fording. Plus, the body is steel, not the aluminum that is taking over most new cars these days. For a cute Jeep, the Renegade is going out of its way to prove that it’s still a Jeep.
It has a low center of gravity to keep it from tipping, and the fiberglass roof panels can be removed. So every Renegade is more or less a convertible.
Sure, it’s different. But remember the Jeeps from the old classic World War II movies? American G.I.’s would zip around base on some Pacific island in a Jeep with a huge steering wheel. It looked so effortless the way they hopped in and pulled up in front of the officer’s club.
The Renegade is a return to that. It’s a lighter form of Jeep, but an inherently American one. Small and mobile is what Jeep was all about in the beginning. Maybe the best way to see the Renegade is to film it in black and white video on your phone.
Imagine some fellows in uniform around and see if it passes muster. We’re willing to bet that by the time you’re spinning around town in a Renegade, it will feel as Jeep to you as anything else.
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