Renegade looks the business

DESIGNED TO SOOTHE THE EGO RATHER THAN TAME THE TERRAIN

That little ditty, from, it seems, the dawn of automotive time, was meant to emphasise that not even the iconic American four-wheel-drive vehicle would get to see St Peter at the Pearly Gates.

And it made the point, in a backhand sort of way, that if a Jeep couldn’t do it, no other vehicle could.

That’s because, in the common consciousness – that is, the view we have of the world which is nurtured by Hollywood and in which everything American is wonderful – the word Jeep is synonymous with a go-anywhere capability. Nothing with four wheels comes more rough, tough and hard to bluff than these 4x4s.

And the Yank vehicles have earned their spurs over the decades, thanks to the legend they built around themselves with the original General Purpose (GP – which became “Jeep”) military transport of World War Two.

From the bare bones little Jeep, the product line of the company (which started off as Willys and wound its way through the hands of a few groups to end up in the hands of Chrysler, which is now amalgamated with Fiat) grew over the years to include off-road and leisure vehicles which became the horses of the 20th century which the urban and not-so-urban cowboys used to explore the wilds of the West and elsewhere.

Today, Jeep is not only a brand associated with 4x4s, you can even buy clothing emblazoned with its logo, which you can wear as you drive to your book club evenings in your Toyota Prius.

As with most car makers, Jeep has realised that the future is in “lifestyle” vehicles ... the sort of things which soothe the ego rather than tame the terrain.

And that’s what the Jeep Renegade is all about. Plenty of style, plenty of attitude, and off-road ability which varies from not-somuch to pretty damn surprising, depending on which version you opt for.

It still looks like a Jeep, even with its small size: it has the trademark slatted grille up front and muscular bulges in the right places.

But, the design and the underpinnings are all pure Italian: the Renegade sits on a Fiat platform and uses a Fiat 1.4 litre turbopetrol engine and sports an owner’s manual which, in places, appears as though it was translated into English by Luigi the Mechanic.

The American-Italian collaboration is one of many in the global auto industry at the moment and, frankly, I approve. You get the best of both worlds, really – the excitement of the Italian and the ruggedness of the American.

It looks as though it could tackle a trail. Sadly, though, most variants can’t, because they are merely two-wheel-drives, and front-drivers at that, which are probably the worst for traction, especially when heading uphill.

The version we had on test was, however, an all-wheel-drive version: not the full-on trail tackling model (which has low range gearing) but with enough of an electronically controlled part-time 4x4 arrangement to ensure you can venture pretty far off the tar without getting into trouble.

Out of all the “soft roaders” currently on the market, this Jeep would go further than the rest in tough conditions.

Our version sported a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission from the Fiat parts bin which, sadly, is not up to the standards of the slick-shifting ones you find in Audi and VW products. Still, it’s not bad.

The turbo engine, which we have experienced in a number of Fiat products, and which puts out 103kW, was, somehow, disappointing in the Renegade, producing a boring drone when pushed, although the shove was undeniable.

Handling is not what this car was designed for and the upright driving position (exaggerated by the very upright windscreen and kilometres of black dash to the base of the window) doesn’t give you the feeling you’re in an Italian sports car.

Mind you, given the mission of a car like the Renegade – as mom’s taxi and something Dad can drive without feeling too soft, as well as being a weekend getaway vehicle – then the dynamics are quite acceptable.

And there’s the rub: it doesn’t have enough space to be really practical for a family. This is something which is not unique to the Renegade, though – there are plenty of families who have bought small SUVs like this and found that the boots are too small.

But, all of those drawbacks seem to shrink when you stand back to look at the Renegade. It does look the business. Nothing else on the road resembles it, so you will stand out from the crowd.

And, for many, that alone is enough reason to buy a car ...

Nothing else on the road resembles it, so you will stand out from the crowd.