Jeep Renegade 4xe Limited

Jeep has taken to the electric off-road trail with a new range of XE vehicles wearing the iconic Jeep badge. The first one to hit the trail is the Renegade, which now comes with a little ‘leccy helper.

Jeep has entered the electric vehicle market much like it encouraged four-wheel-drivers to be responsible in the pursuit of their chosen sport by adopting the Tread Lightly! approach.

Well, it seems Tread Lightly also applies to Jeep getting into electric vehicles but, as we found out after a week with the first of the electrified Jeeps – the cute as a button Renegade – with its mild hybrid electrification, does not suggest short-changing on Jeep’s part.

In fact, NZ Company Vehicle found the Renegade’s mybrid-isation to be that of the Goldilocks variety – it’s just right.

The 1.3 litre petrol engine drives the front wheels while an electrified rear axle – a turny thing with an electric motor on it – replaces the Renegade’s mechanical four-wheel drive system, and that electric motor is powered by an 11.4kwh battery.

That’s a hefty helper battery and it’s tucked away just in front of the liquid fuel tank, which kind of compromises the size of said tank, which holds 37-litres.

Whoa, as Keanu Reeves might say, that’s not a lot of dinosaur juice to come and go on? And you’re right, it isn’t. But that’s part of what’s so clever about the Renegade: it kind of forces you to think about your driving habits and making use of the electric when ever you can and maybe not so much taking the long way home.

With 187mm ground clearance, the expectation of going hard core bush bashing in a Renegade is about as high as the GC itself.

In saying this, the Renegade is imbued with Jeep’s Selec-terrain system with sport mode allowing capability over five terrain options, a 4WD Active Drive Low and lock system as well as hill descent control and all speed traction control.

Renegades then, can go off-road and all the electronic gadgetry is on board to make sure you have “the best chance of not getting into trouble, city boy.”

The real trick is mastering the motive force. The Renegade has a host of electronic minders to tell you what is propelling you along and it’ll require some homework on how best to use the systems – the minders and the mechanicals – to your best advantage.

As to the rest of the electronics package, it’s fair to say the littlest Jeep has almost the full complement of spec’ found on its big brothers, including an awesome infotainment system where the 8.4-inch touchscreen affords access to Android Auto and Apple Carplay compatibility, onboard sat nav and a wi-fi hotspot. No wireless phone charging though, a pity.

The Renegade does come with an extensive range of safety features as standard. Some of these are well known and others are more expected on pricier models.

Some features have enhancements not yet seen on vehicles other than Jeeps. Things like blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection, trailer sway damping, lane departure warning plus and full speed forward collision warning plus.

The PHEV Renegade 4xe is well suited to our city roads and restrictive speed limits. Keeping the speed down to under 70km/h means you avoid waking the sleeping giant – the 1.3-litre petrol engine – and use the 49kms range available through the battery/electric system.

Given the common assumption that the average driver does about 35 to 45kms a day, it’s possible you won’t need the petrol engine at all, but if you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at its performance.

It’s a very willing and responsive engine and, mated to the six-speed auto, is ready to deliver the right amount of power and torque as conditions merit.

The little Renegade is surprisingly spacious too, despite its compact dimensions. Admittedly it’s a four adult SUV as opposed to a five and the cargo area of 330 litres suggests holidays are a ‘him and her’ affair rather than a ‘him, her and two kids.’

As a fleet proposition, the Renegade is certainly an eye-catcher. If your fleet needs a promotional asset, it’d be hard to go past a Renegade 4xe Limited.

If your fleet wants to make a green statement, it’d be hard to go past a Renegade 4xe Limited. If you like Jeeps in general, yep, it’d be hard to go past the next generation, which starts here with the Renegade 4xe Limited.