Jeep Renegade review

Hope you like twee motifs. There’s cartoons stamped all over the place in here, though fortunately the ‘Since 1941’ legend from the Cherokee has been omitted. Jeep’s also deleted the ‘mud splat’ rev counter for a traditional redline, presumably because the tardy engine performance will remind you of a different brown splatter.

The vertical façade of dashboard means the climate controls are a long way out of your eyeline, though they’re large and chunky which helps with operation. The laggy touchscreen itself is depended on for most infotainment functions (and for some reason is needed for the heated seats – annoying). The sat nav is a TomTom creation and feels remarkably out of date. In fact, trying to operate this finicky and overdetailed interface while static, let alone on a European road (or on a trail) requires the patience of a bomb disposal expert’s surgeon.

The 2018 refresh did helpfully provide some more storage space in the cabin, but the majority of materials used are still hard-wearing and cheap-feeling. Bonus point for the seats though, they’re super soft and offer decent support. 

As you’d expect with such a boxy sit-up-and-beg shape, but a relatively short wheelbase, head-room and shoulder-room are more than adequate but taller rear passengers will quickly butt up against a lack of knee-room in the rear. Boot space is 351 litres, even in the e-Hybrid thanks to the battery’s placement between the front seats. The 4xe PHEV sacrifices just 20 litres to fit all its electrical gubbins in. Pretty impressive.