Thoughts about Jeep Renegade

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

I am sick and tired of having issues all the time with my Libby from 2005, replacing parts every few months. I am now thinking about replacing it with a new Jeep Renegade. I am aware that this is a Fiat in reality with just a Jeep cover. So, will it be a good car or it will just be a Fiat that has all faulty parts that break all the time like a Fiat usually does? I am also aware that Jeeps were always bad from a mechanical point of view, but now if it is also a Fiat, this Spaghetti Jeep can be disastrous? Any recommendation?

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flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 12:54 pm

Everyone I've talked to really likes their Renegade. But they are still new. No long term reports yet.

IMO, its off-road capabilities are more like a Subaru and nothing like a "real" Jeep.

I think the new Jeep Compass looks pretty cool but I dont know anyone that owns one.

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

flash7210 wrote:

Everyone I've talked to really likes their Renegade. But they are still new. No long term reports yet.

IMO, its off-road capabilities are more like a Subaru and nothing like a "real" Jeep.

I think the new Jeep Compass looks pretty cool but I dont know anyone that owns one.

Since you brought up the offroad capabilities, I was also considering the Chevrolet Trax but it is AWD instead of 4WD, so, is it ok to drive through sand and dunes with a AWD or it won't make it?

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flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 2:44 pm

Technically, the Renegade is also AWD.
But it uses a traction control system to make it behave more like 4wd.

I've heard that the Renegade turbocharged 1.4L with manual transmission is a lot of fun to drive.
But if off road driving is important, then you may want the TrailHawk version.

http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/forum/4-jeep-renegade-general-discussion/52754-awd-system.html#/topics/52754?page=1

APC9199 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:04 pm

This is only my relatively uninformed opinion, but FIAT and every company owned by them has been plagued with safety and reliability problems for years. They consistently rank as some of the lowest customer satisfaction vehicles on the road. The lack of attention to detail and quality can be seen by even the untrained eye in everything they do. My guess is that you will end up in a vehicle that is even LESS reliable as it approaches the age that our poor Liberties are at right now. The Renegade, and essentially all FIAT vehicles, have adopted the replaceable-vehicle model whereby the user drives it until it has reached its expected service life and the cost of repairs immediately outweigh the cost of a new vehicle.

Perhaps owners of Renegades will dispute this claim, but I almost cringe when I get in a FCA vehicle and feel how poorly made they are.

I do believe Chevy has made marked improvements in their reliability and quality of manufacturing. They certainly are not the beacon of customer satisfaction, but they are headed in the right direction while others are headed down hill. At this point, I would buy a Chevy (probably the Diesel Colorado, because I'm a glutton for punishment) before I even thought about purchasing anything FCA. The Wrangler is the only thing that is even on my radar from them, and is totally impractical for my daily lifestyle.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:04 pm

flash7210 wrote:

Technically, the Renegade is also AWD.
But it uses a traction control system to make it behave more like 4wd.

I've heard that the Renegade turbocharged 1.4L with manual transmission is a lot of fun to drive.
But if off road driving is important, then you may want the TrailHawk version.

http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/forum/4-jeep-renegade-general-discussion/52754-awd-system.html#/topics/52754?page=1

Can't it use the clutches to lock the front and rear together and become locked 4x4?

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flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 6:06 pm

I'm sure there is some sort of electronic clutch at the transfer case but both the front and rear diffs are open. The traction control system selectively applies the brakes in order to maintain traction.
The whole thing is pretty much automatic. The driver only has to choose what level of traction they want.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:05 pm

APC9199 wrote:

This is only my relatively uninformed opinion, but FIAT and every company owned by them has been plagued with safety and reliability problems for years. They consistently rank as some of the lowest customer satisfaction vehicles on the road. The lack of attention to detail and quality can be seen by even the untrained eye in everything they do. My guess is that you will end up in a vehicle that is even LESS reliable as it approaches the age that our poor Liberties are at right now. The Renegade, and essentially all FIAT vehicles, have adopted the replaceable-vehicle model whereby the user drives it until it has reached its expected service life and the cost of repairs immediately outweigh the cost of a new vehicle.

Perhaps owners of Renegades will dispute this claim, but I almost cringe when I get in a FCA vehicle and feel how poorly made they are.

I do believe Chevy has made marked improvements in their reliability and quality of manufacturing. They certainly are not the beacon of customer satisfaction, but they are headed in the right direction while others are headed down hill. At this point, I would buy a Chevy (probably the Diesel Colorado, because I'm a glutton for punishment) before I even thought about purchasing anything FCA. The Wrangler is the only thing that is even on my radar from them, and is totally impractical for my daily lifestyle.

I have to agree with you regarding the Fiat and FCA vehicles that are sold to the N American market.

The weird thing is Fiat heavy industries and Fiat trucks dominate the market in Europe, and seem to have a reputation for value and reliability. Consider the 3.0L (Sprinter / Mercedes / Ducato / Jumper / Boxer / Express / ProMaster) multi-use commercial chassis, combining tech from Fiat Chrysler Pugeot Citroen Iveco and leftover tech from GMC and Ford. For a patchwork vehicle, they are astonishingly popular, and have one of the highest total trouble-free miles ranking of medium truck chassis in current production.

For some reason this doesn't carry into the automotive vehicles they assemble and sell here in the U.S. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's BECAUSE they are assembled here in the U.S. Dunno.

The GM 4 cylinder Duramax is a VM Motori engine. A428 that superseded our R428. Substantially changed, and from what I can discern, improved, but still, VM Motori. I'm guessing here, but being installed in a pickup, which tends to be owned by people more familiar with diesels, vs a small suv, they will probably have a great reputation and vastly improved failure rate.

peteyz24 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2017 7:06 am

The Renegade shares drivetrains with the Dart. Off road capable, probably not so much, but my Dart has been very reliable for the last 3 years.

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hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

I am also concerned about the fact that the Jeep Renegade not only it is essentially a Fiat dressed in a Jeep costume but also it is manufactured in Brazil in the Fiat factory they have in Manaos in the middle of the jungle where they also produce all the crappy Fiat models for Latin America. They don't produce European Fiats in that plant. So, these Renegades are not even produced in Toledo as our Libby's. Fiat+Brazilian manufacturing can be disastrous in terms of quality...

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mass-hole · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:18 pm

APC9199 wrote:

This is only my relatively uninformed opinion, but FIAT and every company owned by them has been plagued with safety and reliability problems for years. They consistently rank as some of the lowest customer satisfaction vehicles on the road. The lack of attention to detail and quality can be seen by even the untrained eye in everything they do. My guess is that you will end up in a vehicle that is even LESS reliable as it approaches the age that our poor Liberties are at right now. The Renegade, and essentially all FIAT vehicles, have adopted the replaceable-vehicle model whereby the user drives it until it has reached its expected service life and the cost of repairs immediately outweigh the cost of a new vehicle.

Perhaps owners of Renegades will dispute this claim, but I almost cringe when I get in a FCA vehicle and feel how poorly made they are.

I do believe Chevy has made marked improvements in their reliability and quality of manufacturing. They certainly are not the beacon of customer satisfaction, but they are headed in the right direction while others are headed down hill. At this point, I would buy a Chevy (probably the Diesel Colorado, because I'm a glutton for punishment) before I even thought about purchasing anything FCA. The Wrangler is the only thing that is even on my radar from them, and is totally impractical for my daily lifestyle.

I will second this. I rent a decent amount of cars for work and the recent fca cars are some of the worst. The only car that I will say was surprisingly decent was the new Pacifica.

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peteyz24 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:51 pm

hgrimberg wrote:

I am also concerned about the fact that the Jeep Renegade not only it is essentially a Fiat dressed in a Jeep costume but also it is manufactured in Brazil in the Fiat factory they have in Manaos in the middle of the jungle where they also produce all the crappy Fiat models for Latin America. They don't produce European Fiats in that plant. So, these Renegades are not even produced in Toledo as our Libby's. Fiat+Brazilian manufacturing can be disastrous in terms of quality...

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Renegade VINs start with the letter Z. This indicates that they are manufactured in Italy.

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Thoughts about Jeep Renegade

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