It might be built in Italy rather than its traditional home of the USA but there’s no mistaking the latest model from Jeep.
The iconic seven-slot signature grille and typical round headlights on the new Renegade identifies it immediately.
In fact the “face” of the Jeep is so iconic that the grille and headlights image is embossed into the leather of the two front seats as well as stamped into the metal of the speakers in all four doors.
The Renegade is the company’s first entrant into the small suv market and is designed to compete with cars such as the Nissan Juke and the Vauxhall Mokka.
And like both of those models the Renegade is available with a choice of two or four-wheel-drive.
By opting for the 4x4 you get a car capable of going almost anywhere – one has just driven up and down an Olympic standard white water rafting course – but is just as at home on a suburban street with the family inside.
And that’s the beauty of this car. Externally it has the rugged looks to assure you it has the capability to deliver when the going gets tough but it has a soft centre with a well appointed, spacious and generously equipped if slightly macho-looking cabin.
My 4x4 Limited edition model, for example, had not only heated and electrically operated front seats but a heated steering wheel too as well as a central touchscreen for various onboard functions including satellite navigation.
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And despite being the smallest Jeep on sale the Renegade, with its tall, upright, slightly square shape, offers generous interior space and enough headroom to suit the tallest of passengers.
Powered by a gutsy 2.0-litre engine linked to a long legged nine-speed automatic gearbox it allows you to cruise at 70 miles per hour at around 1700 revs for relaxed motoring.
On the move it skips quickly through gears one to six to ensure good fuel consumption with seven eight and nine coming as you get to much higher speeds.
It’s a smooth enough box but by flicking the gear shift to the left you can drive the Renegade in manual mode if you want to and I often found I could get into a higher gear much quicker than the auto box, to reduce the revs.
It’s a tough task to produce a car capable of offering good off-road capabilities with good on-road driving dynamics but in the Renegade Jeep has succeeded.
It handles well at speed and yet offers a comfortable ride – albeit with a little roll – to please the most demanding of passengers.
The Renegade is available with four trim options with the Limited topping the range in terms of technological equipment.
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Externally it’s distinguished by its silver roof rails, door mirrors, front grille and privacy glass.
Features include a lane departure warning system, collision mitigation system, front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera for easier parking.
Luggage space is generous for the size of the vehicle and a tailgate that reaches right down to rear bumper level makes loading and unloading easy.
Relatively speaking few four-wheel-drive vehicles are ever used for serious off-road work but the Renegade with its Jeep Active Drive and Active Drive Low is more than capable.
Equipped with Selec-Terrain it allows you to leave the system in auto or dial up the precise surface you are travelling on with a choice of mud and snow.
The Jeep Renegade – the first Jeep to be built outside the USA and sold back to its home country – has a proud history dating back to the legendary Willys Jeep of the war years and is a worthy modern day successor.
Fast Facts
Model: Jeep Renegade Limited
Price: £28,295
Mechanical: 1956cc, 140 bhp four cylinder diesel engine driving all wheels via 9-speed automatic gearbox.
Max speed: 113 mph
0-62mph: 10.2 secs
Combined mpg: 48.7
CO2 emissions: 150 g/km
Insurance: 15
BiK: 30 %
Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles