You might have heard the news already; maybe your uncle called or your mum dropped you a line. The Jeep Renegade is not long for this world, or, at least, the North American market. Sales have been declining for some time. It found itself in a marketplace swollen with compact SUVs, to say nothing of the competition it faced within its own brand, and it faltered against that challenge. As the model faces its end, it’s a good time to reflect on the Renegade for what it was and what it achieved for the Jeep brand.
The Renegade has stood as Jeep’s cheapest vehicle in the U.S. for some time. It hit the market for the 2015 model year, and chalked up 60,946 sales. 2016 went even better, pushing the model up to a healthy 106,605 units sold. That would be the peak for the Renegade, however, and it sold fewer units every year since. The drop off was particularly steep in recent years, with just 27,551 sold in 2022 and only 15,561 shifted this year. For an eight-year-old model, those numbers are enough to justify it being put out to pasture. Thus, Jeep made the call that the Renegade will be sold no more in the U.S. and Canada.
As reported by Automotive News, Jeep has decided to focus “on SUV segments in North America that continue to grow,” noting the better performance of its more expensive models. The rest of the world isn’t so down on the cheap Jeep, though. It’s not a complete death sentence, as the Renegade will continue to be sold in Mexico, Europe, South America and the Asia Pacific region.
It’s worth remembering that the Renegade came along at an important time for the company. it was built on the FCA Small Wide 4×4 platform, shared primarily with the Fiat 500X. In the model’s debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, it was shown off as the fruits of the collaboration between the two companies. Fiat had taken Jeep and Chrysler under its wing after the bankruptcy, and now it was helping the American brands get back on their feet. When sales got off to a good start, it certainly didn’t hurt, and the funky subcompact Jeep earned its place in the lineup as a gateway model.
When it was new to the scene, the Renegade acquitted itself well. It was well-equipped and modern with a fresh aesthetic and an eagerness to please. Contemporary reviews credited its handling and character, and noted that the Trailhawk model had great off-road capability for a vehicle in its class. It was roomier than quite a lot of the competition, could be had in front-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive to taste.
The problem for the Renegade is that the world moved on, and it just… didn’t. Younger, prettier competitors came along. The Renegade began to slip in sales, while the Jeep Compass, the next size up in the range, held strong. A 2019 mild facelift failed to reverse the decline in sales, nor did a new infotainment system for the 2022 model year. Earlier this year, there was a 753-day supply of Jeep Renegades on dealer lots, demand was so low. Indeed, if you’re reading this and suddenly want to buy one, you can probably still get one with little to no waiting. As we’ve found, it could make a decent budget rallycross rig if you were that way inclined.
After eight years, it was time for Jeep to make a call. With the current Renegade no longer selling, it was coming time to either release a new Renegade or cut the model from the U.S. market entirely. The fact that we haven’t been seeing a trickle of new Renegade spy shots over the last 12 to 18 months is perhaps a hint that Jeep had been building towards this decision for some time.
The Renegade will likely stick around in foreign markets for some time. In those areas, smaller vehicles are often more appreciated anyway, and sales are strong enough for Jeep to keep the lines alive. Stateside, it’s unlikely Jeep will take too much damage from the decision, though. Adept dealers will practice guiding an eager buyer into the slightly larger Compass. Indeed, along with the loss of the Cherokee earlier this year, the salesperson’s job should be easier than ever.
In any case, we’ll raise a glass to the Renegade. It was never the most capable Jeep, or the most desirable, but it was the most affordable. It did an able job for its time, and did its part to keep the lights on in Toledo (even if it was built overseas). It could still rough and tumble in the dirt, and it earned that seven-slot grille. Vale.
Image credits: Jeep
The jig is up, the news is out, they’ve finally found me
The Renegade Stellantis made, available in bounty,
Nevermore for sale you say, this will be the end today
Of the unwanted Jeep…
I’ve always appreciated these. The countless Easter eggs, the cute but boxy styling, and the Trailhawks shocking offroad chops (for what it is). The price and reliability really killed these things. Shame, really. Maybe Fiat will bring the Panda over here?
The fact that this thing never got a traditional hybrid powertrain is all you need to know about FCA/Stellantis
Such an attractive vehicle IMO but absolutely ruined by the powertrain options.
Renegades were never worth anywhere near the MSRP. Pricing has always been the Renegade’s biggest problem.
If they’d been able to trim pricing over the production era so that it was only a little more than the Fit, Versa, Mirage, and similar cars, they’d own the low end, but they were asking $21k and up back when those others were starting around $12-16k.
On the other hand, even if they took 100% of the low end of the market, volume doesn’t make up for thin margins.
These were always much cooler than the Compass and redesigned Cherokee.
The killed the manual transmission, the cool colors, and now the entire model itself.
Jeep needs to sell the Avenger here.
I was rather surprised to see a Matchbox Avenger on the shelf at my local Target last week.
Jeep, in 2018- “renegade sales have been trending downward for a couple years now, and theres a lot of new competition. Maybe we should we do a redesign?”
“Nah, just get rid of the stickshift and raise the price”
Jeep, in 2019- “theyre still falling, maybe we should think about a redesign?”
“Nah. bump the price up again”
Jeep, in 2020- “that didnt work, even less sales!”
“Lets bump the price up by 3 grand, but offer 0 percent for 84 months”
Jeep, in 2021-“that didnt work, still selling less year over year, and the Kona, Encore, Trailblazer and HRV are stealing all of our lease customers.”
“Alright FINE. Here, stick this 1.3l motor in it and put a new grille on it. With angry eyes. But we should also raise the lease rates. There’s no reason for us to be leasing these for under 500 a month.”
“But boss, we have around 30,000 people this quarter that will be at the end of thier lease, they’re used to 200-250 a month….We can’t just expect them to-”
“Your ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Let’s offer Returning Lessees $2000 dollars in lease assistance…….On Grand Cherokees.”
Jeep, in 2022- “Uh, sales still slipping. We now have a 783 day supply.”
“Okay, lets make the base models hard to find, and increase the prices again. Renegades now start at 31 grand after destination fee, with zero options. We have to play hard to get!”
Jeep, in 2023- “27,000 units, boss. The worst year on record.”
“Well, obviously this car just isnt working in US and Canada. We did everything we can do, looks like our hunch was right-cars that cost less than $35,000 just dont sell. Time to kill the renegade, we did everything we could. We need to make room for the new all electric $70000 wagoneer S anyway.”
Now the plan is to kill entire models to increase sales. The old Mitsubishi strategy!
Kill models? They’ve killed entire brands as far as I’m concerned.
I sell cars at a small CDJR store in rural Ohio. We’re not paid commision, we sell all our cars at invoice, and dont even mark up rates. We operate on nothing but honesty, all the employees here are lifers that are completely bought in on this company and what we stand for. We have an extremely loyal customer base.
The problem? nobody in our area can afford the shit we sell.
Going into 2024, with the Renegade, Charger, Challenger, and 300 dying, Here’s what new cars I have to sell in each price range:
Sub 20k: Nothing
20-25K: Nothing
25-30K: Nothing
30-35K: Two compact CUVs that compete with each other (Hornet, Compass)
35k-40k Compasses and Hornets again, 2 door wranglers
40-50k Wrangler, Gladiator, Durango, Grand Cherokee, Pacifica
50-70k Rams, Gladiators, Grand Cherokees, Wranglers, Durango
70k and up- Rams, Grand Cherokees, Wagoneers.
See the problem here?
There’s no real choice other than a tiny 4 cylinder suv or a stripped out 2 door wrangler unless you’re shopping in the $40,000 plus range.
Sub 40 grand, I have THREE OPTIONS.
Counting hybrid variants as their own model, which is fair, Toyota has SEVENTEEN options that all can be bought under $40,000.
Somebody tell me why.
“You will take the 84-month note. This is not a discussion.”
Damn. That really puts it into perspective.
“Can we interest you in a Grand Cherokee? Nothing down today and your payment won’t be too much larger than the Renegade.”
“How long is the life of the note for that kind of payment?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
Nope, even with my loyalty to Jeep, I still have a family to feed, and we live and die off repeat business and word of mouth. I get paid to sell cars, not aggravate customers and make money for the fatcats. If someone walks in with a $30k budget and I have no renegade to sell, I’ll mention the compass, and if that’s not hitting it, I’m pulling up a used Rav4/CRV/CX5/Forester.
You’re the kind of person I’d love to buy from if I lived in Ohio. Cheers.
The Renegade had some cool bits, but it was a bit too large for what it was, got too bad of gas mileage for its displacement, wasn’t the most reliable, etc. Arguably the current gen Suzuki Jimny was what the Renegade should have been.
Basically it was an overweight and oversized Fiat Panda and preformed as well as you’d imagine it would.
Honestly Jeep should do a deal with Suzuki where Jeep gets to sell the Jimny as a “CJ” in the US market and between the two companies I believe they could improve the Jimny a good deal. Jeep could almost certainly come up with a soft top version and with that half cab “pickup” versions are just a stone’s throw away.
I never liked the X-shaped reverse lights on these, just aesthetically.
Still better-looking than the back of a Nissan Cube, though.
As for the Compass, I’ll let the first ~96 seconds of Regular Car Reviews’ review do the talking.
*bad Glenn Danzig impression*
DIE DIE DIE MY DARLING!
Anyway, none of us will be sad to see this go, but it also didn’t necessarily deserve this fate either. Way back when this came out it was pretty neat. There weren’t really any boxy soft roaders at the time and it was something different. I remember when I was fresh out of grad school and at my first grown up job I toyed with the idea of getting one (forgive me, I was 24) but was put off by how expensive it got once you added all the fun stuff.
They sold really well and were everywhere for a while because there will always be room for an affordable, rugged looking crossover in the US. But then it suffered the same ignominious fate that seemingly all Jeep products outside the Wrangler have recently.
It died on the vine. The market moved on to more intriguing products. In the mid/late 2010s we saw things like the HRV, Kona, and later the Bronco Sport show up. Instead of making a competitive product FCA/Jeep/Stellantis said “it’s a JEEP! What more do you want?” and it’s been the same for almost a decade now.
Jeep and their handlers vastly overestimated the amount of brand cache they have. Do they have a single compelling product outside of the Wrangler and Gladiator (which I think is ridiculous but has a lot of fans, particularly here) right now? I guess the V10emous-es of the world may have or see a use case for the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer but both remain ridiculously overpriced.
I just don’t see why you’d choose any of their normal SUVs over any of the Asian competition right now unless you truly love the brand…and consumers agree because there’s a ridiculous amount of stock sitting on dealer lots right now with money on the hood. I see adds for 10% of MSRP for Jeeps all the time when I watch Sportsball.
Jeep is in dire need of more modern powertrains and technology right now. They need smaller turbocharged engines, actual, legitimate hybrids, and more widespread electrification across the board. They need more of the tech wizardry that the normies love. No one looking for a mid or full sized SUV right now to use as a family hauler is going to be okay paying $50,000+ for an ancient Pentestar V6 that’ll get gas mileage in the teens and ride like a truck when stuff like the Grand Highlander and CX90 exist now.
The Grand Cherokee is nice but will be better with the Hurricane, (the L version is disproportioned), the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer is a complete exterior design failure and the GM competition just got much improved.
My family has had a bunch of GCs over the years. They’re definitely pretty nice for what they are, and were honestly really nice compared to the competition circa 2010-2018 or so, but like we agree…the powertrains are a big issue.
The hurricane 6 is going to be a big upgrade and seems like a really nice engine that Stellantis did their homework on, but I’d imagine the Pentestar is going to remain the base engine for eternity and the Hurricane is going to cost a premium and be reserved for upper trims that used to have an available Hemi.
I still think a traditional hybrid and/or significant upgrades to the 4Xe powertrain are needed. I can’t speak for everyone, but my wife and I as well as several family members are starting/expanding our franchises and are about to shopping in this segment and a hybrid powertrain is pretty much the first or second requirement on everyone’s list.
I’m with you all the way until you mentioned the Pentastar V6 as “ancient”. It’s a newer design and more modern than pretty much any other V6. It works very well running the Atkinson cycle in hybrid setups, like in the Pacifica PHEV.
The only reason any Pentastar gets mileage in the teens is because people love driving “rugged-looking” vehicles more than they like fuel efficiency.
Pair that engine with an 8 speed and put it into something formed to travel at highway speeds and it gets very good mileage for how much power it provides. Set it up with as a hybrid and it gets great mileage, and provides a lot more backup punch than the 4 cylinder motors most hybrids come with.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a character attack lol.
The Wagoneer/GW would not be my pick in the segment, but I don’t see the case for them being overpriced compared to their competition.
They were introduced at a higher price, so it was more blatant, but all the while, the Ford and GM offerings were creeping upwards in price as well.
Starting prices for a 4×4 in all trims:
Tahoe: $61K – $80K
Expedition: $61K – $82K
Wagoneer: $65K – $78K
Escalade (not counting the V): $86K – $115K
Navigator: $84K – $113K
GW: $91K – $112K
I don’t see anything out of line there, unless you want to call them all overpriced. Which may be true, but on the other hand it was just recently you and I were discussing how these vehicles were among the best things made by the domestic automakers.
They are! And it was meant as a compliment. You’ve always mentioned that needing something big that can tow is a need for more people than the general commentariat thinks it is so I figured I’d give you a shout out.
I still think it looks a little pricey compared to those other offerings, especially when reliability is factored in. I’d personally be much more trusting of a GM small block V8 and truck platform than anything from Stellantis/Jeep, but that’s just me and it’s largely based on my family’s experiences with GM trucks.
There have been myriad Suburbans/Tahoes in the family over the years and all of them were pretty much worry free mechanically…and my buddy had a leftover family Tahoe that hit 250,000 fairly negligent miles before it finally kicked the bucket and became too expensive to keep running.
I do really believe this.
I would also buy a GM in this segment because I prefer V8 power, but the GW may have the best interior of them all. So I certainly wouldn’t fault someone for choosing it.
Yeah I’d want a V8 in something this big and the GM small blocks are among the best of the best. Last I checked you can option a 6.2 liter LT in the Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade and that motor is an absolute gem. I’ve experienced it in the 6th gen Camaro and boy is it something. It’s got a broad power band, plenty of low end torque, and is a treat for the senses.
Hearing that thing at full throttle with the top down was almost a religious experience for me. The LS family and its lineage is universally loved for a reason. I just wish GM offered them in something other than trucks and coupes you can’t see out of. I will die on the hill that the LT1 should’ve been in the CT4V BW and as cool as that supercharged 6 is it’s not like it offers any fuel economy benefits.
Wasn’t the story that the only way they could sell the CT4V BW in Europe was to put a V6 in it? Oh what could’ve been….IS500s remain firmly on my radar but my timing might not work out well for them since I won’t be looking again for another few years and the next gen IS will be an EV.
I’ve never heard anything definitive on why the V8 never made it into the ATS-V and CT4BW, but some combination of European preferences, Chinese preferences, and “premium image” seems most likely.
Regardless, it’s foolishness; the 6.2L is GM’s trump card. Their V6TT is indistinguishable from every other premium automakers’, but no one else has that V8.
The combination of power, the fact it’s under stressed from the factory, the sound it makes, etc. are pretty much perfection. I’m not sure if we’re ever going to see a better mass production V8, but who knows. GM is apparently developing the next generation of it as we speak.
When my son was getting his license all he wanted was a Renegade. I tried to dissuade him because I hadn’t heard much good about them, but we found a Desert Tan 2015 for a good price. It’s been awesome. Put some decent tires on it and it’s a beast in the snow. Gets good mileage, roomy, and fun to drive. 70k now and only typical minor issues I’ve been able to fix myself. It’s not the most luxurious or refined thing but it’s fine. I think Jeep made a mistake not bringing the refreshed look other countries got and not giving us the 4xe. All the competition looks the same, at least the Renegade has some character.
These are dreadful little cars and the most poser of any crossover ever. Putting a Jeep badge on a FWD Fiat 500 will never be okay.
Torch is gone for what a week now? And everyone here has forgotten where the eyes go on cars. I hope he doesn’t log on today and see that topshot. It could undo any progress he’s made!
Lightning McQueen does not approve this statement.
I used to get rental cars a lot for work and treated it as test drives for things I normally wouldn’t consider buying. The Renegade was the choice a couple times.
I didn’t hate it, which surprised me. I’m not going to run out and buy one, but it wasn’t bad, just also didn’t have anything that really hooked me….
I had considered buying one of these in 2017.
Unfortunately, the manual transmission was only offered with the terrible base engine. I ended up with a Forester.
I always liked these and went out to test drive one with a manual. It was quite slow but nice “cheap” transportation with some style. Probably one of the better looking budget cars out there for a while, and it came in fun colors!
We bought a 2017 Renegade Trailhawk new. It was optioned well- leather trimmed steering wheel, heated seats/wheel, MySky panels (the roof that was removable), etc. At the time it was a 32K vehicle that we got for 28.5K. Everything about it was good except for one thing- the Tigershark engine.
The thing ate oil to the tune of 1qt every 800 miles. Chrysler acknowledged the problem and replaced many renegade engines due to oil starvation. However, ours was “normal” oil consumption and no action was taken by Chrysler. Our action was to go to CarMax in late 2020 and trade for a 2016 X3.
TLDR; Solid car, bad engine
It was definitely the right product at the right time and as you say, it had a ton of hype around it new, even from the German lighting site. The design Easter eggs, novel features, fun colors. Though the marketing tie in with a song of the same name was a bit too…gimmicky.
I rode in a friend’s earlier one on a road trip a year or two after they got it and it wasn’t bad to ride in, even packed with 4 people and too much stuff.
The Compass started the sales decline for the Renegade, but it’s remained steady for a bit until a few years ago when it entered a similar state as the Cherokee as different trims have gotten picked off. Even though it’s partly from dropping FWD and base trims, it simply starts too high for a segment it helped create now.
I always liked how the boxiness seems to provide better all-around visibility than a lot of its competitors, esp out the back.
But I’ve never driven one, so I am correct or misguided here?
I am old enough to remember the wrangler being Jeep’s low-price entry vehicle. Jeep needs something like a jimny. Little crossovers are everywhere. Jeeps needs one that is better at Jeep things.
I remember that too – the base models were reasonably priced, every version wasn’t a badass rock crawler (or rock crawler look alike), and there wasn’t nearly the same self-conscious Jeep identity as there is now.
They are pretty much the only colorful cars in my area, bright in a way that goes against all the other bland boxes that are out there.
My wife recently discovered that these exist, because you can get one in yellow, and now she wants one. I’m going to have a hard time talking her out of it, but I’ll be damned if I’m not gonna try like hell.
Do these still have their rear wheels leave the ground in emergency braking scenarios, or did they resolve that with changes to spring rates, etc.?
I don’t know, but that may be my silver bullet.
I just remember that about it in tests so vividly. People forget, but a LOT of cheap cars used to have really sketchy dynamic behaviors under heavy braking until around the mid-to-late 1980s (possibly even early 90s) or so. Even cars like the Honda CRX used to risk you having the back of the car in a different lane, even if you hadn’t locked up any wheels.
I don’t recall the specifics but I do remember that no one else was able to replicate that behavior after that one test.
If yellow is the main criteria Corolla Cross Hybrid, Kona, Trax, or Trailblazer all offer varying shades off the top of my head…some mixed a bit more with metallic flake or lime or ginger ale hue vs. the school bus yellow of the Jeep, but hopefully close enough to convince otherwise.
It is quite annoying that vivid colors only seem to be offered on the very cheap and the very expensive in the marketplace.
Mirage or Renegade? Sure, have yellow, orange, purple, green, etc
McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari? Sure, anything you want.
Everything in between: Here’s 3 grays, 2 whites, 2 silvers, black, and if you’re lucky a single red or blue offering.
Audi’s lineup is especially depressing. You pretty much described it exactly.
You can have 6 shades of essentially non-colors on the S5 (outside of custom ordering), then red, blue or green, but good luck finding one of those.
The red and blue are absolutely gorgeous, but nobody seems to be buying them. They’re all friggin black or Nardo grey (if it’s an RS).
Wet cement is a good descriptor. I have also seen a grey on Toyota trucks I termed Soviet Apartment Block Grey.
That color is legitimately called Concrete or Cement by Toyota. I actually like that color though. They have a greasy turd color called Sand, and a soft blue called Denim in that semi-gloss kind of color line as well.
I bet it’s so the Avenger can come over to our shores.
I REALLY, REALLY want to believe this exact thing.
If Stellantis and it’s dealers could have cared to sell these at a reasonable price, they would have continued to do well, and a redesign would have been worthwhile. But in typical fashion they refused to invest in a product that they couldn’t successfully mark up to the moon. I really like the Renegade but was always blown away, especially recently, by seeing so many of them at well-optioned Rav4 prices. You can negotiate them down now it seems, but too little too late.
Instead I guess we continue to get the Compass, which has the distinction of having less character than… any other Jeep product ever made? Jeep has been home to a lot of crappy cars over the past 20 years (previous generation of the Compass included) but that current Compass brings none of the fun vibes that the Renegade did. And what a shocker, my local dealer only has highly optioned examples in the (holy shit) 39k-43k range AFTER INCENTIVES?!
If we experience a real recession again, man oh man is Stellantis screwed here.
Holy shit … that price range. I just bought a well-optioned RAV4 hybrid. For the same price. It gets 40 mpg, has upgraded sport suspension, a big glass roof, lots of tech, fancy stereo, and Toyota reliability. Who buys a Jeep Compass at the price of a “luxury” RAV4 or a low-end Venza?
You gotta be completely blinded by the aura of that Jeep grille to pay RAV4 money for a goddamn Compass. If you told me I could get a loaded Compass for the same price as a base RAV4, I’d still buy the Toyota because it’ll last longer and hold its value better. At 10 years old the RAV4 will run like a champ and make a great first car for your kid. A 10 year old Compass will be waiting for owner #4 at a BHPH lot with the sleazeball salesman hoping that his next mark doesn’t notice that the 2nd transmission is slipping.
EXACTLY.
Prices went up for these ones, crazy high for a small Jeep (32K !!!), reliability is meh. How GM managed to release a 24K Chevy Trax with a decent design and packaging, and Jeep stayed behind when they are supposed to be the leaders on the SUV segment.
I am still waiting for Stellantis to start importing European vehicles, their US product is staying behind. Those Peugeot SUVs are beautiful.
I’ve been hoping for Stellantis to either kill the Chrysler brand and bring over Peugeots, or rebadge the Peugeots to be Chryslers. Either way, don’t care.
But make an actual effort and bring a real product line. No more of this one car per brand nonsense, it only hurts them. Chrysler as a brand being literally a van is ridiculous.
Agree, I have a Chrysler Pacifica and my parents still call it Town & Country lol, they have a brand problem. Those high end Citroen and Peugeot could become Chrysler easily, in Mexico CDJR dealers are absorbing Peugeot under the same umbrella.
I have a Pacifica that’s… a Voyager. Do you know how confusing that is for people? That Chrysler in a fit of desperation to seem like they sell more than one vehicle, split the base trims from the higher trims just to sell two models? Insanity. I don’t even bother calling it a Voyager to most people because people just stare at me an assume I must be driving a rusted out Plymouth from 1995. The various owners of Chrysler over the years have not done it any favors.
Those French cars could and should become Chryslers. I think it’s probably worth the rebadge if they can pull it off, unless Stellantis wants to put an absolute massive amount of marketing effort into introducing a new brand. Well, really, they’ll have to do that no matter what as I’m not sure anyone is aware that the Chrysler brand still exists. Either way, they can’t afford to half-ass it like they did with Alfa, a brand that most Americans are still hardly aware of.
Jeep is supposed to be the leaders in the SUV segment? They were in the 60s, and briefly again in the 90s, but I don’t think Jeep has lead anything since the millennium.
The Renegade never sold well in Canada. They’re pretty rare to spot.
The pricing here seemed pretty steep for what you got.
They are inexplicably everywhere near me. I probably saw at least 10 on my commute this morning. At least they all tend to be colorful.
In 2016-17 they did okay, but yeesh under 300 in 2021. It was out sold by the Honda Fit which, if I remember right, wasn’t actually on the market for the entire year in 2021.
I honestly thought that they had stopped selling them here a couple of years ago. It is rare for me to see one on the road and there isn’t a lack of jeeps in my area. Just looked at pricing and they start at $38,000 in Canada. You can move up a size in a different brand for that price.