This 2017 Jeep Renegade Latitude Very Badly Wants You to Know it's a Jeep

The Jeep name is very marketable. Despite being somewhat awkward and uncomfortable commuters, the Jeep Wrangler has a following as loyal and widespread as the Porsche 911, Corvette, or Miata. They also manage to see a pretty impressive number of them globally, to the point that Fiat/Chrysler wanted to widen the customer base and capitalize on classic Jeep styling and appeal. Thus this Renegade.

This is based on the Fiat 500XL, and is in fact made in Italy - an odd indication of how global the car business has become. In 4WD trim, it can be considered a fairly capable off-roader, but the bulk of these cars sold will be front wheel drive, and purchased not to go off road, but to reflect "Jeepness" on the driver. For that reason, this is not really a favorite of mine.

To reflect that Jeepy feel, Fiat /Chrysler has left "easter eggs" all around this car - little reminders that it shares a lineage with the rugged military based trucks of yore. "Since 1941" is emblazoned across the dashboard, the classic Jeep grill is stamped in to many panels on the interior trim, the rear taillights are fashioned to look like Jerry Cans, and the grill is the 7 hole vertical design known to Jeeps since the beginning. These touches don't just remind you that you're in a Jeep, they go as far as to club you over the head with it.

Power comes from either a 1.6 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, or 2.4 liter naturally aspirated 4 (as in this one). The former engine comes only with a manual, while the 2.4 comes with a 9-speed automatic, which just feels like too many damn gears to me. Neither engine makes the car particularly brisk, nor is the gas mileage anything to write home about. One can say it has quirky styling, but the competitive crossovers in this class (Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Chevy Trax) all look just a odd to me.

To sum up, the only real reason to buy this vehicle is because of an image one might be looking to present to the world, and while that may be enough to drive sales and make this a successful model, it isn't enough to give this car the soul it purports to have.

This one is for sale at Auto Europa Naples, and can be seen at www.AENaples.com, or you can give Marty a call at (239) 298-8000.

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