Jump to content

2015 Jeep Renegade


USAFAGumby
 Share

Recommended Posts

The more I learn about this Renegade, the more I like it. If these things would be priced $15-20k, I can see them selling like mad. One could even find its way to my driveway!

 

The 1.4L turbo engine and 6 speed that is in the Dodge Dart is pretty damn efficient and fun too. Global sales for the first year are estimated at around 1 million units. Whether that figure it true or not, time will tell. The size of the Renegade is aimed at a global market mainly in countries where tiny vehicles are the norm. Think South Africa, Asia, etc. I do wish they would release it here with a diesel option but the 1.4L is a nice option. If you want more power the 2.4L n/a motor and 9-speed are available. I think it will be a big time win for Jeep. Hell, if its efficient and reasonably priced I might consider it. I think people are a bit too closed minded when it comes to these new models especially when they don't take into consideration the bigger picture and where these pieces of the puzzle fit in. 

 

RockMJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 56
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Big pictures are for conformist.

Foot prints are for hippies..

And Fiats are for fu%$ing Italians.

Give me jeeps or give me death

:USAflag:  :USAflag:  :USAflag: AMERICAAAAAA :USAflag:   :USAflag:  :USAflag:  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't get me wrong its a good idea till guys like me have to yank the soccer mom yuppy out of a ditch because they don't know how to drive 

 

Ill bet my entire lawn company that the recovery points are crap and its all plastic body 

Granted I like some of the newer grands but nothing from 2013-14

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... People do not seem to realize that CAFE standards are based on the ENTIRE carbon footprint of a manufacturer, not an individual model. With that being said, by them producing an efficient, low emissions, high mpg vehicle it is in fact saving the Wrangler...

 

^ This. I think it's cute too. Yup... cute. Think of it a stepping stone too. If Jeep is going to be advertising the kind of "go anywhere, do anything" type of vehicles like the Wrangler, then they have no choice but to offer smaller toy Jeeps to keep the name afloat. But that's just it, isn't it? The Jeep name has remained the same but as a manufacturer they aren't anything close to comparable to what they once were. Sure, we can all say that today's Jeeps aren't Jeeps at all and that the Jeeps of the past could run circles around them... or at least crawl circles around them. You'd be right! I couldn't agree more, but to keep the name going they also have no choice but to change and adapt to what sells in today's market and if that means that they need to sell small Fiat knock offs with the Jeep badge on, then so be it. I'd rather see the name continue and let the engineers dream and play once in a while to create some awesome rigs!... even if it is to tease us with fabled "potential future developments". It really comes down to the name though. What's more American than the Jeep name? There's so much more than just the vehicles that they produce even if said vehicles aren't even produced here. Someone had to put that vehicle on a boat... someone had to sail the boat here... someone offloaded that boat... the vehicle get loaded on to trucks... trucks need to be driven by people... other people work at the fuel stations to power those trucks... someone unloads them... sells them... services them in the future... and so on. Even at the end of the vehicle's life, there's someone in a salvage yard that dismantles and sells whatever they can to keep like vehicles on the road. But, what about the company aside from the name? The parent company keeps bouncing around and changing hands but that American Jeep name still lives on. I think there's too many of us who expect great things from our auto manufacturers and I'm no different. You bet I'd like to see Jeep start cranking about comparable vehicles to what they did in the past! For that same reason, I wouldn't go out and get a brand new Jeep because I'm in the same crowd that doesn't consider a new Jeep really a Jeep anymore. I'm still hopeful though! Here's my mental "connect the dots":

  1. Fiat is in bed with Chrysler.
  2. Chrysler called it quits with the Comanche and later the Cherokee killing off what so many people are still bitter about.
  3. Our final huzzah from Jeep was created when AMC still owned the name forcing others to think that Chrysler is really to blame for today's "Jeeps".
  4. AMC had some fantastic engineers that tried driving the company to success that Chrysler later bought up.
  5. AMC used much of the same engineering in their other models including cars.
  6. AMC cars were produced well before our Comanches and Cherokees.
  7. Jeep has to conform to modern standards to keep other models available leaving them no choice but to start producing SUVs on car platforms.
  8. Car platforms have shown still somewhat capable with today's Jeeps.
  9. There's the threat that Jeep might start producing cars.
  10. Cars with 4wd is all sorts of cool.

In my eyes, we're just starting to come full circle to what Jeep was so close to during the AMC days. What else was produced during the AMC days? This:

 

p01hh217.jpg

 

I say bring it on! I can't wait for Jeep to pull the trigger on a vehicle that they actually consider a car! Even with the vehicles that they've put out in their recent history... Patriot... Renegade... great! Now take one of them, lower the roof line, and call it an Eagle! Good job Jeep on keeping the name and all those American jobs going!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/04/2015-jeep-renegade-deep-dive-official-photos-geneva/

 

I'll say it... I like it. More so than the New Cherokee. I can only hope some of the styling cues from the front of this migrate onto the still somewhat harsh front end of the New Cherokee. We need something to remain competitive and strong in the market. More profits mean more play money. I think with looks like this and a solid drivetrain... The phrase hot cakes comes to mind. Jeep style, 4x4, MPGs, all in a nice package? Sold.

 

I will be very excited to see this at the '15 Chicago auto show and hope they have one running the circuit.

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

... People do not seem to realize that CAFE standards are based on the ENTIRE carbon footprint of a manufacturer, not an individual model. With that being said, by them producing an efficient, low emissions, high mpg vehicle it is in fact saving the Wrangler...

 

I couldn't agree more, but to keep the name going they also have no choice but to change and adapt to what sells in today's market and if that means that they need to sell small Fiat knock offs with the Jeep badge on, then so be it. I'd rather see the name continue and let the engineers dream and play once in a while to create some awesome rigs!... even if it is to tease us with fabled "potential future developments".

 

Ben gets it! Yes, it is a cute-ute but people are missing the bigger picture. If Jeep were to produce what we all are asking for they would alienate themselves from sales and in turn seal their own fate. Way back when 4x4's were the hot ticket and every company was scrambling to produce a competitor for the Jeep. In recent years its slowly turned away from this mentality and auto manufacturers were starting to pull back from the 4x4 craze. Vehicles started getting smaller and more fuel efficient at the cost of off-road capability, but it is what the population was leaning towards. Like I said earlier, Jeep is not a high end exotic car manufacturer that can survive on a dozen, couple million dollar cars annually. They need to stay competitive with every other manufacturer that is doing the same. The thing everyone should be damn happy about is that Jeep is coming into territory it has never been in before and thoroughly dominating. Dominating a segment means sales and sales mean Jeep engineers might have the time and money to play like Ben mentioned. Lets face it, if Jeep kept making the XJ as it was the brand would have died out. People are fickle and never satisfied so auto manufacturers have to pour tons of gadgets and features into cars to keep people interested. 

 

Years ago when the JK was first released I hated it, still mostly do. The reason for my hatred was from what most of you are expressing. The new-age Jeep yuppies and the in pouring of them into the scene. It took me a while to realize that those yuppies actually saved the brand with buying all of those Wranglers. Hell, I met a guy about a week ago that had your typical JK owner mentality "...it can go on the beach because its 4x4 and the top comes off. Thats all I want it for." These types are a thorn in the side of us diehard Jeep fans but sadly for us, they are what saved Jeep. It was not all that long ago that Jeep rolled off its one millionth JK Wrangler. That is a pretty staggering statistic when given the relatively short production run they have had. I will never accept a guy rolling in the 2014 JK lifted to the sky sitting on 37's and 24's, but I really have no room to talk. I have not purchased a new Jeep ever and my investment in the company and the brand is non-existent. I have yet to purchase my first new, zero mile, Jeep (read new "Jeep pickup"), but with that said my opinion whether I love the new stuff or hate it is irrelevant. They are not catering to me or people like me because our interests do not translate to sales. Jeep will hone in on a segment, produce a ride that dominates it, get a whole gaggle of new Jeep owners and profits will skyrocket. This is not a bad thing. Read again, this...is...not...a...bad...thing lol. I just hope that Jeep does so incredibly well with sales that they finally have the time to engineer and design the Jeeps we always wanted. 

 

Basically guys, nobody is asking you to go out and buy one but at least be happy that the company is doing well enough to do these things. Hopefully they make more rides that dominate segments they have never been in. The more the merrier. I am just glad I am not the only one who sees it.

 

RockMJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't get me wrong its a good idea till guys like me have to yank the soccer mom yuppy out of a ditch because they don't know how to drive 

 

I hope they sell so many of them the ditches are overflowing with them LOL.

RockMJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to like it, but it's a little cartoonish. The Cherokees grown on me, especially after driving my neighbor's, they really are nice, but the only one I'd have is the Trailhawk, way out of my price range. Maybe if I see one in person.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thats CASH MONEY into my pocket there Rock

 

Well get after it! Those ditches arent going to come to you lol. The Cherokee Trailhawk is actually rather nice in person. The base and Limited models are hideous. They put a lot of time and effort into the Trailhawk and the fit and finish is top notch. Still not a fan of the front end but I have learned to hate it less. 

 

RockMJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

  1. Chrysler called it quits with the Comanche and later the Cherokee killing off what so many people are still bitter about.
  2. Our final huzzah from Jeep was created when AMC still owned the name forcing others to think that Chrysler is really to blame for today's "Jeeps".
  3. AMC had some fantastic engineers that tried driving the company to success that Chrysler later bought up.
  4. Jeep has to conform to modern standards to keep other models available leaving them no choice but to start producing SUVs on car platforms.
  5. Car platforms have shown still somewhat capable with today's Jeeps.

 

 

 

To expand:

 

1. Although the Comanche died the Cherokee never did. The XJ's replacement was the KJ. It was called the Liberty in America but still retained the Cherokee name everywhere else. It made the step to IFS but it was hardly the first to do so as Jeep pioneered IFS on SUV's with the 1963 Wagoneer. In many ways, such as structural rigidity, it was superior to the XJ. Its engine made more power but that was hidden by the 700 pound weight gain over the XJ. Purist deny the connection but the lineage is clear. My old 6-speed stick '05 KJ with 31's on 2.5" of lift and an Aussie in the back would go anywhere that a 4.5" lifted XJ on 32's with a welded rear diff would go and I have the pictures to prove it. Having owned a 4.5" lifted MJ on 32's at the same time as that KJ I can tell you from first hand experience (something that most here lack in such a comparison)   including running the same trails that my KJ was clearly superior off-road to my MJ. A KJ configured with the 6-spd and 210 horse 3.7L got you an honest to goodness NP241 transfer case instead of the 231 found in most other Jeeps of the era. This combo also yielded a crawl ratio of 48:1. That is equal to an automatic TJ Rubicon and much better than the 26:1 of a comparable XJ. The rear was a 29-spline 8.25 with disk brakes and you could get 30" all-terrains from the factory. No XJ could touch it for factory content and the XJ used what amounted to passenger car all season tires. No factory XJ could touch those specs. The great advantage to the XJ was the ease of modifying it past small lifts when compared to the KJ.

 

2. The ChryCo produced TJ is still arguably the most capable Jeep ever. Although our nostalgia blinders say otherwise the truth is that they are superior to any of the CJ's ( I have owned 4 CJ's from a 2A to a 7) and the Rubicon is unmatched in factory performance.

 

3. When did AMC engineer anything? The truth is that they limped along producing marginal products by modifying the basic products that were in place when they purchased Jeep from Kaiser. The FSJ line, including the pick-ups, and the universal line remained virtually unchanged beyond mods necessary to adapt existing AMC engines into them. And frankly most years under AMC, including the de facto Renault ownership years, saw the Jeep line become ever more poor in terms of quality and reliability and neither were that high to begin with.

 

4. Under AMC Jeep pioneered the SUV being based on a car-like platform with the unibody XJ. This Jeep was universally hated upon its introduction. It looked like a Volvo 240 station wagon and had terrible engines and other issues. The weakish unibody construction that caused the Jeep to warp if you opened the doors on a lift rack was hardly "truckish." The quadralink was developed for on-road comfort, not off-road prowess, if you look to the sales literature of the XJ's introduction.

 

5. Many of today's "car platform" Jeeps are more capable both on and off road than the AMC offerings. A new & stock Grand Chero would wipe up the trail & the road with a stock Wagoneer especially any built from '84-'91. The Patriot had weird transmissions until the 2014 introduction of the 6-spd auto but has dimensions very close to that of the XJ . They are by far the best off-road vehicles in their class.

 

As with the fact that a modern V6 family sedan like an Accord would defeat most of the "muscle car" era offerings in acceleration, turning, and braking we tend to overlook jaded history due to "nostalgia blinders" that glorify things that reality shows really weren't that glorious. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Incommando, I agree with you. My wife and I had a KJ and it was a superior vehicle in every aspect over my stock XJ. Wheeling it in stock form was an absolute blast and we have been out with mildly modified ones like you mentioned and were amazed at how capable they are. I have an immense amount of respect for the Liberty and what it can and has done. It never left us stranded and got us home in every blizzard or hazardous condition we experienced. But I am also very open minded when it comes to Jeeps and cars in general and I have found myself pleasantly surprised on a few occasions.

 

And what you went in depth with is what I have been saying. The heritage in these new Jeeps is still there and alive and well even if its in a form we do not recognize right away. The quality and fit and finish on the new Jeeps are far superior to anything we have had in the past, and I'm surprised more people arent jumping for joy over this. I don't know, I guess call me a fool or what have you, but I really like what Jeep is doing and what they are trying to accomplish. Lots of good debates going on in here! I really like it.

 

RockMJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:agree:

 

Most manufacturers of soft-road vehicles in the last decade or so don't care that all the wheels aren't necessarily on the ground. The extra weight on the other wheels makes up for the complete lack of traction at that one wheel, just as much as the weight of a wheel and half an axle would do at that wheel, which really is all that the extra droop can give you. As long as you can keep the wheels still on the ground turning, of course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is a little cutesy, but it's far less hideous than the new cherokee or the compass.  I kinda like it.  just not exactly sure why. 

 

I was hoping the next Jeep would be more of a mini-wrangler. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is a little cutesy, but it's far less hideous than the new cherokee or the compass.  I kinda like it.  just not exactly sure why. 

 

I was hoping the next Jeep would be more of a mini-wrangler. 

Reminds me of one of these. I don't know why, but I just like a good Scrambler..  :dunno:   :yes:  Also, thank you Gnarmanche.  :rotfl2:

Jeep_SCrambler_white_SC-a.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...