2023 Jeep Renegade Performance

The Renegade isn't a particularly potent SUV. The less expensive versions used to make use of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque, but that engine has been dropped. The only engine choice is now a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-pot with 177 hp and 210 lb-ft. And, with the Sport model discontinued, there are no FWD options anymore, and all models feature a 4x4 drivetrain as standard.

The 0-60 mph sprint takes a leisurely nine seconds, so if you want an SUV with more of an on-road bias, the Renegade's sluggish performance will disappoint. The Jeep is more in its element off-road, where available gear such as hill-descent control and the Active Drive Low 4x4 system (with low range - a segment-exclusive) affords a crawl ratio of 21:1. The Selec-Terrain system features driving modes for Snow, Mud, Rock, and Snow, and the Jeep's wading depth of 19 inches will prove useful in off-road excursions. If you want to tow, a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 lbs is available.

There is only one four-cylinder engine to choose from within the Renegade range: a 1.3-liter turbo. This turbocharged motor has peak outputs of 177 hp and 210 lb-ft. The sole transmission is a nine-speed automatic.

The turbocharged engine has good torque but is held back by arguably the worst implementation of an automatic gearbox on offer. Shifts are ill-timed, the 'box constantly hunts for gears and never settles on an appropriate one, and even manual-shift prompts don't help as the transmission simply ignores them. Moreover, nine gears are of no use when the eighth and ninth are never actually engaged, not even while cruising at highway speeds with minimal throttle inputs. A manual would no doubt improve the experience, but as things stand, the powertrain is simply infuriating.

Perhaps if the Renegade engine was exceptionally frugal, we could forgive it for the lack of firepower. This isn't the case, though, with distinctly average gas mileage. The EPA-rated numbers for the 1.3-liter turbo in in all models except the Trailhawk are 23/29/26 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. The range's worst consumption figures are 22/27/24 mpg for the off-road-focused Trailhawk 4x4.

With a 12.7-gallon gas tank, the thriftiest models should be able to manage a combined cruising range of about 330 miles. For perspective, the 2.0-liter Subaru Crosstrek automatic returns up to 28/33/30 mpg. In real-world testing, our tester was unable to match the claimed figures. We blame the frustrating automatic gearbox for this, though, as we regularly had to resort to ham-fisted throttle inputs to yield the desired results.