[cheese]

On the fence about buying a "15" Latitude. Read Consumer Reports and they don't like small SUVs unless it says RAV4 or Forester on it. They also thought Renegade was 3K too expensive. With options, I agree. I can buy a well equipped Ford Escape or Chevy Equinox, not a Focus or Trax for same money. There is enough talk about the fickle 9 speed, some wind noise, open shipping holes in the subframe, and a few other commonalities. Will Fiat/Chrysler work out these issues or is the car what it is? Is it worth waiting for a "16" or will that just be a rebadged "15". Anybody out there with a lot of miles on their "15" to put me over the hump one way or the other.

 

[syzygy]

The renegade is much smaller than the forester and Rav4.
You tend to only hear the bad things on forums.
Nobody joins to say how good their car is.
Love your name. Cheese is my favourite thing. I will be having some stilton and some camembert in an hour.

 

[Malcolm02]

The renegade is much smaller than the forester and Rav4.
You tend to only hear the bad things on forums.
Nobody joins to say how good their car is.

I did. I'm really pleased with mine, though it's only been 3 weeks. I guess it depends how much you like the style, respect the heritage, and are willing to deal with problems as they arise.

Love your name. Cheese is my favourite thing. I will be having some stilton and some camembert in an hour.

I am one of the few people in the world who hate cheese. Love my Renny though.

 

[syzygy]

I did. I'm really pleased with mine, though it's only been 3 weeks. I guess it depends how much you like the style, respect the heritage, and are willing to deal with problems as they arise.



I am one of the few people in the world who hate cheese. Love my Renny though.

I stand corrected.

 

[Lackadazikal]

I'm very pleased with mine as well. I heart it. Had it since late April. Love driving it. Just what I was waiting for to replace my old Jeep.
I definitely agree with what @Malcolm02 just posted. Except for the hating cheese part of course.

Also, here's some other discussions on the same topic. Lots of opinions/info in them:
http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/fo...al-discussion/28593-looking-buy-renegade.html

http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/fo...eral-discussion/28745-2015-2016-renegade.html

http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/fo...ion/27706-potential-buyer-many-questions.html

 

[royalblue]

I don't agree with everything Consumers Reports says. What they value in a car is not always something that I value. Go and drive a Renegade and make a decision. Sure you could go with one of the boring Japanese cars they recommend but is that what you really want ? The Renegade has character and soul and is a blast to drive.

 

[Going Commando]

I wouldn't trade my Renegade for any other SUV on the market, unless I was stepping up to a full size.

*Edit* I like cheese as well.

 

[royalblue]

The renegade is much smaller than the forester and Rav4.
You tend to only hear the bad things on forums.
Nobody joins to say how good their car is.
Love your name. Cheese is my favourite thing. I will be having some stilton and some camembert in an hour.

Oh camembert. Thats a tasty cheese.

 

[Gravitywell]

Do any of the other manufacturer's 4x4 system even come close to the Renegade?

 

[R3N3GAD3]

On the fence about buying a "15" Latitude. Read Consumer Reports and they don't like small SUVs unless it says RAV4 or Forester on it. They also thought Renegade was 3K too expensive. With options, I agree. I can buy a well equipped Ford Escape or Chevy Equinox, not a Focus or Trax for same money. There is enough talk about the fickle 9 speed, some wind noise, open shipping holes in the subframe, and a few other commonalities. Will Fiat/Chrysler work out these issues or is the car what it is? Is it worth waiting for a "16" or will that just be a rebadged "15". Anybody out there with a lot of miles on their "15" to put me over the hump one way or the other.

Don't judge by just 1 review. Read many; and read between the lines as they will all have their own bias no matter how much they try not to be biased. Look at the models they compare too as many may not compare models you may actually not be interested in. There are also some very informative and practical tests shown in reviews on YouTube that compare Renegades and other models.

As others alluded to, you hear about more problems on forums than you do about the good stuff. People are quick to report an issue, but rarely post "all is good."

Yes, there have been some consistent issues with the 2015 Renegades - as is to be expected within the first couple years of a new model. But many have been resolved.

Why I chose a Renegade:
- It is one of the very few SUVs you can get in a manual transmission. I can't stand automatics. So a manual was a "must have" for me.
- I was considering a Patriot over the past year, but never got one because it sort of looked like a generic SUV. I felt the same about the Rav4, CRV, Escape, and other brands... you see them everywhere (which something can be said for that - they are reliable and/or affordable) - but if I'm going to spend all that money on a vehicle, it needs to be something a little different; something a little more unique.

I had a Forrester in the past. They're good and you can't go wrong with one. But again, it looks like all other small SUVs and for me, I couldn't get one in manual transmission.

So you just have to decide what is most important to you and what you want out of the vehicle.
- Also, I wanted an SUV that was on a real SUV platform and not just a car that had been "lifted" like so many other of these "crossovers." It's Jeep - they know SUV.

 

[bwbike]

The Trailhawk I picked up in early April has had no problems in the 3,500 miles I've driven it so far. I use the motorbike a lot in nice weather or I would have twice the miles on it.

I really like the look of the Renegade. No other competitor looks as good IMHO. And I like the small size of this car. Any bigger and I wouldn't like it as much. Yet from the inside, it seems big and has lots of head room.

 

[royalblue]

We originally were going to get a Jeep Cherokee. For less money we got a Renegade with more features. You have to choose the vehicle and options that make you happy. I don't like it when people purchase a Renegade Sport and complain about the steel wheels and no spare tire. Make an informed decision with the equipment levels that you want. The Renegade will be more durable than the other cars it is competing with. This should factor in your decision.

 

[MRM331]

I'm at 3500 miles with no issues with my 1.4t 4x4 Latitude. If you have the ability to shift your own gears go with the 1.4. Most if not almost all the reported problems on this forum and the internet in general have to do with the nine speed and its programming. I drove a few 2.4's before 1.4's were in stock just to get an idea of the handling, braking and layout of the thing. The transmission never seemed to know what gear it wanted and the engine never felt like something that would keep my attention for the duration of the payments. The 1.4 has an amaizing amount of power for something with less displacement than a six pack of beer and the six speed lets you effectively modulate how that power is used.
I am very happy with my purchase and very glad I picked it up in July. If I were looking to buy one now, as you are, I think I would wait until 2016's are on the lot just so I would not have to face paying near msrp for a car that is technicly a year old in a few weeks. In a month or so you'll be able to pick up a 2016 or talk a dealer down on a left over 2015.
Good luck,
-Jason

 

[humarock]

On the fence about buying a "15" Latitude. Read Consumer Reports and they don't like small SUVs unless it says RAV4 or Forester on it. They also thought Renegade was 3K too expensive. With options, I agree. I can buy a well equipped Ford Escape or Chevy Equinox, not a Focus or Trax for same money. There is enough talk about the fickle 9 speed, some wind noise, open shipping holes in the subframe, and a few other commonalities. Will Fiat/Chrysler work out these issues or is the car what it is? Is it worth waiting for a "16" or will that just be a rebadged "15". Anybody out there with a lot of miles on their "15" to put me over the hump one way or the other.

Got my Limited 8/9 and STILL loving it. AND I love cheese! :ReneBlueWave:

 

[royalblue]

I'm at 3500 miles with no issues with my 1.4t 4x4 Latitude. If you have the ability to shift your own gears go with the 1.4. Most if not almost all the reported problems on this forum and the internet in general have to do with the nine speed and its programming. I drove a few 2.4's before 1.4's were in stock just to get an idea of the handling, braking and layout of the thing. The transmission never seemed to know what gear it wanted and the engine never felt like something that would keep my attention for the duration of the payments. The 1.4 has an amaizing amount of power for something with less displacement than a six pack of beer and the six speed lets you effectively modulate how that power is used.
I am very happy with my purchase and very glad I picked it up in July. If I were looking to buy one now, as you are, I think I would wait until 2016's are on the lot just so I would not have to face paying near msrp for a car that is technicly a year old in a few weeks. In a month or so you'll be able to pick up a 2016 or talk a dealer down on a left over 2015.
Good luck,
-Jason

For some it may be better to get a deal on a 2015 just to get the much better warranty.