[randyflycaster]

Hello,

My name is Randy. I'm new to these forums.

I'm relocating to Montana and I was planning on buying a Jeep Renegade. A friend of a friend, however, who knows a lot about cars, told me not to buy a 4 cylinder car for Montana, as the state has a lot of hills and mountains.

I'm not planning on towing a lot of weight or putting 4 people in the car.

So, will a 4 cylinder give me enough power?

Randy

 

[kevinfourlegs]

I got a four cylinder 140hp Renegade. Only had it a few days and it copes with hills ok. Ain't been up any mountains. I had a Scenic before the Renegade and that was a diesel 1.5 dCi with 110hp. That was underpowered up the same roads as the Renegade.

 

[dontpanic13]

The US version has either 160 hp / 184 ft-lbs. for the 1.4L and 180 hp / 175 ft-lbs. for the 2.4L. I have taken it through some hills and it hasn't had any trouble. I wouldn't think it would have any issues with the roads in Montana.

 

[lovemesomejeep]

I live in the hills down here in Branson, in which there are a lot of twist and turns and ups and down and the renegade does well. The transmission keeps the engine where it needs to be for max power, rarely does mine see north of 4k rpms to get up them... this 4 cyl is much different than and older model with a 4 speed transmission. I dont know about the mountains in montana though...

I have the 2.4 automatic.

 

[Retiredguns]

We recently took a trip from Illinois to Rhode Island and back going through some pretty decent hills in PA. The 2.4 did really well and better than I expected. I was concerned as we just came out of an '09 Escape with a pretty peppy V6. The Renegade did just as well and the tranny kept it in the sweet spot with no problems.

 

[raz-0]

Anyone who says "don't get a 4 cylinder because hills" does not know a lot about cars. There's no reason it should not cope, but beyond that, a 4 banger can be putting out anywhere from 40-400 horsepower in a manner capable of being driven daily.

Given that 80s malaise era v8s and even worse 4 bangers (i'm looking at you Chevy Chevette) didn't depopulate Montana leaving fields of stranded vehicles in all the nooks and crannies, I'm pretty sure they can get around.

To put it in perspective. A 1978 vette was 185 hp and 280 ft/lbs of torque though. With nearly the same curb weight as a renegade (3500lbs). Given the vast array of modern 4 cylinder vehicles sold, and the fact they are (believe it or not) sold in montana, I suspect they work just fine and your FOAF needs to get out and meet more cars in person.

 

[Payton Orange]

We live in the Rocky Mountains at 8500 ft outside and above Colorado Springs and have a month old TH. It certainly has adequate power for the mountains at this altitude. I wouldn't say it excessive power, but it is certainly adequate. This is the first car (truck, vehicle?) I've had in the last 10 or more years that didn't have a turbocharger, and I definitely can feel the difference, but it's not a problem. If you don't plan on doing any serious off roading and want a lot of pep (although you'll need premium grade fuel), try the Subaru Forrester XT which has a 240 HP turbo 4. Good luck in Montana.

 

[randyflycaster]

Folks,
Thanks so much for all your help.
Randy

 

[syzygy]

Hello,

My name is Randy. I'm new to these forums.

I'm relocating to Montana and I was planning on buying a Jeep Renegade. A friend of a friend, however, who knows a lot about cars, told me not to buy a 4 cylinder car for Montana, as the state has a lot of hills and mountains.

I'm not planning on towing a lot of weight or putting 4 people in the car.

So, will a 4 cylinder give me enough power?

Randy

FCC

If your friend thinks that the number of cylinders a car has is the deciding factor he knows nothing about cars.

 

[Brokenjeep]

You will be fine...2.4l 180 hp 9 speed tranny...verse my 2007 dodge dakota quad cab 4.7l V8 230 hp 4 speed tranny...I can not keep up with my wife going up them mountain in her renegade..The mountain is a 19% downhill grade going from 1200 to 2200 feet in elevation...Also when the transmission works properly it will even help you on the down hills..It will automatically hold the tranny in a lower gear when braking going down hill.Nice feature most vehicles will just go into the highest gear and make you use the brakes or you manually down shift it.

 

[repettit]

I agree with folks above. I have a 2.4 L Lattitude with the 9 speed transmission. No problems going back and forth over the Sierra Mountains. No problem keeping up with traffic on I5. 3,000+ miles and still at 27.5 mpg.

 

[Renny LeBeau]

My first car was a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder in a 1989 Mustang LX. That had about 85 or 90 HP. I never had any problems in regular driving. My parents used to tell me that they took their Chevette up Whiteface Mountain here in NY, though they joked it almost didn't make it.

My point, though, is that with double the HP and 4WD, you'll be no worse off than those cars of yesteryear. 4-Cylinders get the same amount of HP now that V6's got 20 years ago. They just don't have as much torque, which is what you'd be most likely to miss.

 

[bwbike]

I was surprised the first time I drove the Renegade with the 2.4L engine & 9 speed transmission. It's no powerhouse engine but is quite adequate for all but the most extreme driving (extreme as in off-road).

My other car has nearly 500 HP straight from the factory and I am satisfied with the power of the 2.4 in the Renegade. I think the 9 speed really brings the best out of the little engine.

I drive this highway on-ramp every day going to work at highway speed (65 mph). It is uphill and quite steep. The car normally is rolling along in 9th gear, then shifts to 8, then 7, and then 6 all the while the cruise control is keeping the car right at 65. Nice.



- My other car will climb this uphill on-ramp in 6th gear (manual transmission) and not break a sweat or slow down at all. -

 

[hoodoo]

We live at a ski resort and have to drive down 2500 or so feet every time we just want to go to town or take the kids to school, so basically it's around 8 or 9 miles with that elevation gain when we return home. The Renegade 1.4 Turbo with manual transmission does great! Soon as you downshift and hit the 2500-3500 RPM range it rockets forward, lots of fun and climbs quickly up the mountain road. I've even passed cars a few times on the uphill with no problem. Our other vehicle is a Toyota FJ Cruiser with manual 6 speed 240HP and the Jeep feels just as fast to me or even slightly faster to accelerate sometimes due to the lower weight.

 

[Renny LeBeau]

We live at a ski resort and have to drive down 2500 or so feet every time we just want to go to town or take the kids to school, so basically it's around 8 or 9 miles with that elevation gain when we return home. The Renegade 1.4 Turbo with manual transmission does great! Soon as you downshift and hit the 2500-3500 RPM range it rockets forward, lots of fun and climbs quickly up the mountain road. I've even passed cars a few times on the uphill with no problem. Our other vehicle is a Toyota FJ Cruiser with manual 6 speed 240HP and the Jeep feels just as fast to me or even slightly faster to accelerate sometimes due to the lower weight.

That's good to hear. It sounds like I won't have any problems on our flat, pothole-y roads.

 

[Traceee]

That's good to hear. It sounds like I won't have any problems on our flat, pothole-y roads.

Ha ha...that's funny. I'll add "pothole-y" and "patched-pothole-y" roads.

 

[Newtyg]

My first car was a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder in a 1989 Mustang LX. That had about 85 or 90 HP. I never had any problems in regular driving. My parents used to tell me that they took their Chevette up Whiteface Mountain here in NY, though they joked it almost didn't make it.

My point, though, is that with double the HP and 4WD, you'll be no worse off than those cars of yesteryear. 4-Cylinders get the same amount of HP now that V6's got 20 years ago. They just don't have as much torque, which is what you'd be most likely to miss.

Just took my Renegade up Whiteface Memorial Highway today. Never had to worry about a lack of horse power or torque going up. Since I do not have a trailhawk (no downhill assist) Iput the latitude in manual and made it down the mountain in 2nd and 3rd gear with ease. The Renegade is Adirondack approved.

 

[Sierra757]

well I live in yonkers which is nothing but hills and I feel confident going up all of them, if I could take my Honda accord up mount Washington in New Hampshire I'm sure I can do fine with my trailhawk, it feels alot stronger then what I am used to.

 

[hoodoo]

Yesterday I was thinking about the SUV we had when we first moved here with this mountain road. It was a 1991 Isuzu Trooper with a 2.6L 4 cylinder engine and it only produced 120HP and 146 ft-lbs of torque! So comparing to the smaller, lighter Renegade that produces 160HP and 184 ft-lbs of torque it's no wonder the Renegade has plenty of power! We used to drive the 120HP Trooper up the mountain road just fine.

Trooper 4X4 5 Spd:
CURB WEIGHT 3755 lbs.
Engine & Performance
BASE ENGINE SIZE 2.6 L CYLINDERS Inline 4
TORQUE 146 ft-lbs. @ 2600 rpm HORSEPOWER 120 hp @ 5000 rpm
TURNING CIRCLE 41.3 ft.
FUEL ECONOMY (CTY/HWY) 15/17 mpg

Renegade 1.4L 4X4 6 Spd:
Curb weight: 3,183 lbs
Engine & Performance
BASE ENGINE SIZE 1.4 L CAM TYPE Single overhead cam (SOHC)
CYLINDERS Inline 4 VALVES 16
TORQUE 184 ft-lbs. @ 2500 rpm HORSEPOWER 160 hp @ 5500 rpm
TURNING CIRCLE 36.3 ft.
EPA MILEAGE EST. (CTY/HWY) 24/31 mpg