[Cheko]

Had my first taste of the Renegade at the Canadian International Autoshow this week, first impressions were fantastic, THIS IS THE VEHICLE FOR ME....Until I had a look at the price sheets...

They had a Limited and a Trailhawk on offer at the show, the Trailhawk was off limits to show goers, but I did get some seat time in the Limited. Observations, fit and finish is on par with modern vehicles, touchpoints are suitable, layout is good enough.

Did feel that parts of the interior were a bit gimmicky, the Jeep grill easter eggs are interesting but IMO Jeep had gone too far on the Renegade, Since 1941 over the Uconnect screen was unnecessary in my opinion, and the overt reach to connect the Renegade with the rest of the brand and its lineage coems across, to me, as a bit of a desperate attempt to say SEE WE TOLD YOU ITS FOR REAL.

Naturally that's subjective, whats not and a far more insurmountable obstacle is price. Consider a mildly Optioned Trailhawk or Limited, lets assume $35K AT LEAST, what else falls into that price bracket?

Well for one, a Limited Jeep Cherokee begins at $31,395...Renegade Trailhawk begins at $31,145....a Trailhawk Cherokee begins at $32,395...a Limited Renegade begins at $32,295. I'm sorry but does that not strike anyone as absurd that the top trims of two vehicles from the same manufacturer in different segments are priced identically?

Sure the Renegades size and looks are nice, but the value simply isn't there, not when I can stroll across the showroom and purchase MORE car for the same money...

Moving outside of the Jeep stable, a Fully loaded Honda CRV Touring can be had for $38,398, you can get into a Forrester Limited for less then that and a LOADED XV Crosstrek for even less than that (at $31K with the added tech pack it undercuts Limited/Trailhawk with more kit as well). What really gets me is that I can get into an Ecodiesel RAM 1500 Outdoorsman, mildly optioned for $40K, it will still achieve excellent fuel economy, and then bring me all the payload, cargo capacity and towing capability that the Renegade dreams about.

Which is unfortunate because the Jeep booth was buzzing, I spoke to several people also going over the Renegade with a fine toothed comb and they all expressed similar sentiment, the women all thought it was cute, the men loved the capability, both were into the looks, interior was on point, fuel economy was about where they expected...but once again that $40K price tag was looming. They quietly requested brochures and walked away....

 

[Koily]

I'm scratching my head on this. The base pricing listed for the Limited does not seem to match up with the pricing that's listed on the jeep.ca website. Also, I tried adding the options in the configurator to match up with what I can see on the details sheet pic you posted, and again, am not able to add all the options listed.

Meh, it's Friday morning, my head hurts and I can hardly think straight.

*perhaps it'll make sense after I get some much needed sleep*

Either way...I do think it is a bit on the expensive side.

Thanks for the info Cheko. Appreciated.

 

[jocoleman]

I think those prices are insane, but they will come down when the novelty wears, I think is overpriced given all the media fuss its getting, but the market will bring them back to reality in the long term. In the short term there will be some people willing to pay for the novelty

 

[Leonidasthesnake]

I'm in the US and i think its too expensive. After i price out my limited version and my Trailhawk version its comes out between 29,870 - 31,115. It should be $5,000 less in my mind.

 

[jdl10011]

Yep. In total agreement.
This neat, fun-looking car is seriously over-priced.
I have a feeling Jeep will catch on when sales fail to materialize.
My initial excitement about this car wore off pretty quickly.
39k can, and should, but a lot more car than the Renegade offers.

I also regret that they put way too much thought into gimmicky easter eggs, the novelty of which wears off in about, um, 30 seconds, as well as the impractical MySky, and in doing so overlooked standard amenities such as traditional glass moonroof that many of us would prefer.

 

[raz-0]

I believe it is too expensive unless it winds up with decent incentives and dealers willing to deal.

FCA needs to either go after having range rover pricing, or go after having world crushing numbers of units shipped. You don't get to have both.

 

[Karamich]

Of course and unless you buy the Renegade simply for the look, it is definitely too expensive for its practical value.

What some might say, the latitude (North edition in Canada) is the good average of price vs value to go for but again, I still see it a bit expensive compared to a similar Patriot that does the exact same Job with similar capability or a Cherokee that has more luxury and similar capability as well...

I see it unfortunately too expensive and stepping over the territory of the Cherokee that you can get now with much better deals and being a strange competitor to the Patriot that as long as it is still in production might make some people choose it over this expensive funky boxy alternative.

I am curious to see how it will be doing here in Canada. I just cross my fingers it won't be a bad adventure in terms of sales and that might hurt the brand or at least this model.

 

[Karamich]

And to add to the post, last year I had a quote at my Jeep dealer here in Montreal, he offered a Cherokee Trailhawk with winter tires and 7 years extended warranty, fees and taxes included for 42K (CA$).

I was almosst considering it back then until I started hearing about the 9 Speed issues and other things here and there...

 

[rhicks]

$436 a month for 96 months at 3.49% ? Do people really finance cars for 8 years?

 

[raz-0]

$436 a month for 96 months at 3.49% ? Do people really finance cars for 8 years?

FCA hopes to make this a thing. 84 month financing has been growing.

The average cost of a new car in 1973 was $3650. Adjusted for 2014 dollars, That'd be $19,221. Average new car price in 2013 was $31,252 adjsuted to 2014 dollars, that's 31,758.97.

Median household income in 1973 was $9,129, inflation adjusted = $48,674.84.
Median household income in 2013 was $52,250, inflation adjusted = $53,097.59

And that's why there are 7 and 8 year car loans showing up. Car prices keep getting jacked up, and wages don't really. In 40 years, the average new car price went from ~40% of gross annual household income to ~60%.

 

[kj11]

I'm generally in agreement here. Several Jeep dealers in my area are selling 4WD Cherokee Latitudes starting around $25K. I'm going to have to see what kind of deals can be had on the Renegade, but its going to be tough to justify paying more for it than a Cherokee....

 

[sooperedd]

I feel the Renegade is a little pricey for the size; but all Jeep vehicles are overpriced in my opinion. It does have a lot of cool features though. Heated seats and steering wheel, wiper defroster, dual climate controls, rear view camera, lane assist.

Jeep dealer here doesn't deal so I'll head to Denver when I'm ready to buy. I won't pay full price, so I might wait and see how the initial reliability is and if I can't get a good deal I'll probably look hard at the Tacoma.

 

[DogsRule]

You will NEVER see prices come down from where they are now. They are set. Even during the Great Recession, car MSRP never rolled down.

Sorry to be a buzzkill, but we have to get over the sticker shock.

Like a pretty girl once told me through my inexperienced tears, "Look. I know this is your first time, but this is happening. So just accept it and get over it."

...and then she sold me my Kia.

You might see some Jeep incentives, and dealing. But not for quite a while.

 

[bwbike]

I'll reserve final judgement until I actually get to drive one. But the price may be fair if the car is built with high strength steel (as we have been led to believe). If the car is solid and the tiny engine can move it adequately, the price won't seem too bad.

Other brands might be cheaper, but maybe they are not built as well.

 

[Eric5273]

As someone who really likes smaller vehicles, I have always been annoyed with the idea that "bigger is better" that most of the car companies have portrayed until very recently.

Want the top features? Then you must buy a larger vehicle. The smaller vehicle comes with nothing.

Why can't they make a small vehicle with all of the features of a larger vehicle? I've been asking this for years. Well finally it appears the car companies are starting to listen and the Renegade is a very good example of this. But yes, if you want all the features, it is going to be more expensive.

10 years ago this car wouldn't have offered half of the features it does now, and it would have topped out around 25k. So now they give you the opportunity to get more stuff, but you must pay for it. So now people complain they can get the larger model for only slightly more money. Yes, that is true. Because the only thing the larger model comes with is some extra size. The mechanics of the car are equal, so all you are paying for is some slightly larger body panels and a tiny bit more steel. Jeep's cost is only slightly less for the Renegade than it is for the Cherokee.

So if you wanted to save money by going smaller, you won't. The reason to get a Renegade is that you WANT a smaller vehicle.

 

[Karamich]

As the cars prices are relative to each others and never isolated cases, the Renegade is a weird case especially in the markets of CUVs here in Canada.

First, if we talk about capability, as I said, in the Jeep family, more roomy and luxurious Cherokees can be bought in that frame of price. Less luxurious options get us to a fully loaded Patriot with a Trail Rated kit that can be bought with the price of the Renegade North (aka Latitude)...

Now if one does not need hardcore off-roaders, there are the Subarus XV or Forester that do the job very well on the trail with an added value of durability, harsh weather handling and performance etc...

And if off-roading is not on the menu, the market of CUVs is plenty of other options... the HR-V being one that can be an alternative in terms of peace of mind and reliability

Therefore the Renegade is only seducing because of its look in my opinion. And how many will buy it just for that?

I love the design, but again, I feel that its Canadian price makes it a bit superficial on the market here.

In the US, another weird case of price competition is the one with the Grand Cherokee starting at 30K. Yes the engine is thursty but we are talking about serious off road capability, space and luxury. Here in Canada a GC Laredo is 45K...

Could it be that Jeep does not want to seriously sell it here in Canada? Or even in North America in genral to keep sales stable of the Cherokee and Patriot in Canada and Cherokee and GC in the US ? Is the fact that it is built in Italy makes its import expenses high therefore as if it is a European car sold here? Or are they waiting for the Partiot / Compass replacement to make the Renegade only for the Euro market? Just my guesses...

 

[Danmcmanus]

These are Canadian Quotes NOT in US DOLLARS, LOONY,eh!

These are Canadian Quotes NOT in US DOLLARS, LOONY,eh!

I think you are scaring a lot of potential US Renegade Buyers!

 

[Danmcmanus]

Had my first taste of the Renegade at the Canadian International Autoshow this week, first impressions were fantastic, THIS IS THE VEHICLE FOR ME....Until I had a look at the price sheets...

They had a Limited and a Trailhawk on offer at the show, the Trailhawk was off limits to show goers, but I did get some seat time in the Limited. Observations, fit and finish is on par with modern vehicles, touchpoints are suitable, layout is good enough.

Did feel that parts of the interior were a bit gimmicky, the Jeep grill easter eggs are interesting but IMO Jeep had gone too far on the Renegade, Since 1941 over the Uconnect screen was unnecessary in my opinion, and the overt reach to connect the Renegade with the rest of the brand and its lineage coems across, to me, as a bit of a desperate attempt to say SEE WE TOLD YOU ITS FOR REAL.

Naturally that's subjective, whats not and a far more insurmountable obstacle is price. Consider a mildly Optioned Trailhawk or Limited, lets assume $35K AT LEAST, what else falls into that price bracket?

Well for one, a Limited Jeep Cherokee begins at $31,395...Renegade Trailhawk begins at $31,145....a Trailhawk Cherokee begins at $32,395...a Limited Renegade begins at $32,295. I'm sorry but does that not strike anyone as absurd that the top trims of two vehicles from the same manufacturer in different segments are priced identically?

Sure the Renegades size and looks are nice, but the value simply isn't there, not when I can stroll across the showroom and purchase MORE car for the same money...

Moving outside of the Jeep stable, a Fully loaded Honda CRV Touring can be had for $38,398, you can get into a Forrester Limited for less then that and a LOADED XV Crosstrek for even less than that (at $31K with the added tech pack it undercuts Limited/Trailhawk with more kit as well). What really gets me is that I can get into an Ecodiesel RAM 1500 Outdoorsman, mildly optioned for $40K, it will still achieve excellent fuel economy, and then bring me all the payload, cargo capacity and towing capability that the Renegade dreams about.

Which is unfortunate because the Jeep booth was buzzing, I spoke to several people also going over the Renegade with a fine toothed comb and they all expressed similar sentiment, the women all thought it was cute, the men loved the capability, both were into the looks, interior was on point, fuel economy was about where they expected...but once again that $40K price tag was looming. They quietly requested brochures and walked away....

These are Canadian Quotes NOT in US DOLLARS, LOONY,eh!

I think you are scaring a lot of potential US Renegade Buyers!

Here is what TrueCar Estimates for the Chicago Area:

 

[bwbike]

. . . Therefore the Renegade is only seducing because of its look in my opinion. And how many will buy it just for that? . . .

Well, I'm one. I think it is a good looking little car. And I couldn't care less about its off-road capability. There isn't one other competing car out there that I like its looks.

Too many cars these days are designed with the headlights pulled back along the front fenders where you can see the lights from the side. I just don't like that look.

I just wish it came with a little beefier engine. But I'll reserve final judgement until I drive the 1.4T manual version.

 

[artyup]

The pricing is too high and I am not interested in a Trail Hawk at these numbers and have bought a low miles 2006 Wrangler to fill my needs. FCA is going for lower volume higher profit per unit that the Jeep badge can garner.