[The Drifter]

Your mpg and mine aren't too dissimilar. I have a UK spec 1.4 turbo 6 manual 140hp fwd. With cruise control on the motorway 40 mpg is within reach.

The acceleration isn't bad for a small brick. Ok, so it ain't no Lamborghini, but it does pick up speed pretty well.

Mpg figures will vary, always have and always will. What the manufacturer lists is "for COMPARISON purposes only and is not representative of real world driving" it states in the small print in the brochures. The average mpg figure crept up a bit after I had the software update.

I'm not that tall, 5' 9" and find the driving position fine. The driver's seat is as high as it will go as I like the high position and it also makes it easier for me to get in and out of easily. Bonnet isn't too high and driving it is easy.

I have had my Renegade since 29th September 2015 and it is everything that I hoped it would be.

Yes, I don't mind the relaxed acceleration of this Jeep at all, because it isn't annoyingly slow - this Jeep is fast enough to get you moving without feeling like you are waiting for speed to come.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

Well, I tried to test drive a manual this week. I went into the dealer to ask and the salesman looked befuddled and said he didn't know if they had any. So he led me out to the lot and just started looking in the windows of all the Renegades. The whole time he was on his mobile with someone else. Of course they didn't have any, and he just said sorry and kept talking on the phone. Needless to say I am not going to bother with that dealer again, and I'm going to call the other ones before I bother to look. Maybe I'll wait until the 2017s start showing up.

 

[kevinfourlegs]

If that is their attitude, then go to another dealer. If the sales executive can't be @rsed, says it all.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

I am. Luckily there are a few in the area. My neighbor just bought a Renegade but she got an automatic. I'm still going to try it out so I can see how the MySky panels work, but if I get a Renegade it'll be a manual. WAY too many of the threads on this site about problems with the Renegade are about the auto-transmission. On a side note I went to a Honda dealer the same day to see if they had any FWD 5-speed HRVs and the guy looked at me like I was an idiot, and said that "we never get those around here." They didn't have any 5-speed Fits either. Must be too close to the year changeover.

 

[kevinfourlegs]

In the USA a small suv like a Jeep Renegade is one of the few that have a manual box. It is the same in Canada. In the UK however, a lot of small vehicles have a manual box.

 

[Spitfire]

So, a few km on it now, and so far the 1.4T and 6M has not disappointed. As Kevin says, it ain't a Lamborghini, but it moves out just fine (and gets much better mileage than I'd expect of a Lambo).

 

[Michael Osadciw]

I finally found a MT Renegade around here to test drive. It was a 4x4 Latitude with the cold weather package. It was nice to get back in a car with a stick shift again (my current leased Fiesta has an auto which I didn't order but they screwed it up and didn't charge me for it). The tranny seemed nice, just as smooth as the last MT I had, a 2012 Ford Focus. Lucky for me I figured out how the reverse worked; the salesman never bothered to show me anything. Steering felt nice, and when I got on the highway I really loved where the power came on in 3rd. It seemed to pull through a large range of revs. Really nice. I'm sure it'll be even more fun when I get used to the clutch. The only thing that bugged me was a fair amount of buffetting when I had the driver's side window down. It seemed to go away when I opened another window. First car I've been in that did that with just the drivers window open.

More annoyance with the dealer though (different one from above too). The guy asked me what I was looking for and I said what it was (4x4, MT, Latitude with Cold Weather & MySky) and he just shakes his head and says "we don't get those, that'd be tough. MySky is always loaded." If I'm paying $25k for a car it better have exactly what I want. I'm not in a hurry, but the guy didn't even say that he could try and find one or that "it'll be tough, but we'll look for what you want." Nothing. Never mentioned ordering one either. I think as soon as he knew I wasn't buying what he had on the lot, he could've cared less what I said. The guy never showed me anything about the car either; I'm glad I knew about the electric parking break from reading this forum. I asked about the 2017s because that's what I would be getting when my lease is up next spring and he just said "those are exactly the same but with no rebates." WTF is with these guys? I got the same attitude from a Subaru and a VW dealer. I'm the worst salesman around (with many copies of my published works lying around to prove it) but even I know to at least pretend like you'll try to help and give someone your card without having the customer have to ask for it. That's two dealers down around here so far. I'll try a third when the 2017s show up.

 

[CLShifter]

That is pretty crappy dealer service, but not uncommon unfortunately. Browsing this forum I'm sure you've seen that it's certainly possible to get a manual Renegade with MySky. Are there any more dealers nearby? In my experience it's worth it to find one that treats you right, even if it means travelling a little further.

 

[BlueDemon]

the first time I walked into a dealer I was told that a manual 1.4 turbo 4x4 option did no exist by 3 reps. I grabbed a brochure, showed them and walked out of there.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

the first time I walked into a dealer I was told that a manual 1.4 turbo 4x4 option did no exist by 3 reps. I grabbed a brochure, showed them and walked out of there.

Sheesh. Well it wasn't that bad, but the guy just went into some nonsense about how the cars are "never specced that way." I never expected so many salesmen at so may different makes to just not be helpful in trying to find something they don't have on their lot right that instant. This guy even complained about the large number of Renegades they had in stock and I'd be lucky to see any 2017s until December. At least i got to drive one with the transmission that I want. I still need to test drive my other choices: Mini Countryman, Manual Forrester (yawn), and a Focus ST. At least my neighbor's Renegade has MySky and she said I could try it out. I'm not sure she's ever even pulled the panels out yet.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

That is pretty crappy dealer service, but not uncommon unfortunately. Browsing this forum I'm sure you've seen that it's certainly possible to get a manual Renegade with MySky. Are there any more dealers nearby? In my experience it's worth it to find one that treats you right, even if it means travelling a little further.

There are 8 more of them within 40 miles of me so I have more chances if I go with a Renegade. One of them I've dealt with when I was looking at Fords and they seemed shady, so I don't think I'll go there. I'll call them all next, and only visit the one where someone even bothers to seem to helpful. It's sad to have low expectations and not even have those met.

 

[Spitfire]

More annoyance with the dealer though (different one from above too). The guy asked me what I was looking for and I said what it was (4x4, MT, Latitude with Cold Weather & MySky) and he just shakes his head and says "we don't get those, that'd be tough. MySky is always loaded." If I'm paying $25k for a car it better have exactly what I want. I'm not in a hurry, but the guy didn't even say that he could try and find one or that "it'll be tough, but we'll look for what you want." Nothing. Never mentioned ordering one either. I think as soon as he knew I wasn't buying what he had on the lot, he could've cared less what I said. The guy never showed me anything about the car either; I'm glad I knew about the electric parking break from reading this forum. I asked about the 2017s because that's what I would be getting when my lease is up next spring and he just said "those are exactly the same but with no rebates." WTF is with these guys? I got the same attitude from a Subaru and a VW dealer. I'm the worst salesman around (with many copies of my published works lying around to prove it) but even I know to at least pretend like you'll try to help and give someone your card without having the customer have to ask for it. That's two dealers down around here so far. I'll try a third when the 2017s show up.

I've dealt with poor dealers in the past--all brands (and not only cars), but there are some good ones. I had 3 different dealers searching for a Renegade with my specs--and pretty sure they were all quoting the exact same vehicles, so I went with the least expensive (by a fair margin, too). Salesperson is a young woman whom I think may be relatively new to the business, as she seemed genuinely willing to listen and work with me to find what I wanted (unlike the other dealers who did the search but would much rather have sold me what they had in inventory, or charge me ovdr $3K more for the same vehicle). Overall, the buying experience was pretty good.