500 Mile Check In
I've had my Renegade since first week of January and have driven it 500 miles. Here are my thoughts.
Usage: I use it for commuting on suburban roads and a trip to the city and some joy riding around town. The weather has been near freezing and some days with -15 wind chill. No real snow this season. My TH has remote start with heated wheel and seats. Because of the cold weather I haven't really explore with the Renegade, just too cold. I did drive it briefly in a snowy dirt field.
Overall: I love it. It's been a great winter car. No problems.
Transmission, a pleasant surprise: Let's start with the transmission shall we
During my test drives I didn't notice any rough shifts, mainly because I was pushing it hard. After I brought it home, I drove it normally. I drive gentle and immediately notice a rough 'kick' in the first gear shift from a stop. Well I'm glad after about 300 miles the 'kick' was gone! I posted a thread looking for feedback, some say the computer will learn while other say it's permanent. Well I can attest for my 9 speed TH... the computer learned my habits and eliminated the rough shift. My TH was built in 10/2015.
Engine, cold vibes: This is one of my least favorite things. I live in a cold climate and while I don't find the engine to be unusually noisy in the cold mornings I do notice above average vibration when I reach my first stop light of my morning commute. With my foot on the brake the engine vibrates a lot. As for noise, I use my remote start exclusively and have walked up to my Jeep from every angle and it's about normal with the competitors. However the tone of the engine is 'rattley' and not a smooth like a Japanese engine LOL.
Temporary problem, XM signal: I had one problem but it went away. I park in a multilevel parking structure at work. When I pull in I lose my XM signal. This is normal. Once I'm outside the signal is reestablished immediately. Except for this one time when I pulled out it was still 'acquiring signal' for a very long time. I knew something was wrong but I went ahead and ran my errand and when I returned and restarted the Jeep the XM was working again. HOWEVER the compass was not working. I display a compass as one of the gauges in my cluster and it showed '--' Next morning all was fine.
Favorite things, adventurous & fun: My Jeep Renegade does something that others car cannot. It has an adventurous spirit. I think it has a lot to do with the upright driving position and vertical windshield. I feel more engaged in driving and find myself peeking over corners and actively moving and looking around. IN addition I think the playful design elements all over the Renegade makes it a fun vehicle to operate. It has a youthful spirit. I also liken the exterior design, with its big over sized headlights and X tail lights to a cartoon character, like Angry Birds LOL.
Least favorite things, small fuel tank and mirrors: Fuel tank is too small and it gives the negative impression that it's a gas guzzler. The needle moves too fast giving a sense of 'range anxiety' I think the tank should hold 15 gallons given the MPG rating. Next is the outside power mirrors. The motors move too slowly. I used this feature when backing up everyday and there is a delay.
Things still unsure about...: Beats Audio. I am slowly warming up to this $795 option which was a big let down at the beginning. My biggest complaint is the lack of bass for normal music and comedy radio. I know this sounds weird for a system called 'Beats' but the factory tuning is totally setup for HIP HOP and Electronic music. When this genre of music is played, the sound is GREAT, rich and deep bass. However when I play 70s to 90s rock music it sounds flat, totally lacking any depth. I've slowly and methodically adjust the EQ and for the most part it is sounding better and better but for $795... it should be awesome. I bought my TH off the lot so I had no choice. However I drove a another TH with the 5.0 radio and it sounded worst then Beats. So I guess it's an improvement but it ain't worth $795!!!
Looking forward to the next 500 miles: As the weather warms I am expecting better MPGs. Right now I am probably getting 22 - 24 of non-highway commuting MPGs. Cold temps, remote starting, and winter blend gas is negatively impacting economy as expected. I also hope the engine, as it gets more broken in, will run a little smoother. I also plan on doing off-roading. Can't wait!
