[Frank N Stein]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at buying a small off-roader and I've narrowed it down to the Renegade and the Forester.

Jeep has a history of being unreliable but the renegade looks so much better than the Forester.

My question is regarding the reliability of the Renegade; have any of you had problems so far? Is it worth buying, considering that i do a lot of commuting everyday (i.e. 50000 miles a year) + some off-roading over the weekends.

Thanks

 

[Beerwolf70]

Hi Frank and welcome! First thing is that being a new model the Renegade has some issues for some people. Some have had problems with the transmission and others with the Uconnect. Other people (including myself) have not yet. Of course I just picked mine up 2 days ago and love it! I guess it comes down to if you would rather go with the tried and true Forester (which in my opinion looks like every other little SUV) or going with the Renegade which has a style of it's own and has been proven the leader in it's class offroad. That my friend will be totally up to you. But, whichever you choose I hope you get much enjoyment out of it.

 

[Frank N Stein]

Thanks Beerwolf70!

I've been going thru the fb forum page and it quite scary... Engine died after 300 miles, strange sounds at 40 mph, water leaking et al...

Glad ur Renegade is doing well !

I would like it if someone who's owned it for a few months to reply too.

Till then, i'll keep pondering on ;-)

 

[Leroy]

If I were you, I'd take a longer look around the site to see reported problems. There are 500-mile, 1,000-mile, 2,000-mile threads with polls asking whether the vehicle went in for service, for example. And yes, there are several owners reporting multiple towings back to the dealership, transmission issues, and so on.

I have had my Renegade since June with no issues and love it.

I also test drove the Subaru and thought that reliability was a compelling reason to think about the Subaru. It looked great on paper, before I did the test drive. If reliability had been my #1 concern, I would have bought the Subaru.

Like you, I did not think it was as appealing to the eye as the Jeep. Most 2015 Foresters have a very light gray interior, and the colors are more subdued than the Jeeps'.

I also did not feel as comfortable driving it, though that might be because I was coming from a '99 Cherokee... The base model Forester I drove was rattly and felt low and slow to accelerate and brake. Definitely spend some time driving both if you're trying to decide.

 

[wn7ant]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at buying a small off-roader and I've narrowed it down to the Renegade and the Forester.

Jeep has a history of being unreliable but the renegade looks so much better than the Forester.

My question is regarding the reliability of the Renegade; have any of you had problems so far? Is it worth buying, considering that i do a lot of commuting everyday (i.e. 50000 miles a year) + some off-roading over the weekends.

Thanks

I looked at the Forester as well as the XV. I noticed the Renegade was quieter. I currently commute 1k miles per week and do offroading as well. I couldn't be happier. I have had no major issues with my Renegade, and just passed 5k miles. Seems there are lots of other people in the same boat.

 

[LittleRedJeep]

I've had my Renny-Lat since 6/20 and (knock on wood) haven't had any problems yet.

I'm thrilled that I love driving again, I spent about 9 years in a vehicle that I didn't really enjoy at all, and I never want to go through that again. I test drove the Renny three times before the day I took mine off the lot. I knew I wanted one minutes into the first test drive, but was hesitant. Mostly because they didn't have the color I wanted, and partly because it's first-generation.

Bad news travels fast, and always travels faster than good news. I often have to remind myself that most people who voice opinions online are going to be people who have negative experiences. But now that I've got my Renny, not a day has gone by that I'm sorry I bought it. Obviously I'm glad I haven't experienced any problems.

It's a joy to drive. Whether it's to and from work, hopping around the city for whatever or getting it slightly off road at the camp grounds. I love tinkering with it, personalizing it, and adding extras. I haven't had the opportunity to get it to an actual offroad-park yet, but am seriously looking forward to it - and certainly plan on treating it like a Jeep. Maybe I won't be able to treat it as hard as I did my '98 Cherokee, which I sold over 9 years ago. Or the early-80's Jeep pickup I learned to drive in about 28 years ago. But I'm gong to have fun with it, for sure.

Being a brand new vehicle, and the first new-new vehicle I've ever purchased, I think it's taking me a little longer than usual to really break things in offroad. That and I haven't added a hitch or some type of winch system yet. After market extras still aren't extremely plentiful yet.

The only quirkiness I experienced was with the way it was shifting early on. But over the past almost two months, the shifting has gotten smoother and zippier, almost as if it's learning my driving style.

Whichever new vehicle you end up purchasing choose one you'll enjoy. It sucks to make a monthly payment for something you don't love driving.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[Hypocrite]

I've had my Trailhawk since the end of June, going on 3,000 miles, and I couldn't be happier. A joy to drive. I love to look at it, too.

You know that Nationwide commercial with the guy washing the huge baby in the driveway? My wife says that's me with my Renegade.

 

[Ari]

I looked at the Forester as well as the XV. I noticed the Renegade was quieter. I currently commute 1k miles per week and do offroading as well. I couldn't be happier. I have had no major issues with my Renegade, and just passed 5k miles. Seems there are lots of other people in the same boat.

I have to commute 1k miles per week as well. I am worried about putting my Rene through such heavy milage. Do you think it is good for my everyday drive?

 

[deeg]

Thanks for all the responses. Find myself in a similar situation to Frank N Stein. Crossed off the Rene due to a number of concerns and some of the seemingly consistent issues that have cropped up.

Also was looking at the Forester and Crosstrek and test drove both. Found the rides on both feeling comparable but the Crosstrek felt odd simply because I felt like I was sitting on the floor. Ultimately passed on the Forester because while a nice, new, clean car would be nice, the Forester simply didn't excite me enough to warrant taking on a car payment.

I should probably at least get out and test drive a Renegade.

 

[twigaman]

Deeg I was in the same decision making delima. I've put 750,000 miles on two Chevy trucks in the last 25 years, wonderful vehicles. I drive about sixty miles round trip daily, but wanted to save on gas. I looked a the Chevy Trax, but I think Chevy has shot themselves in the foot in this market due to the lack of keeping up with the latest technogies, Blind spot sensors, etc. I then look at the Renegade Trailhawk and then the Mazda CX5. The CX5 is an awesome car, but I am a Boy Scout leader and boy scout at heart and want to get off road some. I read as much as I could and watched videos on the car. I finally watch the video of the Renegade's introduction in Geneva and listened to whom I assume is the CEO or someone high up explain about Jeep as a company, their goals and the Renegade and how it competes in this class. That is when I ultimately decided to by the car I wanted, which is the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk. Jeep as a company has stuck their necks out on this car and have a lot riding on it, that is why I decided to give it a shot.

 

[syzygy]

The forester is much bigger than the renegade.

 

[deeg]

The forester is much bigger than the renegade.

The size wouldn't bother me. The plan was to find something with decent fuel economy and with decent towing capabilities (mulch, stuff from lowes, construction debris). It was either that or just finding some crummy old reliable pickup for the occasional haul. For my day to day, the most I carry is a computer bag and a duffel bag.

AWD or 4WD while not necessary, would be a plus. Safety is a concern simply because I forsee myself taxi'ing around nieces and nephews in the near future.

However, I have had a lot of minor and moderate issues with my Nitro. The last thing I want to do is take on something that will give me just as many headaches. Its only redeeming quality is that its paid off

 

[wn7ant]

I have to commute 1k miles per week as well. I am worried about putting my Rene through such heavy milage. Do you think it is good for my everyday drive?

As I've put 5k miles on mine, I'd say yes. If it matters, I drive in high altitude (Colorado), in varying conditions (+100 to -30), in varying weather (tornados, flash floods, feet of snow)...

Haven't done feet of snow yet, but I have the tires for it, so I'm not worried..

 

[Frank N Stein]

I seem to be in the same dilemma as deeg! :-D

The aesthetic appeal and the off road credentials of the Jeep is just too hard to ignore. The Subaru is just too vanilla in its look. But yes, a test drive would be a good way to make a decision!

 

[jeepdude]

Frank N Stein:
If your going to put on a lot of miles I'd suggest getting the Mopar Vehicle Protection plan. Unlimited miles and years, the added care plus plan covers 800+ items, I got it and it sure gives you piece of mind. Only Chrysler offers such a program. Something to consider.

 

[wagales]

bought mine in April and have almost ten thousand miles on it. Lattitude in colorado red. Zero issues thus far. 28mpg. very pleased . I would recommend.