[jlipinski3]

Funny after mths of reading about jeep renegades and following the forums and test driving - and having deposits on TWO renegades - I ended up empty handed.

Last night, after some hard negotiation, I purchased a 2015 GLA250 benz, very good deal, used with ridiculously low miles (9k), for 32,800. 208hp (250+ torque), 8" clearance, 4matic with off road package, heated seats, leather, and humongous dual panoramic power sunroof. Great sight lines and road feel. Not to mention they gave my girlfriend 6,800 for her basic trim 2009 forester with 108k miles.

And the GLA gets 32/24 mpg.

I know you guys want to stay jeep but I was a few hrs from doing paperwork for a 28,130 trailhawk with cold weather group. No sunroof, no leather, 180hp (ugh), and 29/21 mpg.

And resale on a renegade...?! In 2 years these things will be everywhere, my warranty will be expiring, and that trailhawk will be lucky to fetch anywhere even close to 15k. Theres a reason the jeep liberty was rated worst resale value a few yrs ago...and these things will be as ubiquitous.

I think jeep is unreasonable on their prices. Greedy by about 15%. My buddy has a newer Willy's jeep. It was 30-something grand. IT ALSO HAS 285HP. Come on jeep!!

My fathers an Audi guy (Q5, A4) and he convinced me to research the Q3. Well I didn't go q3, but I'm just saying look at a few other cars, especially since these trailhawks are close to X1/Q3/GLA250 territory.

Anyways, been fun hanging out here. Best of luck, do your due diligence, and remember: THEY want YOUR money!! You have the power.

 

[upnorth]

dude - i agree with the prices being too high. it makes it compete with too many other vehicles out there. arguably, only the trailhawk version is compelling in the sense that there aren't too many sub compact sport-utes with true off-road capabilities.

me & my wife have been anxiously waiting for the renegade to come out and were both massively dissapointed with the prices and the gas milege. it has made us reconsider buying a scoobie-doo forrester - which has equal ground clearance and 30+ mpg easy. but the forrester is SO BORING... practical? - yup. functional? - yup. dependable? - yup. fun & youthful? - nope.

UGH. i am SO freakin dissappointed! if I could just get a trailhawk for 25K I could live with the poor mpg. but i would still worry about potential reliability issues...

maybe toyota will come out with a mini-fj? or an off-road version of the scion-xb?

so - still totally on the fence - hoping that i could have been ALL in...

 

[NuhocJeep]

Went with a Subaru

As a university student I was really excited that Jeep was releasing an affordable CUV that wasn't only AWD but was manual and at reasonable price. Once I went to the dealership we quickly realized that pretty much nothing was included in the base vehicle and the pretty reasonable car quickly jumped way above our budget to add AWD and air con. Even roof racks aren't standard for this supposed outdoor vehicle. Bluetooth also isn't included. It also didn't help that the dealership knew next to nothing about this car and had to frequently correct them when they were giving us false information about the car.

We eventually went to a Subaru dealership and got a brand new 2015 XV crosstrek in manual AWD. Came with a great screen, roof racks, bluetooth, aircon, heated seats, windshield wiper de icer, all weather matts, rubber cargo tray, and a few other little details for $21,500. What a steal versus the renegade sport that easily jumped to $24k. AND the XV gets significantly better gas mileage and takes regular unleaded.

Pretty bummed the renegade didn't work because I had been waiting for this car for months and got very excited about it. But I think Jeep really messed up with the pricing on this, marketing it as an affordable do all vehicle when they don't include anything in it just immediately establishes a shock value when you go in and price out what should be a standard list of features.

 

[Willy]

I suspect you're not going to be the only one who comes to that conclusion. Congrats, enjoy the high life...

 

[Karamich]

Indeed a Benz is a different world of luxury and relatively better reliability let alone resale value...

Same goes for any Audi... Yet I think Audi reliability is a notch better than Mercedes these days? I could be mistaken...

In either case, more reliable and higher quality than a Jeep... And the Renegade is indeed an unknown case, if it follows the other Jeeps (except the Wrangler), it could end up with a painful resale value... My patriot 2010 price now is no better than a 10 or 15 years old Honda Civic or Toyota Echo...

On the other hand are the Benz and Q3 machines to be taken to the wilderness and endure stress on body, suspensions, scratches and other hazardous damages... They might need All Terrain tires to replace the sporty ones... Depends on your budget indeed

A car is also as you know a cost of ownership and I think the Benz parts are more expensive... Not saying that Jeep parts are cheap... Even for my patriot I had to witness ridiculous brakes and disks prices here in Montreal

All in all I share your worries and since you could afford a Benz instead of a Jeep no one would blame you for that!

Me waiting for Subaru Outback 2016 to be announced to see what little improvements and refinements were done on the 2015 and then will lease it for 4 years to discover the capability of a Subaru, at last...

This been said, when I close my eyes to dream about my ideal truck, the Mercedes G is the one that I see...

Cheers

 

[NBCGLX]

We wanted a small SUV, period. All available vehicles in the U.S. that are in this category are in our price range. Having owned several BMWs and Audis in the past, we first looked at the Q3, X1, and GLA. We drove the GLA, and while it was a really nice vehicle, design clearly trumps function because we both kept bumping our heads getting in and out of the front seats, and the rear seats were worse and felt very cramped in terms of headroom (and we're both under 6')...and it's actually quite low overall - much more like a slightly raised hatchback. In fact, I was just in Colombia and seeing the A-Class (upon which the GLA is based) and the GLA next to each other, there isn't much difference at all. We liked the space of the X1 (a much more upright design), but don't like the wagon-esque exterior design. We haven't driven the Q3 because I'm not a fan of its outdated powertrain (it has the older 2.0T and the Aisin 6-speed auto). We've basically narrowed it down to the Countryman S ALL4 and the Renegade.

 

[RöstHaus]

so funny to hear Audis being considered as reliable vehicles with a high resale values....

I've owned many from a 1995 to an 2008. probably the least reliable vehicles I've ever owned and plummeted in value immediately. I still kept two of the older ones around, the s4 and allroad, because no matter how much they cost in repairs I can't find anything else as fun to drive.
But I'm not a fan of the new audi lineup, they feel soulless to me now.

 

[Conrad]

Yet I think Audi reliability is a notch better than Mercedes these days? I could be mistaken...

No, you're right. Mercedes has the better prestige only.
I have been driving for 30 years Audi but in a few weeks a Renegade.

 

[jlipinski3]

They might need All Terrain tires to replace the sporty ones... Depends on your budget indeed

The GLA 4MATIC has 8" clearance, conti all-season run-flats, and what benz calls an "off-road package" - hill descent control, hill start assist, and an off-road driving mode with tweaks to the tranny/awd system. Also - the undercarriage protection plates are RIDICULOUS. Full-length, thick, solid composite. Seriously. I'm impressed.

This been said, when I close my eyes to dream about my ideal truck, the Mercedes G is the one that I see...

...I hear you, but the MPG on that thing...haha...

We drove the GLA, and while it was a really nice vehicle, design clearly trumps function because we both kept bumping our heads getting in and out of the front seats, and the rear seats were worse and felt very cramped in terms of headroom (and we're both under 6')...and it's actually quite low overall - much more like a slightly raised hatchback.

I can definitely see that, which works out to my favor. I'm 5'6", my girlfriend is 5'4", I can't get over how much I love the small size of the GLA. It's low but still much higher than a regular car. 8" clearance on the 4MATIC. The Q3 is 6.7" by the way.

Also, the GLA has a "sport" transmission mode and an eco mode. In sport, it's a blast (258lb-ft torque).

I'm just saying guys...don't be a blind follower...right now there's a lot of hype...if you really want a Renegade (as I did, maybe still will get one), you can always pick one up in a year or two when they have the MySky and a trailhawk with low miles will be dirt cheap on the pre-owned market. A car is a crappy investment any way you slice it, but I'm just way more comfortable building equity in the GLA.

 

[arild]

I like the look of the GLA and so I test drove one in March of last year. However, I didn't like the way it drove and I decided that it wasn't the car for me. When I test drove a Renegade i January it gave me a totally different feel. And now I'm just waiting for my car to arrive.

 

[jlipinski3]

I like the look of the GLA and so I test drove one in March of last year. However, I didn't like the way it drove and I decided that it wasn't the car for me. When I test drove a Renegade i January it gave me a totally different feel. And now I'm just waiting for my car to arrive.

...and that's EXACTLY what I'm saying here...be patient, do your shopping, and go with your brain just as much as you go with your gut.

Congrats!

 

[Karamich]

...I hear you, but the MPG on that thing...haha...

If I could afford the G price the MPG would not be an issue at all

 

[blueliner18]

I can understand a base Trailhawk priced at $25,500 (invoice)(lets say MSRP base $24k). The $27,140 price for the base TH ($25,995 base MSRP) is a bit thick. I would opt to look at the Latitude, but once 4WD option is added to that the price jumps to $25,000 anyway. Eventually the prices will fall for this vehicle in what I would consider to be tolerable or more rational asking price. The bad news is I'm in the market for a new vehicle now... not a year from now. Here is food for thought... I priced a Renegade TH (lease) and also a Cherokee TH. The only difference was $500 cash rebate on the Cherokee... The monthly payments were within $40!!! I plugged in $1k down, $5200 trade, RTH was $212, CTH was $250. That IMO just shows you how "hype priced" the Renegades are right now.
I also have to mention that a $25,000 Patriot or Compass (both having more cargo and cabin space than Renegade) are significantly more equipped than a Renegade TH base priced at $27,140. Just makes me frustrated and angry since I was under the impression that Renegade was going to be the affordable alternative to the Wrangler that I really want, turns out that it is, if you want a FWD Jeep!!!!!!

 

[Karamich]

I can understand a base Trailhawk priced at $25,500 (invoice)(lets say MSRP base $24k). The $27,140 price for the base TH ($25,995 base MSRP) is a bit thick. I would opt to look at the Latitude, but once 4WD option is added to that the price jumps to $25,000 anyway. Eventually the prices will fall for this vehicle in what I would consider to be tolerable or more rational asking price. The bad news is I'm in the market for a new vehicle now... not a year from now. Here is food for thought... I priced a Renegade TH (lease) and also a Cherokee TH. The only difference was $500 cash rebate on the Cherokee... The monthly payments were within $40!!! I plugged in $1k down, $5200 trade, RTH was $212, CTH was $250. That IMO just shows you how "hype priced" the Renegades are right now.
I also have to mention that a $25,000 Patriot or Compass (both having more cargo and cabin space than Renegade) are significantly more equipped than a Renegade TH base priced at $27,140. Just makes me frustrated and angry since I was under the impression that Renegade was going to be the affordable alternative to the Wrangler that I really want, turns out that it is, if you want a FWD Jeep!!!!!!

Did you say the TH $26K ? If it was here in Montreal, I might have sacrificed another 5 years and put reliability fears on the side and got the TH. Here in Montreal, as I mentioned in another thread, RE TH starts with 32K$ CA and hits the 40K$ CA taxes, fees etc...

 

[blueliner18]

Did you say the TH $26K ? If it was here in Montreal, I might have sacrificed another 5 years and put reliability fears on the side and got the TH. Here in Montreal, as I mentioned in another thread, RE TH starts with 32K$ CA and hits the 40K$ CA taxes, fees etc...

Trailhawk base in US is invoiced at $27,140 with base MSRP of $25,995

 

[blueliner18]

Regardless if we are talking loonies and toonies or dollars and cents the freakin Renegade is still overpriced, even when compared to other Jeep models i.e. Patriot, Compass, and some Cherokees.

 

[PAK325]

Did you say the TH $26K ? If it was here in Montreal, I might have sacrificed another 5 years and put reliability fears on the side and got the TH. Here in Montreal, as I mentioned in another thread, RE TH starts with 32K$ CA and hits the 40K$ CA taxes, fees etc...

This is exactly why the TH MSRP is not just a "hype price". Jeep won't undercut all of its customers, domestic and globally, in order to please a buyer. Dealers might, but probably won't sacrifice their own cash to accommodate a buyer with a $24,000 Trailhawk.

Blueliner18, you're probably going to be told to look at a latitude and that your expectations for a "well equipped" car to be sold at a base-level price is unreasonable.

You basically explained why the TH is priced the way it is... it's a Latitude with the premium 4wd system added in (hence the $25k line), then there is a $1k destination fee put on all of Jeep's vehicles ($26k), and several other features like backup cameras, a lift, and hood decal, tow hooks, and aesthetic accents for another $1k ($27,150).

Then you negotiate down...

 

[PAK325]

Trailhawk base in US is invoiced at $27,140 with base MSRP of $25,995

You're mixing terms. Base price is $25,995. Plus destination fee of $995 and "added" hood decal at $150 equals MSRP of $27,140.

 

[blueliner18]

The only vehicle in this class that cannot be bought at a better price with more features is the Buick Encore. Subaru Crosstek (AWD) with decent options $23k... Chevy Trax decent options $24-$26k... Nissan Juke $22-$24k...

Jeep Renegade (4WD) Latitude or TH with standard options $26-$28k

 

[PAK325]

The only vehicle in this class that cannot be bought at a better price with more features is the Buick Encore. Subaru Crosstek (AWD) with decent options $23k... Chevy Trax decent options $24-$26k... Nissan Juke $22-$24k...

Jeep Renegade (4WD) Latitude or TH with standard options $26-$28k

The XV crosstrek with a spoiler (to be as close to the Renegade TH as possible) is $25,995 right now. That's $1,145 less... not $23k.

The NISMO Juke without added options (again, in line with the TH), is a $28,020 vehicle.

The LTZ Trax is $27,405. No added options... Except additional charges if you don't want a bold color paint.

Jeep is right in the middle of the pack for it's segment. If you want cheapest, buy a Subaru or a Trax. The Jeep nameplate has always come at a bit of a premium (hence the wrangler's high prices). If that's not worth it for you, you're right in Subaru's wheelhouse. The Crosstrek is a great vehicle.

It seems like you're upset that you can't get the Trailhawk at the competition's entry level prices.