[0lllllll0]

Background Info: Purchased a brand new 2015 WK2 Laredo in Dec 2014. Don't live in the same city as the WK2. I live in a very rural area (No paved roads, harsh winters, unforgiving weather in general, etc. Live in northern Alaska.) but the WK2 is in a regular city. It only has 1,300 miles as this morning.

I will be bringing it from the city (where it is currently just sitting) to where I live soon. This involves driving it on ~ 300 miles of a paved highway, ~ 500 miles of a dirt/gravel highway, and then ~ 500 miles of sea by barge. Where I live is so rural that this is the only one of two ways to bring a vehicle into town.

After taking all of this into consideration, before I make this long drive, I want to trade my 2015 WK2 Laredo in for a 2015 Renegade Trailhawk. Am I crazy? Here is why I want too:

Winter Weather:

• The Renegade Trailhawk has heated seats, a heated steering wheel, windshield wiper de-icers, remote start, etc. This is perfect for our long cold winters. It can get down to -50 F not including windchill.
• The WK2 Laredo does not have any of this.

The Renegade Trailhawk suits me better in this category.

Gas Mileage:

• The Renegade Trailhawk is supposed to get around 23 mpg city. Highway mpg is irrelevant because there is no highway or long open roads where I live so it's 99% stop-and-go stop sign after every block type of driving. It also has a 13 gallon tank. Gas is $7.00 where I live so full tanks would only be $91.00.
• The WK2 Laredo nets me 16 - 18 mpg in the real world. It has a 26 gallon tank. So full tanks would be $175.00.

Again, the Renegade Trailhawk suits me better in this category.

Off-Road Mannerisms:

• The Renegade Trailhawk has a manual selectable 4x4 system and it also has a different settings for mud, snow, sand, and rocks. Also has a rear locker.
• The WK2 Laredo has the automatic 4x4 system. It isn't selectable. No 4LO. No locker.

Since there aren't any paved roads where I live and **** happens all the time, the Renegade Trailhawk also suits me better in this category.

Off-Road Recovery:

• The Renegade Trailhawk has two front two hooks and a rear tow hook. Easy recovery points for when I get stuck and need to get pulled out.
• The WK2 Laredo doesn't have any front tow hooks. Don't know if it has a rear two hook. Doesn't even have a hitch receiver to hook up a hitch D-Ring.

The Renegade Trailhawk suits me better in this category.

Random Stuff:

The Renegade Trailhawk has a 6.5" touchscreen (WK2 has a smaller touchscreen), leather seats (WK2 has cloth seats), directional fog lights (WK2 has normal fog lights), etc.

If you want to get really technical, the Renegade Trailhawk has higher a approach angle (31' vs 26'), departure angle (34' vs 27'), break-over angle (26' vs 19'), and ground clearance (8.70" vs 8.60").

The only thing I like about the WK2 more is that it is 1000x sexier than the Renegade Trailhawk. But it is also 1000x less functional than the Renegade Trailhawk when accounting for my needs.

For you finance guys, I'm not upside down on the WK2 loan. Dealership appraised it at high $29,000's. Renegade Trailhawk was at $31,450 but after a $1,500 rebate the total comes out to $29,950. Almost a dead even trade give or take a couple dozen dollars.

For you Wrangler guys who are reading this thinking "why doesn't this guy just get a Wrangler?" I already have a lifted JKU.

TL;DR The WK2 is like that drop-dead gorgeous lady you want to talk to but she isn't that bright and hasn't had to work as hard to offer you anything because she can get by just on her looks. The Renegade Trailhawk is an alright looking lady but has way more to offer and can be a lot more fun when stuff goes down. Am I crazy for wanting to do this trade?

 

[Beerwolf70]

Well, after reading everything you have said I think your mind is made up. Enjoy your Renegade.

 

[ClaFJeep]

The Renegade is surely more rugged and you won't mind using your TH as a heavy duty DD. I've never driven the Grand Cherokee MY2015 offroad , but surely they both are great off-roaders.
I also think your mind is already made up, so go for your TH, but keep in mind the the TH does not have a rear lock. It has a great Brake Lock Differential system and in Rock mode is really badass, but no rear lock.

 

[firstnew1]

Don't do It!

In Alaska your life depends on dependable transportation. Just read all these Renegade pages of breakdowns and failed parts and leaving owners stranded. Maybe in a couple of years when the bugs are worked out you can trade for the Renegade. Some owners are reporting Gas Mileage on the Renegade of the same 16 - 18 mpg you get now.

For now your Grand Cherokee is much more dependable and since your life depends on that more than anything in remote Alaska, you really can live without heated seats.

 

[Incognito]

I'd insist on a straight across trade for the Renegade.
Not one dime should trade hands for anything other than sales tax ( if they take care of it in Alaska) .
No document fees, prep or other dealer profit padding BS.

You should exchange pink slips, keys and a handshake. Nothing more.

 

[Leroy]

I would side with firstnew1 in that the Grand Cherokee is already more of a known quantity, not just because it is not the first year of the model but also because it already has the 1,300 miles, problem-free miles I assume. Think of how far you are from dealer service and how inconvenienced, if not enangered, you would be if the new car turned out to be a lemon. Even if it just needs minor service from the dealer, it sounds like taking it in would be quite a trial.

 

[GambaKufu]

I also agree with firstnew, I would wait a year or 2 and make sure its reliable enough.

 

[raz-0]

The renegade definitely has it's share of first model year problems. In general I don't think having one that far from dealer support would be a great idea, and that's not just jeep or renegade specific. Of much greater concern IMO is that there are a lot of us who are not seeing anywhere near the posted gas mileage across the board, and the discrepancy is worst in stop and go situations. Unless new frimware performs a miracle, I was getting at best 19mpg in low congestion suburban driving. More realistically, the 12.7 gallon tank has been hitting low fuel warning with about 1.5 gallons left in it and getting about 18.5 mpg. That's just a hair over 200 miles of range for that kind of driving.

If you live in west bumble where there's nothing and more nothing, that needs to be a serious consideration regarding the viable use of the vehicle day to day.

 

[0lllllll0]

You guys are 100% right and this is why I posted on here to get a second opinion. Good thing I went into the dealership on a Sunday when all the loan departments/banks were all closed. If not I probably would have had the Trailhawk already but sleeping on it and thinking about it more, the Grand Cherokee has given me 1,300 problem-free miles and the Grand Cherokee's 3.6 engine at this rate is pretty much bullet proof compared to the Trailhawk's tiger shark engine.

I would rather have a frozen butt in my Grand Cherokee in the middle of nowhere, Alaska than a frozen broken down Trailhawk.

Thanks guys. Will continue to lurk around here though as I am definitely going to be a Trailhawk owner in a year or two.

 

[Rufus]

I own a 2014 GC 4x4 Latitude as well as the 2015 Renegade Trailhawk.
There are certainly two different vehicles, and I like different things about both, but there is no way in **** I would trade my GC for a Renegade, especially for your purpose.
My GC has the 6cyl and in the city I get around 20mpg. The Reney is in the 25mpg range. Not enough to sweat at all.
I don't get your logic in the fill up at all. The advantages in the 26gal gas tank on the GC wins hands down on the rather small 12gal take of the Reney. If you want to put 12gals of gas in the GC each week due to finances, then so be it, but I'd rather have the extra gas with me versus the extra cash in Alaska.
Both my GC and Reney have tow hooks. The GC doesn't have a rear one because I have the FTP, but you can hook to the receiver for the same purpose.
I love our Reney, but for your purposes, I wouldn't trade the GC...unless the GC is not 4x4. Then I'd understand, but honestly I'd trade it in for a GC 4x4.

 

[0lllllll0]

I own a 2014 GC 4x4 Latitude as well as the 2015 Renegade Trailhawk.
There are certainly two different vehicles, and I like different things about both, but there is no way in **** I would trade my GC for a Renegade, especially for your purpose.
My GC has the 6cyl and in the city I get around 20mpg. The Reney is in the 25mpg range. Not enough to sweat at all.

My WK2 gets around 16 - 18 city mpg. It will get worse once I drive it up to Northern Alaska because it's stop-and-go driving (literally a stop sign after every block). This will probably go down to 11 - 13 mpg. Don't know how much better a Renegade Trailhawk would do.

I don't get your logic in the fill up at all. The advantages in the 26gal gas tank on the GC wins hands down on the rather small 12gal take of the Reney. If you want to put 12gals of gas in the GC each week due to finances, then so be it, but I'd rather have the extra gas with me versus the extra cash in Alaska.

My logic was because the Renegade Trailhawk gets better gas mileage, I wouldn't need to fill it up as often. Gas is $7.00 where I live. Full tanking the WK2 wouldn't hurt my wallet as I currently drive a truck with a 30 gallon tank and it costs $210 to full tank that.

Both my GC and Reney have tow hooks. The GC doesn't have a rear one because I have the FTP, but you can hook to the receiver for the same purpose.

You have the WK2 Limited so yours came with tow hooks. I have the WK2 Laredo. No towhooks or even a hitch receiver.

I love our Reney, but for your purposes, I wouldn't trade the GC...unless the GC is not 4x4. Then I'd understand, but honestly I'd trade it in for a GC 4x4.

The WK2 Laredo is 4x4 but it's an "automatic" 4x4. It's not selectable so no 4LO unlike the Trailhawk where it's a selectable 4x4 w/4LO.

Regardless though, I have decided not to trade in my WK2 for the Renegade Trailhawk due to the 1st-gen issues that are currently plaguing it. I live at least 500+ miles away from the closest dealership and don't want to deal with the hassle of my Trailhawk potentially breaking down in the middle of nowhere. The WK2 on the other hand has given me zero problems and the 3.6L is bullet-proof.

 

[Beerwolf70]

My WK2 gets around 16 - 18 city mpg. It will get worse once I drive it up to Northern Alaska because it's stop-and-go driving (literally a stop sign after every block). This will probably go down to 11 - 13 mpg. Don't know how much better a Renegade Trailhawk would do.



My logic was because the Renegade Trailhawk gets better gas mileage, I wouldn't need to fill it up as often. Gas is $7.00 where I live. Full tanking the WK2 wouldn't hurt my wallet as I currently drive a truck with a 30 gallon tank and it costs $210 to full tank that.



You have the WK2 Limited so yours came with tow hooks. I have the WK2 Laredo. No towhooks or even a hitch receiver.



The WK2 Laredo is 4x4 but it's an "automatic" 4x4. It's not selectable so no 4LO unlike the Trailhawk where it's a selectable 4x4 w/4LO.

Regardless though, I have decided not to trade in my WK2 for the Renegade Trailhawk due to the 1st-gen issues that are currently plaguing it. I live at least 500+ miles away from the closest dealership and don't want to deal with the hassle of my Trailhawk potentially breaking down in the middle of nowhere. The WK2 on the other hand has given me zero problems and the 3.6L is bullet-proof.

I don't blame you. I live within 3 miles of a dealer. If I was in your situation I would wait a bit.

 

[bwbike]

. . . The WK2 Laredo is 4x4 but it's an "automatic" 4x4. It's not selectable so no 4LO unlike the Trailhawk where it's a selectable 4x4 w/4LO. . .

Just so you're clear, the Trailhawk doesn't really have a 4WD LO. What it does have is a lower final drive (4.3 to 1) than the other automatic models. What 4WD LO does is hold the transmission in 1st gear providing the 20:1 ratio. The Trailhawk normally starts in 2nd gear unless you floor it (still starts in 2nd then shift to first).

And I do like the 2.4 Tigershark engine. I can't find any fault with it at all. It is the transmission and/or transfer unit with their associated software that seem to be problematic. If the Renegade was available with the 2.4 engine mated to a manual transmission, I would have purchased that combination.

 

[Jessica Coleman]

Oh thank goodness you aren't trading! I was actually worried for you. If you haven't seen my posts. Mine just ditched me again. I drive long stretches of open hwy and it has happened now on 100 plus degree days. Can't imagine if it was 0 or lower.

 

[Bumblebee]

You can always see if you can add heated seats to the Cherokee - most dealerships can add them or have a place they go through to get them added afterwards.

 

[kevinfourlegs]

Two entirely different vehicles.

As much aa I can't wait to take delivery of the Renegade, I would stick with your WK2.

 

[raz-0]

Regardless though, I have decided not to trade in my WK2 for the Renegade Trailhawk due to the 1st-gen issues that are currently plaguing it. I live at least 500+ miles away from the closest dealership and don't want to deal with the hassle of my Trailhawk potentially breaking down in the middle of nowhere. The WK2 on the other hand has given me zero problems and the 3.6L is bullet-proof.

A sound decision. I'd make the same call in your situation.