First Impressions of Jeep Renegade from Green Car Sound Positive

We know, we know. You don’t want to know what other publications think of the Jeep Renegade, you want to know what our impressions are. We are touched by your loyalty and totally agree that our driving test will be superb.

That being said, we have to insist that there is value in getting a range of opinions on a new model. People have vastly different experiences when driving the exact same car, so it’s helpful to hear from many people. To normalize the opinions, e.g. “Too tall, too small, too ball, too enthrall,” it’s best to read them all and make your own call.

To help, we snagged you a web copy of Green Car Reports’ first driving impressions of the Jeep Renegade. We like GCR for their professional looking website, timely reporting on industry developments and thoughtful analysis. Of course, their emphasis is going to be on the efficiency and environmental impact of a vehicle, which makes their comments on Jeep so interesting.

Jeeps, although as American as George Washington striking San Francisco gold with a bald eagle-tipped pickaxe, do love their fuel consumption, which is also quite American. Conquering the outdoors comes at a price, and it’s certainly one that a Toyota Prius can’t meet.

GCR picked an olive green Renegade to muck about in, the better to recall Jeep’s military roots. It certainly helps the Renegade look like an honest-to-goodness Jeep. Highway fuel economy is supposed to easily exceed 30 mpg on the highway, though we don’t have official numbers yet.

Handling always improves when vehicles have a wider stance, and GCR reported the Renegade to have a well-spaced front cabin. But what everyone wants to know is whether it can hold its own off-road, and GCR had pleasant things to say in this regard. Is it a Wrangler? No. But is it a Dodge Dart with a Jeep grille? Far from it. The Renegade is still a Jeep that loves mud in its tires and grass in its bumper.

We’ll be sure to let y’all know as soon as we get our first Renegades this year. Until then, give us a call to check out new Jeeps in Cary.