2022 Jeep Renegade

Our pick from the varied Renegade trim lineup would have to be the 2022 Renegade Trailhawk trim, which comes at an MSRP of $30,290. An off-road-oriented trim, the Trailhawk trim packs in all of the latest off-road convenience features with it. We'd also recommend you to opt for the optional packages on offer, such as the Trailer tow Group, and the Luxury Group package.

The Renegade's greatest strength is its off-road capability in Trailhawk guise - Motortrend

The 2022 Jeep Renegade trims on offer are the same four trims as its previous 2021 year along with a couple of special edition trims. The trim level will start with the Sport trim and the Trailhawk trim along with the Limited trim shares the top of the list and is priced just a shade above $30,000. The lower two trims i.e. Sport and Latitude start at $22,790 and $26,990 respectively.

For 2022, Jeep has dropped the base 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 engine and has given the 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine as standard across the lineup. Up till now, the turbo-four engine was optional on the Sport and Latitude trim and standard on the Limited and Trailhawk trim. Another noteworthy change this year is that except for the Sport trim, all the other trim comes standard with 4WD while the Sport has FWD as standard and 4WD costs $1,600 extra.

Apart from the standard set of features, a set of features seen on Limited and Trailhawk trim are optional on the lower trim. For instance, the Convenience Group Package bundles heated and power-adjustable front seats, heated and leather-wrapped seeing wheel, automatic wipers with windshield wiper de-icer, is optional on the Latitude trim while the same is standard on Limited and Trailhawk trim. Speaking of Limited trim here you get the Luxury Group Package as an option. While the Trailhawk trim offers the above package and Trailer Tow Group Package that includes a four-pin wiring harness and Class III towing hitch. Further, there is also the new Altitude package introduced for 2022.

The Renegade's greatest strength is its off-road capability in Trailhawk guise - Motortrend

The 2022 Jeep Renegade has ditched the old and sluggish 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 engine in the favor of the 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor that pushes out 177 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. This Renegade engine is mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission with a front-wheel drivetrain standard on the base trim and 4WD standard on all the trims above the base one. With the old motor gone and the new motor in the Renegade is not only more fun-to-drive but also is quicker to accelerate. The 2022 Renegade does 0-60 MPH in 8.9 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 17.1 seconds.

The handling of the Renegade has always been praised by enthusiasts. The steering feedback is quite sharp and precise with good controls and stability. Out on the road, the car does not skip a beat and that is the same thing while going offroad. The suspension setup and impressive ground clearance make the Renegade take the corners easily without much body roll. As far as braking is concerned the Renegade does disappoint taking 135 feet to stop from 60 MPH. As far as the other SUVs in the segment are concerned this figure is more than what's considered average.

Considering the segment, the engine power is up to the mark but in off-road situations, the Renegade shines above all the SUVs here. The Honda HR-V and the Mazda CX-30 are the only ones with the naturally aspirated engine here. While both the Escape and the Renegade are powered by turbocharged motors. Although in terms of power and torque figures the Mazda CX-30 remains on the top and is the fastest to do 0-60 MPH and cover a quarter-mile.

The 2022 Jeep Renegade has an EPA estimated gas mileage of 23 MPG in the city, 29 MPG on the highway, and 25 MPG combined. With the Renegade the figures remain the same with the AWD, as it delivers 23/29/25 MPG in city/highway/combined respectively. While the Trailhawk trim remains the least efficient Renegade among all returning 22/27/24 MPG respectively. The tank capacity of the Renegade is 12.7 gallons which is the lowest.

The Jeep Renegade puts out the least mileage in the competition. The mileage of both the Honda HR-V and Escape is best in class. While the most powerful and quickest SUV of the lot Mazda CX-30 returns a shade better gas mileage than the Jeep Renegade.

Like the exterior, the Renegade's cabin has enough unusual shapes and touches to keep things interesting, such as the sturdy grab handle ahead of the front passenger - CarBuzz

The interior of the Jeep Renegade has a very minimalistic approach and for the 2022 model year, Jeep has kept things mostly unchanged except for the new steering wheel design and a new touchscreen unit with navigation. The cabin is adequately spaced and seats up to five people. The materials used inside the cabin are not high-end, especially the dashboard which is made of a combination of hard and soft plastic.

The seats offered are decent with ample headroom and legroom for both rows. One can choose between leather or cloth seat materials. The upholstery is good with enough grip. Overall the seats are comfortable and supportive. The floor gets all-weather mats and the seats are washable, making it quite the offroad biased necessity. The storage capacities are decent with space provided below the armrest and a few pockets around the car. With this, the 2022 Renegade offers 18.5 cubic feet of cargo space and with the rear seats folded down completely, the cargo space can be increased to 50.8 cubic feet.

The infotainment system of Renegade's 8.4-inch touchscreen unit is expected to arrive with UConnect 5. That said, the UConnect interface is very intuitive and easy to use and offers smartphone connectivity through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While audio is played through a six-speaker sound system.

Interior Features on offer are-

• Heated and power-adjustable front seats
• Heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Auto-dimming inside rearview mirror
• Rear USB ports

The 2022 Jeep Renegade except for minor changes to the front bumper and fascia will not have any major change in the external visuals. The vehicle got a facelift recently which made it look really attractive. It looks more like a traditional Jeep and definitely feels that it got inspiration from the Wrangler. The recent facelift introduced a newly designed 7 seven-slot intake grille, rear bumper, round headlamps, and square tail lamps which are all LED and hold a character in themselves. 

The exterior has boxy cuts and shapes giving it more like a proper off-roader but also holding its funky nature. Dimensionally the Jeep Renegade measures just 166.6-inches in length, 74.2-inches wide, and has 66.5-inches of height. Thus it is very clear from the figures the Renegade has a tallboy design but an overall smaller footprint. The ground clearance is also impressive at 8 inches which is class-leading and helps in offroading.

In this comparison, the rival SUVs have a different approach towards exterior dimensions. Here the rival SUVs are longer in length to offer better cabin and cargo space. While the Renegade is taller in size and widest among all but overall smaller in terms of length. 

Exterior Features:

• Heated rearview mirrors
• 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels
• Tinted rear glass
• Fog lamps
• Black color roof
• LED headlights and taillights

The safety ratings of the Jeep Renegade aren't the best in the segment. And the 2022 model being mechanically similar to the outgoing model, the 2021 Renegade ratings can be taken as the benchmark. The 2021 Renegade gets a rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA, while the IIHS has rated the Renegade with the top rating of 'Good' in only five out of seven parameters. Ratings aside the standard safety features on the Jeep are reassuring and remain at par with what others offer in the segment.

Safety Features on offer with the 2022 Jeep Renegade are-

• Pre-collision Warning System
• Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Keep Assistance
• Post-collision Safety System
• Electronic Brake Assist
• Stability Assist

2022 Jeep Renegade vs 2022 Honda HR-V

Apart from the off-road capabilities held by the Renegade, there is nothing much extraordinary about it. On the other hand, the HR-V has a lot to offer over the Renegade. It drives well, it is spacious, comfortable, practical, and at the same time more fuel-efficient.

Apart from that, the HR-V has overall better ride quality and reliability. Talking about the price, the 2021 HR-V is a cheaper option and is easier to maintain.

2022 Jeep Renegade vs 2022 Ford Escape

The Ford Escape is more of a complete subcompact SUV with very much everything better than the Renegade. Starting with the performance, the engine is quite potent but also gives better fuel economy. The interior space is better and the cabin feels refined and bigger than the Renegade.

Also, the cargo capacity is better, leveling up the overall practicality. The exterior looks of the Escape are on the mainstream side whereas the Renegade has better-rugged appeal.

The 2022 Jeep Renegade now gets the more powerful turbo-four engine as standard which was up till now optional on the lower two variants. This engine has not only made it peppy to drive but also improved the gas mileage. This not only makes the lower variants very attractive for those who don't want to buy the top trims or are price-conscious. While on the inside the Renegade gets only minor tweaks while the overall cabin has a typical Jeep vibe to it. Thus for a family man living in the cities and looking for a more practical yet compact SUV, the 2022 Renegade with the new engine and minor changes is now a good choice.