Renegade 2-Door: Yea or Nay?

"wbizarre - OEM fetishist" (wbizarre)
02/03/2015 at 20:19 • Filed to: Jeep, Renegade

I think it's kind of brilliant! Like a Suzuki Samurai or a 2-door original Rav4...

Also, if they do it, they have to give it its own name - the "Ruckus" or "Scrambler" or something!

DISCUSSION (17)

Übel > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:22

I'd drive it. I sat in a 4 door at NAIAS, and it's really a pretty nice little car. I really do hope it does well.

(EDIT: Phrasing)

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:25

That actually looks really good. I would take one.

TopSirloin > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:27

I think it's dreadful. I don't understand the hype, aside from a 4x4 with a stickshift under 25k.. It's gag-inducing.

ranwhenparked > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:36

Personally, I like it. I just don't know if there's much of a demand for a 2-door non-premium SUV anymore.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > TopSirloin
02/03/2015 at 20:39

Well, it's all subjective - I love it, and you hate it, and that's fine. But I think the Renegade did capture the public(or at least the enthusiast-public) imagination as a small, cheaper Jeep that actually seems worthwhile. And I don't even think the stickshift factors into it (it's off the table in all but the basest of trims anyway.) After two decidedly bad attempts at translating "Jeepness" to a smaller form factor with the Compass and the Patriot, it seems Jeep finally hit the sweet spot between keeping its heritage and scaling down - all while having fun with it in the process. All those "Since 1941" badges and the jerry-can imagery are a little over-the-top, but again, it all seems done with a sense of humor and cheek - The Renegade is not the Grand Cherokee, or even the Wrangler, and it can have its own interpretation of Jeep cues without resorting to direct imitation of its bigger siblings *cough*Compass*cough*.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:41

Make SRT version with V8. Would DD. 10/10.

TopSirloin > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:50

I love the idea behind it, it's just looks I can't get over. Whatever design language they were translating from, it looks like some got lost. It's all over the place. So you love the looks? Or the idea of it's capability and price? What do you really love about it?

CRider > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 20:56

That looks like the retarded offspring of a Wrangler and an Infiniti QX80.

area man > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 21:01

slap a spare on the back and I'm sold

GhostZ > TopSirloin
02/03/2015 at 21:39

I love the idea of it, it checks all the right boxes, but I could never see myself owning one.

Jedidiah > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 21:51

*Mini rant incoming expressing my current hatred for Jeep*

More unibody soft roader garbage with stupid transfer cases and highway tires from Jeep that they dare to call a capable offroader.

Jeep has become the Harley Davidson of the car industry. "American icon" whose styling hasn't changed since the 40s and their owners do a stupid little wave at one another.

Not capable, not reliable and relies on nostalgia to sell crap.

Yet for some reason, car companies still see Jeep as a valuable asset despite that it has gone bankrupt 6 freaking times.

Jeep just needs to die and leave people with happy memories so that they will stop embarassing themselves.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > TopSirloin
02/03/2015 at 22:10

I..I don't quite know for sure. I like the idea of it. At this point all I have to really go on is the looks, so yes, I like the way it looks. I think the face looks appropriate for the car's size, and not cutesy or cartoony - it easily could have ended up that way, especially considering the Fiat 500X connection. The blacked-out fascia goes a long way. I do get a kick out of all the design "easter eggs" sprinkled throughout the car. It makes consistent use of the "squircle" throughout the design - tail lights, wheel arches, etc.. As far as off-road capability, I'm not expecting it to stomp the Rubicon, but I like that it's more capable than everything else in the class - it's the "Jeep" of compact crossovers. It's like when Porsche built the Panamera - it was the "sports-car", the "Porsche" of the executive sedan segment. It's a brand entering a new segment, but keeping many of its core values.

There has always been a bit of cognitive dissonance for me when I saw people buying Wranglers and never ever taking them off the pavement. Their wish is understandable - they like the image of the Wrangler, that idea of "Jeepness", but don't have a particular desire to go offroading. But it always seemed like the car's potential was wasted in that process. The Renegade, to me, reconciles "Jeepness" and the actual usage scenario for the majority of people today. It's a way to play and have fun with the Jeep brand without paying for stratospheric off-roading potential you have no intention of using. Is it possible to be cynical about the Renegade, to say that it's a "castrated" Jeep? Sure. I just don't see it that way.

p.s. finished typing this and then saw someone else's response: "I love the idea of it..." There it is, that intangible something.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > Jedidiah
02/03/2015 at 22:24

So how do you feel about people who buy Wrangler Rubicons solely to make grocery runs? I'm not sure, but I'm tempted to resent those people rather than Jeep. The fact is this: people love Jeep. They love Jeep looks, they love the heritage, blah blah blah. However, many of those people don't necessarily go offroading. So in a way, someone buying a Renegade instead of a Wrangler for commuting and grocery runs is more "honest" in my mind. I don't know...I'm not the off-roading type nor a Jeep loyalist ...

Jedidiah > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 22:33

People love HD for the same kind of heritage marketing crap. A new car design can't have any heritage, it's brand freaking new; that new model hasn't made any history yet. CJs, Wagoneers, Gladiators, the Willys Wagon all have heritage—a 2014/15 Cherokee/Renegade has no heritage aside from a reused name—kind of like the Dodge Dart.

Grocery geter rubicons don't bother me because they will show up on the used market some day and make good axle and transfer case donors since those components won't see hardly any heavy stress on pavement. The Renegade, on the other hand, is completely laughable in terms of drivetrain.

Personally, I prefer my Jeeps with at least dana 44s and with an AMC V8/I6.

misfitmascots > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/03/2015 at 23:06

This is worst than that Fiat abomination

James Burleson > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/04/2015 at 01:05

I love it. It is as edgy as the BMW I3, yet an off-road version. The automotive industries need to put low priced edgy designs out there for the middle class to enjoy. I like the risk Jeep!

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > wbizarre - OEM fetishist
02/04/2015 at 12:01

The 2-door conversion could use some work, but I really like the name "Ruckus" for a car.