Don't know about the Renegade but we are thinking of replacing our 2003 Ford Explorer with a Jeep Compass.

We leased one during vacation and DH liked it. I drive a Ford Escape. Love it. We lease it. It's my second one. I was so happy that they didn't do major changes to it. Originally when I was looking into them they had more of a Jeep appearance. By the time I was ready they evolved into an SUV type of look. But, I never drove the other so had really nothing to compare it to.

Hope someone can help you decide.

I know nothing but according to this article it's highly rated and I think it is a cute vehicle.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jeep/renegade

Consumer Reports conducts independent tests and reviews of cars and presents its findings in an unbiased way. It has been uncomplimentary about Jeep models, features as well as quality, for some years. You can subscribe to its info service for more details.

On the Renegade, it said:

Built in Italy, the subcompact Renegade looks enticingly cute but is bogged down by a nine-speed automatic that's neither smooth nor responsive. Fuel economy with the 2.4-liter was 24 mpg overall. Handling is uninspiring, and the ride is unremarkable. Idle vibration and an overly touchy brake pedal also mar the driving experience.

About the Compass, it said:

The new Compass, which slots above the Renegade and below the Cherokee, is better than its uncompetitive and outclassed predecessor. Power comes from a 180-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder--an engine we found to be unrefined and sluggish. Most versions have the nine-speed automatic which is neither smooth nor responsive. Handling isn't agile although secure when pushed. The ride is rather stiff and jittery. The rear seat is too low and flat. ..........The Trailhawk is designed to look more off-road ready but the Compass is not intended for such demanding conditions. Overall, other than the allure of the Jeep brand, the Compass trails the competition in several key metrics.

For those looking for a car in the SUV/Crossover category, I think the Toyota and Honda models have been rated consistently at or near the top for many years. They also maintain higher resale values than Jeeps and other US brands.

I am a driver of an old Jeep Cherokee with the 4 liter, in-lne 6 cy engine (190 hp) and 4 speed automatic w/lockup torque converter. It has 3 modes of 4W drive, thus I may be a bit prejudiced. This is my 2nd Jeep Cherokee. I drove the first one to over 190,000 miles.

In my book, the new Renegrade does not measure up. There are other offerings that I think are more satisfactory. Motor Trend Magazine, August 2017 issue, has a good driver's review after driving the vehicle over a period of time. For their test, they chose the 2.4 L engine that puts out 180 hp. The base engine is a 1.4 L turbo at 160 hp. In real world testing, their test vehicle did 0 to 60 mph in 9.0 sec and the quarter mile in 16.8 sec at 81.1 mph. This vehicle is a small 4X4. A major complaint they had was seating space. It was a tight fit to put a child's seat in the rear seat. It required moving the front seat forward so much that it rendered the front seat useless for a passenger.

Another complaint was its balky 9 speed transmission. That may change if new shifting algorithms are issued. The Jeep product line has come up in reliability, but so have the others, thus it is still behind the average pack.

My impression: The 4 wheel drive version is a very capable winter time shopping cart. The engine may be lacking for mountain driving at altitudes above 5000 ft. The smaller turbo might do better at altitudes if the turbo can supply enough boost, however, my pick of the two engines is the larger 2.4 L .

Real world driving resulted in mileage for City/Highway/Combined at 16.6 / 30.4 / 20.9 miles per gallon.

In Motor Trend's tests, the Renegrade came in 3rd behind a Mazda CX-3 and ahead of the Honda HR-V. Motor Trend did say that other than its few gripes, the machine was a capable performer.

I suggest that you look a bit more before choosing. Look at the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Both of these are available in AWD versions. These are larger boxes, have more cargo space, but may not be as rugged as the Jeep especially for off-road use. The Honda has comfortable seats for long distance trips. If you can find a Toyota RAV4 with the V6 engine, that would be a nice choice.

I believe the Renegade is built on a Fiat chasis and I agree with Jemdandy, it doesn't measure up. Our Jeep Liberty has 250000(ish) miles on it and is still going strong. It's a fun car and I loved driving it but I seriously doubt the newer Renegade will come close to that. I also just heard that China is interested in buying the Jeep line which for me at least, is a huge turn off. My husband wants to eventually replace the Jeep with a new one but if China buys the brand, there's no way.

We were looking for a car last December and I test drove the Patriot. It too was very disappointing to me because it was obviously very cheaply made. I also test drove the smaller Cherokee, but in addtion to almost no cargo space, I had some serious problems with blind spots because of where the rear view mirrors sit. I drove my Mom's CVR while visiting in California and was pretty impressed but when I test drove a newer model here at home, I honestly felt like I was in a tin can. I ended up getting a Mazda CX-5. It's roomy inside, gets good gas mileage and handles well, the design doesn't compromise on cargo space and we've been exceptionally pleased with it. It has AWD and I've had no problems getting up our steep driveway in snow. It's the last thing I thought I'd end up with but it really stood out. Zoom zoom zoom!

One problem I found with the smaller SUVs or Cross Overs is that many of them have lost a big chunk of their cargo space. I have a larger sized dog that goes almost every where with us so a decent cargo area was a must have.

I have ridden in my friend's Renegade and I disliked the interior and felt every bump in the road even though it was brand new. But I guess I was comparing it to the more marshmallowy feel of my SUV.

Haven't read each post, esp. on the Ford Explorer, but I questioned a lady in a parking lot one day about her new Ford Explorer, because I'm in the market for a new car, and she said she really liked the car except for one thing. Apparently the engine shuts off at each stop, like at a stop sign, ect. but as soon as you step on the gas pedal it starts up. It's a feature she said that is suppose to save on gas, energy, or something. She said it's been hard to get used to and appears to be the future in automobiles. Anyone else experiencing this?

That's common in many European cars, to save gas. My BMW has that feature but there's a switch to turn it off, if desired. Maybe the Ford has one too, she should check her owners manual or call the dealer to find out.

I turn it off when in a traffic jam or continuous stop and go traffic, because it's annoying then. But in normal city driving where you drive for awhile in-between traffic signals, I do use it.

Some years before having my own car with that feature (as above), I'd experienced it with rental cars in Europe. So, it's been around for a number of years. Ford makes cars in Europe and is trying to integrate its products from place to place so I'd bet that's where the idea came from for them.

I wouldn't buy a Jeep... I've bought at LOT of cars and Jeep (Wrangler) was considered a few times, but ultimately ruled out.

The engine-off-at-stop thing is common in European cars, as Elmer said. All of our rentals over there have that feature.

I agree with Elmer. Having read many car reviews in Consumer Reports over the years as well as a couple of other sites, I don't see too many good reviews overall on Jeeps in general. Of course you're going to find a nugget among any brand but I wouldn't take the chance.

Yes, many newer cars are equipped with fuel efficiency modes. I also have a BMW that has 3 selectable modes. The Eco mode is the one which turns off when at a stop light for example. So your friend should check and figure out how to turn off the mode which automatically stops the engine when she is in stop-and-go traffic.

Sorry, I don't know anything about the Renegade, but we just bought our 5th jeep. A grand Cherokee and love it!

Consumer Reports car reports are based on their own unbiased testing and also survey conducted of readers who own the respective models. If you don't want to believe what owners say, that's your choice.

Most of the information people find on the internet, as link above to US News or others like Edmunds, etc., are advertising sites that contain no real objective assessments at all.

My neighbor purchased a used Lexus SUV for $15K, 90kmiles & loves it. She thinks it'll go another 100K miles. Between buying a cheap SUV new for $15k OR a used luxury SUV....I'd choose the used vehicle. Just a thought.

I have to post a correction: it wasn't a Ford Explorer the lady had (see my original post above) - it was indeed a Jeep. I remembered later because she was saying how she liked the Cherokee model, it was bigger. sorry.

Lexus is Toyota and I'm sure any well maintained one should hit 200K and keep going.

If you take anything from this thread it should be to do more research.

I've only owned 3 cars ... all highly recommended by CR ... a Datsun 810, Toyota Celica (owned 15 years) and Toyota 4Runner (currently owned since 2000).