The Jeep Renegade revamps its offer of gasoline engines. Its new 1.5 turbo T4 e-Hybrid receives the boost of a light hybridization in 48 V to try to lower its consumption. First impressions.
Car tested: Jeep Renegade 1.5 turbo T4 e-Hybrid S
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From€29,950
280 € penalty
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It’s been almost eight years that the Jeep Renegade stands out in a landscape of rather consensual urban SUVs. Its rugged style that hasn’t aged a bit reminds us that it is first and foremost a Jeep with more rustic manners than those of its direct competitors. After launching its 4xe range of plug-in hybrids last summer, the Renegade continues its electrification at the lower level with a four-cylinder petrol engine with mild hybridization.
Block 1.5 is completely redesigned to receive this 48 V micro-hybrid system and – originality of the whole – the electric motor of 15 kW is tucked away in the dual-clutch box. The latter intends to relieve the thermal unit as frequently as possible. Powered by a battery nestled under the floor between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat, it even promises some short silent evolutions during manoeuvres. This new micro-hybrid engine will push the two remaining thermal mechanics (120 hp petrol and 130 hp diesel) towards retirement from May 31, and it announces consumption down 15% compared to that of its predecessor.
Price Jeep Renegade T4 e-Hybrid
This 130 hp four-cylinder 1.5 T4 e-Hybrid is €3,650 more expensive than the basic 120 hp 1.0 three-cylinder petrol engine. A tidy sum that Jeep intends to justify by its superior performance, with this famous 48 V micro-hybridization combined with a dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox. Available from €29,950, the Renegade e-Hybrid offers five finishes: Longitude, Night Eagle, Limited, Upland and S.
The equipment is rather complete, but some pettiness is difficult to admit given the importance of the price. Thus, the GPS is only standard from the fourth level (Upland), sold for €36,150, and offered as an extra (€1,000) on lower finishes. In addition, only the top of the range S, billed at €37,750, has a reversing camera. The two intermediate finishes, Limited and Upland, are entitled to it only as an option via a pack at €750 (see all the equipment on the following page).
Driving
A vertical windshield, a sickle-cut dashboard and a dominant driving position: the Renegade is a Jeep before being an urban SUV. Its long straight hood, its rather generous width of 1.81 m, its two mirrors mimicking elephant ears and its high turning radius (11.1 m) transform the city into an urban jungle. The trepidations on the irregularities approached at low speed also recall its rustic manners. Especially since the 19-inch wheels of our test version don’t help matters.
Yet it is indeed in town that its 1.5 turbo T4 e-Hybrid is most effective. It is thus possible to set off and to drive up to 30 km/h in silence, like maneuvering without waking up the internal combustion engine… provided, however, to keep an egg under the accelerator and to have previously recharged the tiny battery downhill or during deceleration. Certainly, the benefits are far from equaling those of a conventional hybrid like the one used at Toyota, but the possibility of driving in all-electric mode with such a light system deserves to be underlined. Too bad the whole lacks a bit of daily sweetness. Even more than the somewhat brutal awakening of the thermal engine, it is above all the regenerative braking, which is difficult to dose, which can make driving bumpy during an unexpected slowdown. On the other hand, it allows significant fuel savings in the city and to stick to well under 6 l/100 km with a sufficiently educated right foot.
Leaving urban areas, the 130 hp are sufficient to have the expected responder. Electrification brings a welcome boost when a need for power arises. Available and rather tonic at low revs, the four-cylinder however lacks enthusiasm in the second part of the tachometer. The soft, but unresponsive dual-clutch gearbox accentuates the line, and the engine inertia which does not cut the gas immediately after releasing the accelerator degrades the pleasure when the journey becomes more winding.
Under these conditions, the small Jeep is safe but less playful than the references of the genre, like a Ford Puma. Its electric power steering isn’t the most communicative with the four-season tires fitted to our test version, and its damping suffers a few dry lifts on the bleedings. Obviously less sober on the road than in town, the hybrid system still allows you to stick to around 7 l/100 km on a mixed route with rough terrain.
On board
Competetion
The Jeep Renegade 1.5 turbo T4 e-Hybrid finds particularly lively competition among city SUVs. The Peugeot 2008 PureTech 130 EAT8 and Citroën C3 Aircross PureTech 130 EAT6 cousins do not offer any micro-hybridization. Among the tricolor heavyweights in the segment, only the Renault Captur TCe 140 has the right to it, with prices set between 28,200 and 34,200 €. Other rivals like the Suzuki Vitara 1.5 Dualjet Hybrid 115 or the Ford Puma 1.0 l Hybrid 125 use 48 V technology comparable to that of the Jeep.
Available between €27,890 and €31,840, the Suzuki has a robotized single-clutch gearbox and is more rustic, but it can receive all-wheel drive. Only available in traction, the Ford offers a double clutch box (from 26,400 to 32,800 €) and a manual control (from 24,400 to 30,800 €). Above all, the Puma is the only one able to use E85.
Find the results of the test, the technical sheet, as well as all the prices and equipment on the following page.
