Ive owned my Renegade TH for about 9 months now and coming from a background of heavily modified automobiles, heres some things I've loved and some things i hate about my trailhawk. Just thought I would share / get some feedback! Also may be some help to someone thinking about buying one! Pros. -4x4 system is very impressive, I have definitely put it through its paces on trails, mud, rocks and snow with absolutely 0 problems. (No sand yet) -Good ground clearance/ short wheel base for a stock mini SUV. -The interior layout is perfect, roomy and very comfy, perfect for road trips! -Servicing it yourself is pretty easy/ Ie: Oil changes, air filter, tire rotations etc. -Gas fill ups are fairly cheap! -Remote start is clutch for winter time. -Great for getting around a busy metropolitan city as well as being lost in the mountains somewhere. -Stock headlights and fog lights light up dark roads nicely at night. (Im not a fan of HID or LED bulbs in halogen housings ((blinding everyone)) I think the stock ones do a great job. -Plenty of storage inside with the seats down...Not a whole lot with the seats up. -Gas mileage is ok. -All the hidden easter eggs are a nice touch -Seats 4 people over 6' tall comfortably - Stock Skid plates are beefy! Cons. -Bluetooth radio only connects to my phone occasionally and the hands free phone option might as well just not exist. -Under powered. Yes it can get around but it could definitely benefit from something a little more powerful like a 2.4l turbo. -Transmission seems to be confused as to which gear to be in sometimes, especially if its cold outside. -Back up camera gets road debris on it easily, hard to see out of. -Rear defroster comes on automatically in cooler temps even if its not needed. (is there a way to turn this off?) -Gas mileage is ok. (Yes i know i repeated myself)
Nice list of pros and cons. Should be helpful to someone considering a Renegade. I have not found a way to disable the rear defroster (and heated mirrors) from coming on. I wonder if it could be done at the dealership? I know they have more capability than what is in the menu options that the consumer has. It is nice to see you using the TH as it was intended.
Very insightful for potential buyers! I disagree on the convenience of changing the oil yourself, if you have a TH or DH. You need to remove the skid plate which makes it more difficult than your typical oil change. The remote start when under 40 degrees automatically turning on the seat and steering wheel warmers are probably my favorite thing about the renny in the winter. I haven't figured out how to disable the rear defrost from coming on automatically but its' w/e. I just turn it off when I get in.
I will say changing the Oil isn't a walk in the park but its not too bad...I just jacked it up, crawled under neath, dropped the skid plate and pushed it up over my head towards the middle of the jeep...but then again im used to not even being able to crawl under the vehicle and having to drop all kind of undercarriage aerodynamic shrouds as well as not being able to reach the oil filter from underneath lol so maybe its just a change compared to what im used too ya know? Yeah the defroster isn't a biggie i just didnt know if there was a way to disable it or not. Ive owned quite a few VW's and Audis and they have a program called VAGCOM that you can download and make all kind of small, convienent changes to the computer of the vehicle. It'd be super cool if there was something similiar for these square guys.
Haha yeah it sounds like the oil change is easier than what you're used to. Coming from my rubicon, it's more difficult. I could just crawl under the rubicon (no jacking needed) and drain the oil, filter was easy to reach, etc. I'm lazy, so the dealer will get the pleasure of doing all my rene's oil changes. I wish we had something like the VAGCOM... unfortunately it seems like a lot of the inconvenient settings are locked down on these guys.
Overall, zero buyer's remorse. My limited with stock tires has gotten stuck in the snow more than my old Scion xA tiny friggin fwd hatchback with studded snows. Definitely getting snow tires for next year. Annoying cheapouts include the lack of an eyebolt for hauling out when stuck, even though there is a cutout for it in the tire jack case; roof rail is useless - took it off and heaved it the woods then mounted landing pads for a removable yakima rack. $1250 nav/radio is worth about $50. Love the way you can disable all the hoots and screeches - I know when I opened the door etc. Another annoyance is that Consumer Reports lists it as one of the 10 worst vehicles but you have to buy a subscription to find out why. Probably not enough cupholders. Oh, and Get Off My Lawn!
