Welp, I Switched Rennies

Discussion in 'Renegade Chat' started by agentlossing, Aug 13, 2019.

  1. agentlossing

    agentlossing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2017
    Messages:
    48
    Location:
    Oregon
    Long time no speak, forum! Yesterday I traded in my good old '16 Sport 1.4t in Colorado Red for a '17 Latitude 2.4 in Jetset Blue. I was very sad to see the manual go, and will miss the growl of the 1.4 turbo a lot, but it's not all bad.

    The main reason for the decision was my wife preferring an automatic, which I resisted and played my gearhead card a lot, but the reality was, we made too many long drives where I'd have liked a relief driver and she never got used to the clutch. Also, while we don't tow right now, we'd like the option of getting a small trailer and I can clearly see how the 1.4t just wouldn't tow well. What I don't miss about the manual: I never really liked the clutch, there is too little feedback, the pedal always felt kinda numb. The shifter was nice, and I miss the fewer gears, but (to me at least) the 9-speed seems much smoother in this '17 than the '15 I test drove, and the '16 Chrysler 200 rental I had. I didn't notice a single rough shift, which is nice.

    I actually kind of like the 2.4l engine. It's definitely not operating anywhere near its limits, which speaks to long engine life I suppose. If you can get it cranked up it sounds a little like a tiny tractor, but it's fitting for a chunky, not-that-fast CUV. If it came with a similar 5-speed transmission to our Civic I think it would have a lot more character, but it's fine. I noticed on the 200+ mile drive back home from the dealership where we found it, I averaged 31.8 MPG, so you can definitely baby it and get good mileage.

    I'll add more observations as I go. Pretty happy with the deal we got on a '17 with only 11,800 miles on it, but I will miss the character of the 1.4t manual!
     
    Newadventurer likes this.
  2. Dgr401

    Dgr401 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2015
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    569
    Location:
    Rhode Island, USA
    Good luck with your new Renegade, enjoy it.
     
    agentlossing likes this.
  3. Newadventurer

    Newadventurer Member

    Joined:
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    Richmond, Va
    Nice. I love our manual too, but the lack of feedback gets annoying sometimes. Enjoy your new ride!
     
  4. Mrsig

    Mrsig Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2018
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    Location:
    Bushnell, FL
    Congrats & enjoy your upgrade.
     
  5. agentlossing

    agentlossing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2017
    Messages:
    48
    Location:
    Oregon
    I have a perhaps unpopular opinion about the manual that has been slowly dawning on me. The clutch isn't an offroad clutch. I've read enough experiences from people burning theirs out due to rough handling of it on tough terrain. It's a street clutch. Never had any problems with mine, but the worst terrain I took it on was steep, windy gravel roads. Pair that with the slightly underpowered 1.4t, and I think the best possible manual renegade you can buy is a FWD one. Shaves off a few pounds for better acceleration. Lower it with the lowering kit, and add the Madness GoPedal. Make it into a boxy, road-hugging stripped down turbo manual for the streets rather than the trails. I did see blowout deals for as little as $14,995 on new FWD manual rennies a few years ago.
     

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