The second 2015 Jeep Renegade I got to see at the 2014 SEMA Show was not a Trailhawk and was called Riptide. Completely in an electric blue paint, it still had 225/60R17 tires and a surf theme complete with wooden slat floorboards. Check it out...
In these shots, you can get a good look at what the interior of the Jeep Renegade Riptide looks like. As you will notices, the trim matches the blue of the body.
The following are underside shots that I took of the Jeep Renegade Riptide. Here you can see how it doesn't have any skid plates like the Frostbite Trailhawk.
Honestly, there was always a point where I was still not 100% sure of this thing but, after seeing it today, I really want one. I think it'll be really fun to see what all can be done with one.
Hi wayoflife, I went to the LA Auto Show and they had the Riptide there as well as a Latitude. Having stood next to the Latitude first then the Riptide, I realized the the Riptide had been lifted. There was a Trailhawk on stage that seemed similar in lift, but 10 feet away I was not sure. The first lady Mopar rep I asked, I said is the Riptide a Trailhawk with Latitude bumpers, she said yes, but it sill seemed the the Riptide was still a little higher lift. A while later I found a guy Mopar rep and asked about the Riptide height and he said, "oh, the Mopar guys put a 2" lift on it". So we started talking about it more and I asked if the parts would be available through Mopar, and said not all show car parts make it to the for sale list, he went on to say, "the Riptide may not even be drivable the way it is". I asked him what he meant and he did not really want to say anymore. So later, I got under the Riptide and looked at the suspension, there were no obvious coil spring or shock spacers but I could tell the shock boots were stretched, the bellows were pulled and buckled in a few areas. So that makes me wonder if they put some temporary clamps or spaces on the shock and hid them under the bellows? Did you notice this when you saw the Riptide? What does this tell you about the possibility of a real lift job?
Hey TrailHawk, after seeing both the Riptide and the Frostbite, what I can tell you is that both were lifted but, the Riptide was clearly NOT a Trailhawk. As you know, Trailhawks come with a low range and if you were have sat in the Riptide and looked at the 4WD selector, you would have seen that a LOW was not available. Also, looking under the Riptide, you would have noticed that there were no skid plates. Having said all that, both the Riptide and Frostbite were running 225/60R17 tires which is bigger than the 215's that come stock. I was told at SEMA that both had a 1" lift and can only assume that the Riptide was running Trailhawk coils with is struts which are just shy of an inch taller from the factory. Either way, I'm sure something small can be done but, where we'll see the real trouble is in clearance under the wheel wells - possible rubbing of the struts or other components may be an issue.
Hi wayoflife, thanks for the reply and insight. Lets see what the aftermarket companies can come up with as far as a lift kit goes, maybe sometime next year.
