What's New
The 2020 Jeep Renegade, the brand's take on the crossover, is back with only minor changes. The tweaks are mostly to do with feature availability, but they’re welcome – safety tech is now more widely available through the range. The Renegade continues to bear down on Jeep’s distinctive blend of attributes: unique styling and impressive off-road capability.
Choosing Your Jeep Renegade
The Jeep Renegade is available in four trims: Sport, Latitude, Limited, and Trailhawk. The Sport is available in an Upland special edition, the Latitude in an Altitude, and the Limited in a High Altitude.
Pricing starts at $23,770 including destination for the Sport and rises to $29,290 for the Trailhawk.
Engine Choices
The Renegade is available with two engines. The Sport and Latitude start with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder, but a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is a $1,495 option. The Limited and Trailhawk get the turbo engine standard.
Engine Type | Horsepower | Torque | Fuel Economy (Combined) |
2.4L 4-Cylinder | 180 hp | 175 lb-ft | 25 mpg |
1.3L Turbo 4-Cylinder | 177 hp | 210 lb-ft | 27 mpg |
The number to pay attention to here is torque. The turbo engine has slightly less horsepower, but the torque boost suits the Renegade’s personality, especially off-road. The extra fuel efficiency doesn’t hurt, either.
Both engines use a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive is a $1,500 option regardless of trim.
Passenger and Cargo Capacity
The Jeep Renegade looks the part of the boxy mini-SUV, but the capacities don’t always back that up. The Renegade seats five passengers, but with 35.1 inches of rear legroom, it’s not exactly spacious. The Kia Soul has nearly 4 inches more.
Cargo capacity is mediocre for the class as well. The back fits 18.5 cubic feet of cargo with the seats up, or 50.8 with them folded. With seats folded, a Volkswagen Golf can do better.
Safety Features
Any Renegade can have a near-full suite of active safety tech, but the features are reserved for optional packages. The Advanced Technology Group ($1,295) brings adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, park assist, and automatic high beams, while the Safety and Security Group ($695) includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a security alarm.
Connectivity
The base Renegade is lackluster in the tech department, using a 5-inch touchscreen running an older version of Jeep’s UConnect software. The rest of the range is better, with a 7-inch display compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This upgraded infotainment system is available on the Sport for $775.
The top three trims are available with an even larger 8.4-inch touchscreen with navigation. The $Uconnect 8.4 NAV Group ($1,345) also adds a 7-inch driver information display, HD radio, and connected services.
Even for a base trim, the Renegade Sport is sparse in the features department. It gets a rearview camera and push button start, but those are the only gestures toward comfort. Cruise control isn't included, seats are manually adjustable only, and the wheels are simple 16-inch steel.
The Upland special edition remains available for now. It’s a version of the Sport with larger wheels, black and orange accents, and a more aggressive look. It comes only in all-wheel drive and costs $1,295.
Likely the level at which most shoppers will begin looking, the Latitude adds some expected features. This means the upgraded 7-inch infotainment system, dual-zone automatic climate control, and 17-inch aluminum wheels.
A power-adjustable driver’s seat still isn’t included. It’s tucked into the Popular Equipment Group ($595), which also includes a few other seating upgrades. Heated front seats come in the Cold Weather Group ($745), and LED lighting is its own group for $695.
The Altitude special edition is primarily a stylistic upgrade. For the extra grand, buyers get gloss black accents inside and out, deluxe black cloth seats, and body-color exterior mirrors with mirror-mounted turn signals.
The Limited trim gets remote start, 18-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats, and a heated steering wheel.
The High Altitude special edition includes nearly everything standard. The infotainment screen is the large 8.4-inch version, the steering wheel is heated and wrapped in leather, and the front seats have power lumbar adjustment.
The Trailhawk is the Renegade you’re most likely to find wandering away from the pavement. It comes with the turbo engine, all-wheel drive, knobby tires, Jeep’s low-traction system, and a variety of extra plates and hooks for adventuring. It has a taller ride height and extra clearance, too.
The Premium Leather Group ($1,695) provides leather-covered buckets and heats up the front row.
Compare Renegade Trims Side-By-Side
The Trailhawk is a capable enough off-roader, but it won’t keep up with more serious models like the Jeep Wrangler or Cherokee. Instead, stay in the middle trims in the 2020 Jeep Renegade lineup for the best value.