Tuesday, October 2, 2018

2019 Jeep Renegade Picks Up Horsepower, Drops Manual Transmission

2019 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk

Good news: The 2019 Jeep Renegade is getting a power bump. The bad news: Its manual transmission is going away.


If you're wanting a Jeep Renegade with a manual transmission, you'd better grab a 2018 because the shift-it-yourself option is going away for '19. While we applauded Jeep for offering a manual transmission on AWD Renegades, we always assumed the take rate was low, and that likely was the case. But enough bad news.

For '19, Renegades will be available with an all-new 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with direct injection making 177 hp and 200 lb/ft of torque. Compared to the outgoing 1.4-liter turbo, power is up 17 hp and 16 lb/ft of toque. The new 1.3 is mated to a nine-speed automatic. With the disappearance of the manual, this leaves the the Subaru Crosstrek and the Jeep Compass as the last smallish crossovers available with a standard transmission and AWD.

Jeep is doing a powerplant switcheroo, by the way. Previously, the normally aspirated 2.4-liter Tigershark engine was the top of the heap, and the 1.4 turbo was the mouse motor. For '19, Jeep is making the 1.3 turbo standard on the Limited and Trailhawk models; the 2.4 will be standard on the Sport and Latitude.

Other new-for-'19 features include:

  • A refreshed exterior design that includes new front fascias and grille surround
  • New aluminum wheel designs
  • New 19-inch aluminum Granite Crystal-painted wheel option on Latitude and Limited models
  • New Bikini, Slate Blue and Sting Grey exterior paint colors (late availability)
  • New LED Lighting Group includes LED headlamps, daytime running lamps (DRL), cornering fog lamps and tail lamps
  • New features added to Advanced Tech Group include adaptive cruise control, ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist Plus and front park sensors
  • New instrument cluster graphics
There will be a total of four trim levels including Sport, Latitude, Limited, and Trailhawk. 

We enjoyed our time with the Renegade when it debuted, and I even test drove a 1.4 turbo with the manual about a year-and-a-half ago and found it to be quite decent.

Anecdotally, I've heard mixed things about the Renegade's reliability, but I still think they're neat little runabouts. Do you have one? Share your experiences in the comments. 

2019 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk - rear

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey there!
Former Renegade Sport, shift-on-the-fly-4WD owner.
I've got to enjoy this little Jeep for whole three(3) months before FCA issued Star Case and subsequently re-purchased it.
It was what they call "total LEMON", although it loked like a giant Orange (paint code 562, Orange)
Multiple no-starts rendered this little Jeep useless, unsafe and dangerous. On top of that interior creaking, drive-line whine only aggravated everything.
I want to believe FCA is making good product. I want to, but I can't!

P.S One of the reasons I bought Renegade was its design. I still like the design, but I will not touch FCA product.
Lack of manual will defiantly turn some potential consumers away.

Anonymous said...

The new cars are getting DCT, just the way things are going. Not the best off road, at least for very steep hills. With a change in driving scale the are OK at best.