Heading for dealership floors in September and reportedly only expected to be replaced by a completely brand-new model in 2022, exterior changes to the Renegade includes new alloy wheels with sizes ranging from 16 to 19-inches, new blacked-out headlights with daytime running LEDs, a redesigned front bumper and the case of the Limited and off-road focused Trailhawk models, new X motif taillights with LED clusters.
Less noticeable, the interior now benefits from a wireless smartphone charging pad, new cupholders and storage areas, while the optional 8.4-inch UConnect infotainment system gains both Apple CarPlay and Android.
More prominent is the Renegade’s new line of safety equipment, namely Lane Keep Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Park Assist.
The biggest change is reserved for underneath the bonnet though, where the previous 1.4-litre MultiAir and normally aspirated 1.6-litre E.torq petrol mills fall away in favour of new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo producing 88kW/190Nm, and a 1.3-litre making 110kW or 132kW with torque for both being 270Nm.
While a six-speed manual gearbox is standard fare on the triple, the 1.3 offers the option of two automatic ‘boxes, a seven-speed dual-clutch on the 110kW variant and a nine-speed torque converter on the 132kW model, which also comes with all-wheel drive as standard. No word on the bigger normally aspirated 2.4-litre Tigershark petrol mill was however mentioned.
On the diesel front, the existing Fiat sourced 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre MultiJet units will continue unchanged power-wise with respective outputs of 88kW/320Nm and 103kW or 125kW with 350Nm, although both do benefit from selective catalytic reduction technology to comply with Euro6 emissions regulations.
In Europe, the Renegade will be offered in four trim levels; Sport, Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk with local availability expected to be announced only after it has debuted on the Old Continent.
