The Field – August 2019

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COUNTRYESTATE

MOTORING

Youbuy a Jeepfor therough stuff andit’s off

the road that this Renegade shines

Top:the Trailhawk isn’t dull to the eye.Above:the cabin has a military feel to it (left); subtly reshaped bumpers (right)

Jeep Renegade Trailhawk

IDO hope theRenegadeTrailhawkhas a
thickskin– it wasattractinga fairlydiverse
setofcommentsintheweekI droveit.The
kindest was that it was the steroid-filled
lovechildofa Jimnyanda FiatPanda.Other
comments included: “funky” and “kooky”.
It’s certainly not dull to the eye, with its
undersizedgrillandoversizedwheelarches,
andin a market crowded with monotony
that’sa goodthing.
Inside,thewackythemecontinues,with
ergonomicsthatsuggestthatthecommittee
inchargeofdesigningit weren’tevenonthe
samecontinent,nevermindroundthesame
table.The seat seems too farbackfor the
rear-viewmirror,letalonefora quickmanual
de-mistofthewindscreen. It’s surprisingly
roomy,however–rumoursofPanda/Jimny
heritage tend to suggest it’ll be more cramped.

Thecabinhasanunrefinedandslightly
militaryfeeltoit,withheavycontrolssetin
dark,verticalfacesanda seatthatcreaked
asif it haddone 10 toursintheGulf.But, all
inall,it’sa comfortableplacetobe.
Ontheroad,thesenseofunrefinement
continues.Thenine-speedautomaticgear-
boxinsistsonchanginguptoitshighestgear
assoonaspossible,andthetwo-litre,four-
cylinderdieseliscertainlynotsilkysmooth
at1,300rpm.MorethanonceI foundmyself
switching over to ‘manual’ and changing
down just topush the revs up a bit, and
eliminate the shuddering in the driveline.
Probablynotgoodforthefuelconsumption
buttheRenegadeseemstohavemissedits
sessioninthewindtunnelsoone gear lower
willmakelittledifference.
But all this isnotwhyyou buy a Jeep.
You buy a Jeep for the rough stuff and as

the ruffy-tuffy ‘Trailhawk’ name suggests,

it’sofftheroadthatthisRenegadeshines.It

hasextracladdingoverthebasicmodeland

numerous vital transmission components

havebeenfittedwithprotectiveplates.

Thebumpershavebeensubtlyreshaped

and, quite astonishingly, the central third

of the bonnet hasbeencoatedwith what

appearstobea chalkboard.Allthoseyears

oftryingtotella dopeyguntogodownthat

trackfor50ydandthengointothewoods

forfivepacesandthebirdswillbecoming

from his right – now you can do a proper

diagramonthebonnet.I searchedinvainfor

theschoolroom-styleboxofmulti-coloured

chalksbutJeepmust have forgotten to put it

intheglovebox.

Setthe4wdsystemtotheratio/terrainof

yourchoice(nota lotof‘mud’tobefound

whileI hadit,unfortunately)andtheRene-

gadeis fantastic.It trundlesmajesticallyover

lumpsandbumpswithutterassurance(once

you’ve switchedoffthe proximitysensors,

whicharewettingthemselvesateveryblade

ofgrass).It’supherethatit shines.Orderit

inthelovelygreenandyou’dthinkit looks

ratherhandsome amongthe trees.There’s

no-oneheretolaughatit,orcallit names.If

therewere,youcouldputtheir name, Dad’s

Army-style, on the bonnet.

JEEPRENEGADETRAILHAWK

♦Engine:1,956ccdiesel

♦Power:170hp

♦Maxspeed:122mph

♦Performance,0 to62:6.8seconds

♦Combinedfueleconomy:42.9mpg

♦InsuranceGroup:15E

♦Price: £31,400

Letthemlaugh,saysCharlieFlindt,atits‘kooky’appearance.

They won’t be laughing when they hit a bumpy patch off-road