Jeep Renegade e-Hybrid – First Driving Test

After we were able to drive the Renegade plug-in hybrid last year, it is now the turn of the e-Hybrid. Electrification at Jeep continues at a steady pace and a fully electric new model will be launched later this year. In terms of size, that car is between the Renegade and the Compass.

After just under eight years of service, it may also be time for a successor to the Renegade, the smallest model of Jeep built in Italy. Still, it received a facelift in 2018 and it is still a roguish appearance. It looks like a creation from a cartoon and makes a youthful, fresh impression. As is known, the Renegade shares its genes with the Fiat 500X, which now also gets this e-hybrid powertrain, just like the Fiat Tipo. With the arrival of this new powertrain, it is over and over for the 120 hp 1.0-liter three-cylinder, which until now serves as the basic motorization. The entry-level model – the cheapest Jeep on the market – has become more than €2,700 more expensive, but for that you get a 130 hp four-cylinder with seven-speed automatic transmission. And thanks to the electric assistance, this power source consumes less fuel and emits less CO2. The latter has a direct effect on the purchase price in the form of less bpm. The 240 hp plug-in hybrid is approximately six mille more expensive than the comparably equipped e-Hybrid.

Two electric motors

The fuel engine of the e-Hybrid is doubly electrified. First of all, there is the starter/generator. This is a combination of a starter motor and an alternator, with a belt attached to the crankshaft. It revives the fuel engine, provides extra power during acceleration and produces power during braking.

Electric motor number two can be found in the seven-speed transmission. This is an engine with an output of 15 kW/20 hp and a torque of 135 Nm, fed by a 48V battery with a capacity of 1.8 kWh. That extra engine can not only assist during acceleration, but must also be able to take care of the entire drive, as we know from the Toyota Prius, for example. The four-cylinder petrol engine works according to the Miller Cycle principle, as Mazda already applied in the 1990s. In some cases, the intake valves remain open a little longer during the compression stroke. This means that less air has to be compressed and therefore less fuel goes in. Indeed, the power is therefore somewhat lower, but the electric motor compensates for that.

How does all this work out in practice? We start the test drive in the heart of Turin, where you see the Renegade a lot by the way. Unlike some other hybrids, there is no choice of multiple driving modes. You just put the lever in D and the engine management takes care of the rest.

Not fully electric

What is particularly striking is that the fuel engine is almost always working. Only when you let go of the gas, the needle of the tachometer drops to zero. Based on the specs, we expected the e-Hybrid to be able to cover small distances within built-up areas all-electric, but it doesn’t. And that while, according to the indicator, the battery is really 100 percent full. In addition, the drivetrain is jerky when starting from a standstill and in slow traffic jams. All in all, in the city you don’t have the feeling that you are on the road with a hybrid. The adaptive cruise control, which can be quite useful in the city, unfortunately does not bring the Renegade to a complete stop. Funny detail in the screen is the old green army Jeep that symbolizes your predecessor. The brand is proud of its past.

A little later we merge onto the Autostrada, and then accelerate to 130 km/h. Then you have to work hard, despite the extra electric torque. This Renegade may be part of the electrification at Jeep and is 15 percent more economical than the 1.0 petrol version, but the true hybrid experience is lacking.