2015 Jeep Renegade Five-Point Inspection

2. Holds its Own Off-Road

I was able to sample a few different versions of the Renegade including the off-road focused Trailhawk edition. On a course designed to challenge Wranglers and Land Rovers, the little Jeep held its own. It was able to traverse deep ruts and steep hills covered in snow very well thanks in part to the Trailhawk’s 8.7 inches of ground clearance that’s up from the vehicle’s standard 7.9 inches.

The Renegade got momentarily stuck twice, but it was able to dig out as the four-wheel low and stability control systems transferred power around to the wheels with the most grip. It may only be a quasi-four-wheel low system, but it can lock into all-wheel drive and allow the Renegade to go places most other subcompact crossovers wouldn’t dream of. Plus, the 4WD lock mode is great to drift the Renegade on snowy test tracks.