Only buy a Patriot if it's a killer deal. Renegades are shipped from Italy so don't expect deals.

 

I had an AWD Renegade for a loaner back in the fall. I did not take it off road, just a highway trip of about 200 miles, and a little bit of local driving.

I know my dealer tries to treat me well, and giving me a nearly new loaner was a nice gesture, so I want to be honest but kind in my review. Then again, anyone from FCA reading this post ought to take note and address my concerns going forward -- my issues are legit.

• Fuel economy was excellent -- well into the 30s on the interstate which is better than my FWD Patriot 2.4 CVT and about the same as our FWD Patriot 2.0 5-spd or possibly a tad better. Considering the Renegade was AWD, that's saying something. From what I read, most people with AWD Patriots only dream about MPG over 30 -- the Renegade could do it hands down. This one had the 2.4, so I can only imagine that with the 1.4 and the 6-spd manual the mpg must be phenomenal.
  
• Size is acceptable but the Patriot is larger and feels larger -- that's just the reflection of reality.
  
• Cargo space looks similar but the numbers say the Patriot is larger. Again, it is what it is.
  
• The Patriot rides better, but that is likely yet another reflection of the difference in size/wheelbase.
  
• The real downer was the 9-spd auto transmission. I guess I've gotten spoiled by my Patriot CVT. The 9-spd isn't very smooth under any conditions, and its idiotic on the turnpike. It is constantly vacillating between 7-8-9. Surprising with a 2.4/175 hp behind it. This trip was the Everett Tpke in the Merrimack Valley of NH and I-495 in eastern Mass; not quite as flat as Kansas, but barely a hill to be seen and the roads go around what few hills there are.
  
• Hence, using cruise control is misery: even a modest upgrade on the interstate makes it downshift a couple gears. Then on the downgrade, in an attempt to hold you back the cruise control jerks you back a couple gears and I mean jerks -- it was harsh. The only way to avoid this is to use autostick and keep it in 7th gear all the time -- that would be low enough to cope with those modest grades or any oncoming breeze (yes, even the wind will make it downshift, its that sensitive). But in a gear that low, you're losing the fuel economy. No, you can't autostick it into a higher gear because it won't take it or it will force the downshift anyway, even at 60+mph.

Driver position, visibility, acceleration, and all the other HHS that the professional reviewers consider all-important, is fine. In fact everything else about it is certainly nice enough. In terms of overall quality it is in the same league as the Patriot (which is a compliment), but the price/value of the Patriot is certainly superior to the Renegade. If the Renegade cost less than the Patriot I think it could really cut into sales; costing more, the Renegade will always be in second place. There is no reason to spend more and get less. Again, the Renegade's strong suit is fuel economy, so if gas went back to $4/gallon the Renegade might be able to justify its price.

Conclusion, if I were to get a Renegade it would have to be a manual gearbox.
However, that means I'm stuck with the Fiat 1.4, not the 2.4 that I've had and love. The 2.4 and the 9-spd auto are mated, and the 1.4 and the 6spd manual are mated. The 1.4 is a Fiat product and I'm not sure I trust Fiat's durability. Could it perform as well and as long as my 2.4? I have my doubts. In my mind Fiat is still overcoming the bad reputation they earned a generation ago. Maybe that's why Fiat sales are as modest (and declining) as they are. A possible solution for FCA might be a lifetime/250,000 mile warranty. That was a major factor in my first Patriot purchase. Once it had proven itself we went ahead and got another Patriot.

 

they are basically identical off road, similar power, tire size, clearance, function of the awd system.

the patriot is an older platform, renegade is newer, so its slightly more fuel efficient, slightly safer, but its also a lot more money for a very similar vehicle. there are crazy discounts for patriots, I've seen as high as $7k OFF msrp, so yeah, The patriot is a better deal if you know how to deal with dealers and get that good deal. Renegades have almost none at all. Back in January, they had $5500 off 2016 patriots, and $500 off 2015 Renegades. My money would buy the patriot every time as you would get better bang for your buck without a doubt.

 

Grasschopper, I just noticed you are from SW Virginia. You've got mountains there. Mountains can be tough on any transmission but I fear a Renegade automatic would go beserk from all that shifting and probably fail earlier than most. Do a test drive and see what you think.

 

I haven't driven one, but it does seem too refined for the Jeep name, plus the glitchy overgeared tranny(if you want that many ratios, just use a much simpler tech...the CVT).

Side note though, the 2.4L in the "renegade" and Cherokar is a Tigershark. Same manufacturer as our 2.4L, but ours is the older World GEMA engine. As the Patriot underwent a change to a different version of sorts in 2011, so that engine has a new version available. Though it seems the older version of the engine can still be bought new, unlike the older Patriot design.

 

Wow!!! what a great bunch of info....Yes Ive got a lot of mountains here and my 2.4 with cvt does very well (FD1)....Ill probably wait till I see what replaces the patriot....My 2009 has 108k and my body is in great shape so Ive got time to see what jeep comes up with...Thanks for all the replies.......:smile2::smile2: Btw4x4 patriots cost 18k with auto trans in our area and renegades are 20500 1.4 manuel trans....

 

The beauty of the CVT on hills is that its not constantly hunting for the right gear. It irritates me when a car downshifts just before cresting a hill -- why now? Just stick with the plan! On the other hand, the CVT just revs a little higher or a little lower depending on the grade with none of the clunks of an automatic.

 

I've been thinking about possibly trading my patriot in. I see that new patriots are selling for $5000 off msrp even before dealer and regional discounts. I have 120,000 mi on my 2008 limited and I've put close to $5000 into it in the last 2 years, so right now 90% of all the suspension components are no more than a year old. At 105,000 mi I had my engine rebuilt under my lifetime warranty as well when the header went. Both front and rear subframes are rusted real bad, and I've been working on grinding them down, treating them with rust reformer, and spraying undercoating over that. Trying to keep it in best condition possible, I'd like to have it for another 5 years

So lets say I get a $20,000 2016 patriot. Add in a $5000 discount, plus $5000 for my trade in and it's down to $10,000. Im a college student and it looks promising that ill get a job with a FCA dealer over the summer, so maybe an employee discount as well. In the end I might be looking at only $100 month payments

I know ill need to put around $1000 in my current patriot within a year to replace the front cv's and get new tires. It would be nice getting a new one, cause then I wouldn't have to worry about anything for a while other than oil changes, whereas with my current one, anything could go bad without warning.

It's very tempting, but I'm not sure if it's worth giving up my lifetime powertrain warranty and having to worry about car payments. I also don't want to be stuck where I have to dump a ton more money into my aging patriot.

Any thoughts?

 

Good plan it sounds like.

 

I test drove one before purchasing my Patriot and didn't care for it. As mentioned above with the transmission but it also seemed kinda cramped inside also.

 

So, I have a 2014 Patriot and had a 2015 Renegade for my wife. Remember, I said had...

Other than some snow, I didn't actually own the Renegade long enough to experience its off road ability. Based on my experience, I would say it is good to look pretty in the driveway and not much else. In six months of ownership, it spent 2 1/2 in the service department and ended up with lots of new parts (including the motor). So, in a way I did take it off road, as in on a lift in a service bay.

Despite the experience with the Renegade, FCA's corporate office was terrific and the reason why my wife now has a 2016 Compass that cost us the same and has more options. I have 69,000 problem-free miles on the 2014 Patriot and the Compass is doing well in its first few months. And, with the rebates right now, it's very hard to say no to a Patriot. The only reason I would be getting rid of it is to go back to a pickup.

 

Compass comes with a/c and alloy wheels standard. They are selling well right now and it's the patriot's twin so you can post here if you get one. Everyone else does.

 

I bought my Patriot Sport SE a month ago, spent a lot of time debating between a Renegade or Patriot. As was previuosly mentioned the 9 speed auto was a deterant, I like the autostick and 6 forward gears are plenty. The drivers seat was much more comfortable in the Patriot, im 6'2 and where my knee hits the dash is something i have to think about. But the biggest seller for the Patriot was the gas cap, its on the wrong side on the Renegade.

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