Although it was introduced this morning to the general automotive media thousands of miles away at the New York Auto Show, Jeep also unveiled its new 2015 Renegade model to the group off hard-core Jeep enthusiasts in attendance at the Easter Jeep Safari today in Moab, Utah. Unveiling the Trailhawk version of the new SUV at EJS, Jeep believes the Renegade will be a great seller in the small sport-utility market, but it remains focused on retaining the off-road roots for which the brand is known.
“Since we are only an SUV brand, we really needed a full lineup, and especially globally we need to be competing in the smaller space, so really designing something that was trail friendly and urban friendly it’s really the right size package for the market,” said Becky Blanchard, Senior Manager of Jeep Brand Product Marketing.
The Renegade will be offered in a Sport, Latitude and Limited package that will have 4×2 and 4×4 options, while the Trailhawk will be offered in 4×4 only. There will be two 4×4 systems in the new model, including Jeep Active Drive, Jeep’s full-time 4×4 system, and Jeep Active Drive Low, which is a full-time 4×4 system that features a 20:1 crawl ratio. Both systems will offer Active Drive Low 4×4 systems and include the Selec-Terrain system, that offers up to five settings (Auto, Snow, Sand and Mud, while the Trailhawk version will also feature Rock).
More 2015 Jeep Renegade Photos
“We’re looking to attract anew buyer with this vehicle,” Blanchard said. “With it being a small entry and really fun and exciting and adventurous, it’ll be a new youthful customer looking for those attributes in a vehicle, and it will also competing against a Nissan Juke or a Mini Countryman and Buick Encore and those size vehicles.”
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