We review the Jeep Renegade Multijet II Limited from price to economy and all its features

THERE was a time when the word “Jeep” simply meant 4x4 – a bit like how we use the brand name Hoover to refer to a vacuum cleaner.

You’d ask someone what car they drive and they’d tell you: “Some sort of Jeep.”

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Usually, it turned out to be a Land Rover or a Suzuki Vitara, but you knew what they were getting at.

But those were the days before SUVs took over the roads.

Now, every manufacturer has something in their roster which resembles a Jeep, and even non-car fans can happily differentiate between a Qashqai and a Q3.

So Jeep has a much bigger job on its hands when it comes to fitting into the market it, in a sense, created.

If it wasn’t for air con I’d have felt like Rambo

The Renegade plays little brother to the hulking Cherokee, taking on mega-selling compact crossovers such as the Skoda Yeti with a dose of American no-nonsense.

While 4x4 snobs may look down on the Suzuki Vitaras of the world for being “plastic offroaders”, no one can accuse the Renegade of not having the credentials.

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Inside it’s as comfy as its rivals, although doesn’t feel quite as premium as the Yeti.
If you’re happy to splurge on the optional extras, you’ll want for nothing. The model I drove came with the parking camera, blind-spot indicator, heated seats, Bluetooth and privacy glass.

It comes with varying drive modes, including mud and snow, but I’ll have to take their word that they work — there’s not much snow around London at the moment.

If it wasn’t for the air con, expanses of soft plastics and all-electric controls, I would have felt a bit like Rambo. OK, Sergeant Bilko

On the road it has all the advantages of an SUV — good ride position, plenty of visibility.
It’s easy to manoeuvre and, despite boasting a puny 140bhp, it certainly moves its fat ass.
And, let’s face it, the mums buying this car for the school run won’t be taking it offroad too often.

Beneath the clear-as-crystal colour screen, from which you control the very high-spec infotainment system, are the words “since 1941”.

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It certainly has more than a small flavour of the original Jeep US Army transporter.
If it wasn’t for the air con, expanses of soft plastics and all-electric controls, I would have felt a bit like Rambo. OK, Sergeant Bilko.

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The styling is a confused blend of old and new. The tough, almost bulbous, grille at front, the squared-off roof, the sheer drop at the back — it’s all designed as a nostalgic nod to the iconic original.

Yet the dainty crosses in the rear lights and the cartoon splodge of mud on the rev counter all feels a bit tacky and cheap.

It’s as if the Renegade hasn’t decided who it wants to be driven by, 20-something-year-old geezers, or the yummy mummy brigade.

Starting at a lumpy £23K, it’ll probably have more joy chasing the mums.

Still, I’d be a happy little chap if my old girl was carting me to the school gates in an air-conned Army truck.