Jeep Renegade Price Starts At $18,990

2015 Jeep Renegade (Credit: Jeep)

There’s been considerable speculation about the Jeep Renegade leading up to its release, but now many of those questions have been answered. Among them is the starting price of the baby Jeep, which was recently announced at $18,990. Of course, that’ll get you the Sport model, which is the base trim. If you want four-wheel drive, be prepared to shell out at least $20,990, which isn’t a horrible deal for a brand new fairly off-road-worthy vehicle that can still handle duties in a concrete jungle.

Going with the Latitude, which is the next trim level, bumps the price up to $22,290, with the four-wheel-drive version starting out at $24,290. Like the Sport, the Latitude is powered by a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder engine that kicks out a surprising 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. For those who like to row the gears, the standard transmission is a six-speed manual.

The Limited trim has a starting price of $25,790, or $27,790 with four-wheel drive. Its standard engine, which is optional on the Sport and Latitude, is a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder that puts out 180 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque.

People who want the most hardcore version of the Jeep Renegade, the Trailhawk, face a starting price of $26,990. You can only get the Trailhawk with an Active-Drive Low four-wheel drive system that has a 20:1 gear ratio that is useful for off-road crawling. The Selec-Terrain System, which comes standard in all trims, features an extra setting for driving on rock. The Trailhawk also comes with hill-descent control and a Trail Rated badge standard.

The big question right now is whether the low starting price will be enough to tempt car shoppers. Jeep purists are riled by the fact that the Renegade is the first Jeep to be built in Italy, thanks to the model sharing a platform with the new Fiat 500X. Despite that baggage, subcompact crossovers are a red-hot section of the automotive market right now, so don’t expect the Renegade to be discontinued anytime soon.