I purchased this 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk used through an online dealer, with just over 10K miles on it, and here’s why:
For over a year, I have been in the market for a capable 4×4 vehicle that is also commute friendly. Exclusively driving a truck up to this point that now has over 225K miles on it, the need for a replacement vehicle became a top priority. Since I have a fairly sizable work commute, it helped influence my decision on downsizing for a daily driver. When not commuting however, I also like to go on short car camping trips. The destination I often like to go is definitely off the beaten path, with bumpy dirt roads winding up and down through a canyon, and pure cobble rock and a creek to traverse at the end.
After some extensive online research, I determined the Renegade Trailhawk may be a good fit as both a commuter and a capable little 4×4 that could suffice in the role of getting me to my usual off-road camping destination. Along with robust 4×4 capabilities, the Trailhawk model also comes equipped with under-armor in the form skid plates – essential for traversing cobble rock. I decided to take a leap of faith and purchased this used 2015 Renegade Trailhawk.
While I do have plans to potentially implement upgrades in the future, I wanted to immediately test out the Renegade Trailhawk stock, as-is. So, I headed out to my favorite destination. In the video below, I included some highlights from my first off-road trek to go camping overnight with the Jeep Renegade.
Jeep Renegade Trailhawk Off-Road Trek First Impressions
I have travelled these particular deep backcountry roads quite a bit, so I am familiar with them. With bumpy, uneven dirt roads, I was pleasantly surprised with the ride. You can feel the suspension is stout. The Renegade handled washed out channels, bumps and divots in the road quite smoothly – the Renegade felt unexpectedly at home on these roads.
There’s about 15 miles of dirt road, sometimes switchbacks as you wind through the foothills canyon I was driving. There was no need for 4WD until the end, where a fairly steep descent to the creek suddenly becomes cobble rock sitting on bedrock. With the push of 2 buttons in about 5 seconds: the 4WD lock, then 4-wheel low, I was ready to put this little Trailhawk Renegade to a real test.
The truck that I normally 4×4 into this location with, has been a Chevy Avalanche Z-71. It was definitely a challenging, bumpy drive across the bowling ball & smaller-sized cobble, so I assumed the Renegade would have a more difficult time with smaller wheels and a bit less ground clearance. To my amazement however, crawling this terrain in the Renegade seemed a bit easier and smoother; I was pleasantly surprised! In fact, I didn’t bottom out once on the cobble (we can attribute some of that to my driving skills as well of course!)
I’m certainly looking forward to more involved off-road treks with this little 2015 Renegade Trailhawk, so stay tuned as I will be continuing to document the trips.