New Jeep Renegade North Star 2025 review: roomy SUV feels really dated

Verdict

While the North Star was introduced to celebrate a production milestone, it should probably mark the end of the line for the Renegade. Jeep’s small SUV wasn’t a class leader when it was launched a decade ago, and while this version is loaded with all of the kit you could want, it falls behind its rivals in most areas. The plug-in hybrid model doesn’t offer the cost benefits to attract business users away from competitors, either.

Few cars are as long-lived as the Jeep Renegade. The company’s smallest SUV when production first started in 2014 – now superseded by the Jeep Avenger – more than a decade later, it’s still going. We’d like to say it’s still going strong, but it has never really excelled in one area; rivals have long had the measure of it in most respects.

Yet that hasn’t stopped sales, and to celebrate one million units of the Renegade – and the equally ageing, soon-to-be-replaced Jeep Compass – being sold across Europe, Jeep has introduced a special edition called the North Star. There was a bit of confusion when we booked the car in, because it came a week after we’d driven the Jeep Avenger The North Face, a car that has zero connection with the larger Renegade model.

Used - available now

2021 Jeep

Renegade

22,762 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £14,375

View Renegade

2022 Jeep

Renegade

46,103 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £10,854

View Renegade

2018 Jeep

Renegade

44,221 milesAutomaticPetrol1.4L

Cash £10,137

View Renegade

2021 Jeep

Renegade

49,203 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £10,050

View Renegade

While The North Face adds outdoorsy appeal to the Avenger, the North Star offers a level of kit that’s designed, first and foremost, to deliver decent value for money on the Renegade. This starts with the exterior, where Technogreen metallic paint sits alongside gloss black 17-inch alloys (which look a little small these days) and a glare-reducing matt-black bonnet decal. Subtle badges pick out Polaris and its constellations, while roof rails and LED foglights complete the look.

Inside, there’s hard-wearing cloth upholstery with contrast stitching, plus a panoramic roof and privacy glass are fitted as standard. Extra tech includes an updated parking aid that adds parallel and box parking assistance to the roster of kit.

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Power comes from either the 1.5 Hybrid or 1.3 PHEV 4xe powertrains that are available in the standard Renegade, with prices from £32,929 and £38,610 respectively. We drove the latter, but while it packs a 237bhp punch, it’s not the smoothest of hybrid units. It still uses the older Fiat-Chrysler developed powertrain, which offers inconsistent responses as the electronics decide whether you need electric drive or petrol power. 

It’s better when there’s some charge in the battery, but the small 11.4kWh pack only has an official range of 30 miles, so you don’t have to travel very far before the petrol engine kicks in. And when the motor does fire up, it can become pretty coarse, especially under hard acceleration. There’s plenty of urge once you’re moving, but it’s not the most pleasant experience.

The rest of the drive isn’t a patch on newer rivals, either. There’s good grip and the ride is reasonable on those small wheels, but body roll is pronounced and the steering offers little in the way of feedback, too.

You would expect a hybrid powertrain to deliver efficiency, but the Renegade’s older plug-in system doesn’t perform as well as the more modern set-ups found in updated rivals. Official fuel economy is 134.5mpg, which will only be attainable in the real world if you keep the battery charged. However, similarly priced rivals such as the Hyundai Kona PHEV and BYD Seal U have figures in the 200-300mpg range under the same test conditions, revealing the limited range that the Renegade offers these days.

One plus point of the Jeep that’s still present is the amount of space on offer. Those upright, boxy proportions mean there’s plenty of headroom, even with the panoramic roof installed. Knee space isn’t quite as good, but deep bases mean the rear seats are more supportive than those found in some competitor cars. The boot offers a decent amount of space, with 330 litres in the 4xe and 351 litres in the Hybrid; the cube-shaped area is easy to load.

The cabin itself looks quite dated for 2025, too, with plenty of hard plastics. But since the Renegade is an older car, it features plenty of physical controls instead of touchscreen functions. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are present so you can bypass the native infotainment system if you want, while a third bank of controls beneath the climate settings offers a range of off-road settings.

And that’s one area where the Renegade can still run rings around similarly sized and priced rivals. Choose a four-wheel drive version, and you’ll have more off-road capability than you’re ever likely to need. It gives the US firm a unique selling point that no other rival at this price point can compete with, even when cars such as the Renegade are past their best.

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