mmarshall

I checked some Renegade forums for comments, and, though it hasn't been on the market long enough yet to really get a clear picture, a number of owners in the forums seem to be having teething problems with their new Renegades. My initial observations in the review seem to be somewhat verified....there are quality-control issues, more so than usual for new vehicles today.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

thanks for posting your review, but i'm going to challenge it.

you say it's cheaply made, but it's cheap to buy, so it's not going to be a bentley. if the paint isn't metallic that doesn't mean it's "cheaply done"

i believe you're biased (heavily) by what YOU drive, which isn't for everybody, and probably from reading too many copies of consumer reports.

no, internet forums don't mean much - you can find problems with every new car launched.

this car will be a hit.

loosely assembled? lol. again, the mini is a HUGE hit.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

why everyone's going nuts over the renegade...

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/why-ev...ade-1535915529

mmarshall

Fine. I don't mind people disagreeing with me, if they have good arguments. In fact, to some extent, I encourage it. Others sometimes point out typos or errors that get past me,

One does not expect a Bentley in this class, but I've seen what IMO is better workmanship, materials, and fit/finish, even for this price, from a number of vehicles (check the new Honda HR-V, for one). The paint jobs on most of the Renegades I looker at (which were almost every color offered) seemed to have a low-cost, appliance-look, even though they had some once bright colors and were generally free from poring peel

CR has their opinions and objectivity/subjectivity.....and I have mine. They are, in general, a good source for vehicle reliability. I don't always agree with them in how they review vehicles, although, more often than not, they and I come up with the same conclusion....the new Impala was a good example.

If you are refering (as I suspect) to the comment I made about being spoiled by Buick seats, I've never really liked hard flat seats...that was true long before I ever bought my Verano. So, what I'm driving now has little if any bearing on my opinion on the type of seat-padding I encountered not only in the Renegade but the Sportage and Escape as well. I've never liked hard-padded seats...probably never will.

True, but two things are significant. First, all-new vehicles, in general, even from some traditionally unreliable nameplates, are generally more reliable now than in the past. To see the kind of stuff I saw in my review-samples, at least from my experience, is somewhat unusual today...that's one reason why I myself bought a first-year vehicle (and it has even very good so far).

And, as far as the forums go, while it is true that some owners (and trollers) post things just for the sake of arguing, many others post a lot of good and valuable information.....that's true even here on CL.

Perhaps......but many unreliable or poorly-made vehicles have ended up being hits. I could make a list of them a whole page long.....and I've owned a number of them myself.



Yes, the Mini is a big hit. (did I say otherwise) ? It is also, in my experience, from some test-drives and static-reviews, (though I haven't owned one) somewhat loosely-built, with creaks/squeaks in the structure and hardware. But it is a blast to drive if you like sharp handling, quick response, easy maneuverability, and don't mind a stiff ride.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

It's been less than a year so I can't say anything to reliability but yeah a few little rattles have made their way into the cabin already. I blame it on the very firm ride. Driving the thing all over nyc and westchester does take a beating on the suspension. Mini at least ranks a couple notches from the bottom in reliability surveys (usually above jeep, fiat, and range rover so there's that! LOL)

mmarshall

I agree with you on most of these points.

You say you have a Countryman, with the AWD. How does it do in snow....with this past harsh winter, did you get many chances to find out? Subaru is usually credited with having the best car-based AWD systems, but almost any AWD system, given decent tires, usually does better than equivalent FWD or especially RWD.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I admit that in the real bad stuff, I used my FJ Cruiser. When I did use the countryman, the awd was seamless. Surprised how seamless and capable it actually was. I couldn't feel the transition from fwd to 4wd. It just got up and went even in stuff I knew it couldn't have done in fwd, such as getting in and out of street parking spots in Manhattan. Never got stuck and always felt planted. The small all season run flats don't really help matters either. When it got real bad, over 6 inches or so, the FJ came out. Needless to say it came out a lot this past winter.

Fizzboy7

As with most newly-introduced Chrysler/Fiat products (starting with the JGC), there have been production and technical problems at launch. I would expect poorer-than-average reliability with the new Renegade- if things remain consistent.

mmarshall

The power-mirror switch appeared to be at least partially defective in my sample.....the left mirror would adjust left/right but not up/down. I didn't see any other noticeable problems, though.

Overall, though, most of today's Chrysler products seem to be head and shoulders above their predecessors in build quality. The Renegade is the first one I've seen in several years that seemed to have assembly goofs.

pbm317

Renegade is going to be a big success. Jeep has been on a tear lately. A group of journalists in the Northwest named the Renegade their SUV of the year recently.

http://autocontentexp.com/2015-mudfe...e-of-the-year/

mmarshall

If it sells, it's going to be (mostly) on image. It's cute, inexpensive, easy to maneuver, and has Jeep styling....so, yes, it's going to have appeal based on that. But, based on what I've seen of it, it's not something I would spend my money on unless I needed something inexpensive and Trail-Rated (e.g. Trailhawk version), where it doesn't have much competition in that class.

pbm317

Umm... this is what MOST vehicles will sell on. And that Jeep appeal is huge right now, even on the coasts where Jeep has historically not had as strong of a presence.

mmarshall

Yes, some vehicles do sell on image, but I don't agree that one could say that necessarily applies to most. A large number of them (minivans, crossovers, hatchbacks, etc.......sell on the issue of practicality, not what the Jones'es next door will think. Other huge-sellers, like the Camry and Accord, sell simply on their past reputations built up over literally decades. The reason why I made the statement I did about the Renegade (probably) selling on image is that, like the Mini Countryman, its classic styling is going to attract buyers in addition to its practicality.....and that can't really be said for a number of their competitors.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

so you wouldn't buy it because you're not the target market, but you would buy it if you were.

mmarshall

Not sure what you mean by the question, but, in general, due to its relatively low price and sub-compact size, I personally think it might be worth buying only if one needed the Trail-Rated version for harder-core off-road stuff in tight places, simply because of the (relative) lack of any real competitors in that area, price, and size-range right now. And that, of course, would apply only if one did not want to spend more money for the slightly larger and even harder-core Wrangler. Otherwise, I don't see any practical major reason for buying one....unless one is just smitten with the Jeep styling, which you know is going to happen with at least some buyers.