The biggest fear of Jeep die-hards, worse than nuclear war or Disney measles, is the steady dilution of their favorite brand. Like anti-vaxxers, Jeep's fanboys refuse to accept the science, namely that Jeep (and Fiat Chrysler) needs more mainstream vehicles in order to prosper. They hated the car-based Compass and Patriot, and now they've directed their disdain toward the new Renegade, which suffers from the affliction best known as "not-a-Wrangler-itis." You'll have to pry the ladder frames and live axles from the die-hards' cold, dead hands.
With the Renegade, however, we're not convinced that their vitriol is well-aimed. Sure, the Italian-built Renegade is the crossover vaccine Jeep needs in order to keep expanding sales and meet stringent fuel-economy standards. But the base-model Sport is a Renegade reduced to its essentials,…