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It feels like the Jeep Renegade debuted just a short time ago, but it’s already four years old and ready for a refresh. Jeep unveiled an updated version of its smallest offering in Italy at the Turin motor show this week, showing off the new front and rear fascias of the Renegade.
At first glance, the changes are subtle: The headlights have new elements in them, including an outer LED ring; the grille’s vertical bars have sharper and slimmer edges, and the headlight frames are sculpted with more rectangular interior housings. The lower part of the grille is now busier and more elaborate, and it features new foglight placement and daytime running lights. Out back, the taillights now resemble the X-shaped stampings of jerrycans more than before — an intentional nod to Army Jeeps of yesteryear — and a separate tailgate handle.
Slightly revised taillights and details debut for 2019.
It’s a good time to be a brand that specializes in SUVs. Just about anything that appears tall or trucky becomes an instant hit in today’s market. Since everything Jeep makes is both tall …
In addition to subtle exterior updates, Jeep added new engines to its European lineup, including a 1.0-liter good for 120 hp and a 1.3-liter producing 150 or 180 hp in different states of tune. We won’t hold our breath for the 1.0-liter model — this seems to be destined solely for Europe — and we don’t expect changes to the current powerplants in the U.S. Renegade, which include a turbocharged 1.4-liter, good for 160 hp, and a naturally aspirated 2.4 liter producing 180 hp.
It remains to be seen what other changes the U.S. model will receive for the 2019 model year — Jeep hasn’t mentioned any interior updates or engine lineup changes for the U.S. market — but the Renegade still has plenty of shelf life left amid much more significant stylistic updates to the Cherokee and the debut of an all-new Compass.
