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 Tucked away in a corner of a conference room at Jeep Camp was a low-slung but chunky vehicle covered by a black cloth. While no one was looking we whipped off the cloth and uncovered the stunning concept vehicle that’s been given one of the most evocative names in the Jeep dictionary - Renegade. It didn’t take more than a quick glance at its futuristic styling, the shaped bucket seats, the wide-flared wheelarches housing tall alloy wheels and chunky B.F.Goodrich tyres, the racy cut-down windscreen and the scuba propulsion units mounted on its kinky cargo deck for us to decide we wanted one – even more so when you take into account that the Renegade is a genuine off-roader, with four-wheel drive and low range gearing, with locking differentials.
The Renegade concept made a brief appearance at Fleesensee in northern Germany so that the 1600 visitors to Camp Jeep could get a closer look at it; fortunately we got in there before the crowd arrived. The striking Jeep is a radical topless two-seater roadster that would make a great street cruiser as well as a dune-basher, even though there’s no big-power V8 snarling away under the thrusting bonnet – the Renegade is the “greenest” Jeep yet, since it’s powered by electricity; however, it’s no milk float crawler, since the power is in the form of two 268kW electric motors, one driving the front axle, the other driving the rear, giving sports-car 8.5-second 0-60mph getaway acceleration and a 90mph top speed. Drive is direct, so transmission selection is a bit like a simplistic automatic; illuminated buttons on the steering wheel allow the selection of Drive, Neutral or Reverse. The lithium-ion batteries give a range of around 40 miles, but the concept includes an on-board three-cylinder 1.5-litre BLUETEC diesel charging engine which can extend the range to 400 miles – in the process delivering a fuel economy equivalent to over 100mpg.The Renegade’s chassis is a relatively simple ladder frame crafted largely in aluminium to keep the weight down, the suspension is coil-sprung and all-independent while the body is a moulded composite so it’s strong and rigid. The body is ready-coloured, so there’s no environmentally unfriendly paint coating, while the seats and door panels are made in urethane-covered soy-based foam. The interior looks and feels as if it’s been crafted in scuba-style underwater fabric, and in fact it is entirely waterproof, designed to be hosed down after some serious off-roading action.Though the concept Renegade is left-hand drive, the dash is designed symmetrically so it can be readily made in right-hand drive form as well. The rear deck is designed to be interchangeable depending on where the owner’s interest lies – mountain bike or kayak mounts can be clipped in place instead of the show car’s underwater scooters.Sustainability is a key theme of the Renegade concept – every part is designed to be recycled or reused. Next public showing for the Renegade is the Paris Motor Show in October.
 
 
SPECIFICATIONSJEEP RENEGADE CONCEPT PERFORMANCE0-60 mph 8.5 seconds
Top speed 90 mph
Battery range 40 miles
Total range 400 miles
Fuel economy 110 mpg (equivalent) TECHNICAL
ENGINE Type 2x268 hp electric motors
Battery 16 kWh Li-ion
Range extender 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder diesel
Fuel tank 10 gallons TRANSMISSIONDirect drive
4ED with low range and locking differentials SUSPENSION Front Coil springs, wishbones
Rear Coil springs, multi-link WHEELS20x7.5-inch alloy
235/65R20 DIMENSIONSWeight 1400 kg
Length 3885mm
Width 1814mm
Height 1431mm
Wheelbase 2580mm
Track front/rear 1580mm
Approach angle 44.0 degrees
Departure angle 52.0 degrees
Breakover angle 32.0 degrees
Turning circle 10.7m
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