Come to think of it the little Land Rover might make the perfect comparison vehicle. After all, these are two of the most recognizable 4x4 names in the world, both with relatively new compact SUVs. What could be better? Let's be fair though. It doesn't make sense to compare a base Freelander to a fully loaded Liberty does it? It's not fair to either vehicle, especially the Renegade that starts at a more affordable $31,050. Let's take a look at them both, feature for feature, to see which one offers better value.
While they both use V6 engines the Jeep's 3.7-L unit produces 210-hp and 235 lb ft of torque while the Land Rover's 2.5-L only can muster 174 hp and 177 lb-ft. There's a noticeable difference when accelerating despite the Renegades heavier curb weight. Advantage = Jeep. The Renegade shifts through a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic while the Freelander only offers an automatic, also with 5-speeds and a slick manual mode. Advantage = toss up.
How about 4x4 capability? Last year's Jeep in standard form conquered the grueling Rubicon trail, impressive. The new Renegade has only 226 mm (8.9 in) of ground clearance compared to last year's 244 mm (9.6 in), improving highway speed road holding but reducing its off-road abilities slightly. I have to admit I am not 100% certain about the Liberty's ground clearance. Why? Well Carpoint.ca, usually a reliable source, has the Renegade at 246 mm (9.7 in), an increase of two millimeters or almost one inch. They also have the Liberty Sport and Limited at 244 mm (9.6 in), which are last year's numbers. With that in mind I obviously needed to cross reference so I turned to the source, Jeep.ca. That's where I came up with the 226 mm (8.9 in) ground clearance figure initially quoted. All said the total vehicle height has come down from 1,796 mm (70.7 in) in 2002 to 1783 mm (70.2 in) for 2003, 13 mm (0.5 in) in overall height compared to an 18 mm (0.7 in) drop in ground clearance, coinciding quite well with the Jeep.ca figures.
While they both use V6 engines the Jeep's 3.7-L unit produces 210-hp and 235 lb ft of torque while the Land Rover's 2.5-L only can muster 174 hp and 177 lb-ft. There's a noticeable difference when accelerating despite the Renegades heavier curb weight. Advantage = Jeep. The Renegade shifts through a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic while the Freelander only offers an automatic, also with 5-speeds and a slick manual mode. Advantage = toss up.
How about 4x4 capability? Last year's Jeep in standard form conquered the grueling Rubicon trail, impressive. The new Renegade has only 226 mm (8.9 in) of ground clearance compared to last year's 244 mm (9.6 in), improving highway speed road holding but reducing its off-road abilities slightly. I have to admit I am not 100% certain about the Liberty's ground clearance. Why? Well Carpoint.ca, usually a reliable source, has the Renegade at 246 mm (9.7 in), an increase of two millimeters or almost one inch. They also have the Liberty Sport and Limited at 244 mm (9.6 in), which are last year's numbers. With that in mind I obviously needed to cross reference so I turned to the source, Jeep.ca. That's where I came up with the 226 mm (8.9 in) ground clearance figure initially quoted. All said the total vehicle height has come down from 1,796 mm (70.7 in) in 2002 to 1783 mm (70.2 in) for 2003, 13 mm (0.5 in) in overall height compared to an 18 mm (0.7 in) drop in ground clearance, coinciding quite well with the Jeep.ca figures.