JEEP RENEGADE 4XE LIMITED

Who says electric commuting has to curb your weekend pursuits?

Perceptions of electrification are changing as quickly as the technology itself. Once mocked as the preserve of awkward-looking city runarounds, plug-ins have are taking on mass-market segments with ICE-slaying performance, ever-longer ranges and wider availability – they are increasingly just another drivetrain option. So while Jeep’s first plug-in hybrids are suited to urban commuters, they’re also being pitched as a tool for going far beyond the city limits.

The ‘4xe’ PHEV badge (‘four-by-e’, if you’re wondering) debuts on the Wrangler in North America, but Europe gets it first on the Renegade, closely followed by the Compass. Those compact models are based on components from FCA’s new ‘Firefly’ global engine toolkit; a shared cylinder architecture which can be varied to suit differing global fuel quality, degrees of forced induction and electrification and features suited to intended usage. For example, most Fiat 500s won’t be driven at a 45-degree angle or scramble over rocks, but Jeep can add suitable hardware where it sees fit.