Jeep Renegade 4xe Trailhawk £36,500

Jeep’s popular SUV is back after a makeover, with eco additions and off-road tweaks creating an impressive all-rounder, says Ed Coles

- Ed Coles

Jeep’s baby SUV burst on to the scene in 2015 and has become a popular little runaround for town and country. So much so that I know of someone who’s bought two — his and hers, so to speak.

The latest version boasts off-road ability with some impressive eco-credentials and quite a lot of sexy technology. Welcome to the plug-in hybrid Renegade 4xe Trailhawk.

The Trailhawk is the higher-spec version of the Renegade. There are a few styling tweaks, such as the bonnet decals and 17in wheels with mud and slush tyres. It also sits slightly higher than the standard version with 220mm of ground clearance to make the most of its 4x4 capabilities.

It is slightly boxy in appearance, but its overall sporty ruggedness is relatively pleasing on the eye and the black-and-silver wheels work well with the Omaha orange paintwork.

Using the trusty feed bag to check underneath, we’re greeted with independent suspension front and rear and quite a bit of plastic hiding the important stuff. What we can see looks rugged enough to handle a few country excursions.

The Trailhawk is jam-packed with up-to-date technical wizardry. Up front powering the front wheels, we have a 1.3-litre petrol engine that stables an impressive 180 tiny horses. With an electric motor supplying 60 horses to the rear wheels, the Renegade gallops out 240 horsepower overall and 270Nm of torque, which should be enough to deal with any tricky situations and get the pulse racing on the open road.