Jeep Renegade

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What is it?
Jeep Renegade

What's special about it?
The Renegade name calls to mind a crusty CJ with tacky decals and maybe a Liberty with a gratuitous rack of driving lights. But the Jeep Renegade concept shown here in Detroit has little in common with either of those vehicles.

It has about the same footprint as a standard-wheelbase Jeep Wrangler, and it's a roadster since it doesn't have a convertible top and not even a vinyl-covered hardtop. Whereas the Wrangler is engineered to conquer the natural world, Jeep says the Renegade is designed to be "at one with nature," albeit in a science-nerd kind of way.

Like Land Rover's Land_e concept, the Jeep Renegade is on a quest to harmonize environmentally friendly technology with off-road capability. To that end, it has a pair of electric motors, each good for 268 horsepower. Since one's mounted in front and the other in back, the Renegade is effectively a four-wheel-drive platform. Jeep even claims it has a low-range mode and lockable differentials, but offers no further details on how this is possible.

Since the 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack only provides 40 miles of range, the Renegade has a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder diesel engine as an auxiliary power source located under the hood. You wouldn't think an engine this small would provide useful motivation, but Jeep's concept only weighs 3,150 pounds thanks to an aluminum frame and composite body panels. Total cruising range is 400 miles, and the Renegade should hit 60 mph in 8.5 seconds, Jeep says.

Although the cabin is largely a styling exercise, it's clear the designers focused on using recyclable materials to ensure feel-good disposal at the end of the Jeep Renegade's service life. The seats, for instance, incorporate composite frames and soy-based foam provides the cushions. As in the Honda Element, they're waterproof.

In addition, the Renegade represents probably the most extensive use of wireless technology we've seen in a concept vehicle. All the electronics are sealed plug-and-play units. This setup permits you to swap out the audio and navigation head units with ease, and also makes it possible for Jeep to easily reconfigure the interior for left- and right-hand-drive applications. And because there are no wires, the interior can be hosed down as often as necessary, Jeep tells us. There's a drain plug in the floor.

What's Edmunds' take?
Let's see: an aluminum frame, two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack. This should add up to a six-figure price tag. Until costs come down a bit, we'll take those waterproof seats in our Wrangler, thank you. — Erin Riches, Senior Editor