Hey guys, I need some advice. I'm a little discouraged with my Renegade. It has a 2000 lbs tow rating and I have roughly a 1200lb trailer that I tow about 10 times a year. My thinking at the time was "Yeah I will be close to maxing out this little car when towing over I70 (12,000ft) but you only do it a few times a year and you can just take it slow." The other weekend towing my 1300lb trailer and gear over the passes, I got a High RPM / overheating warning and barely hit 35/40mpg as cars are flying by me. Just a little sketchy. (it was not even in the heat of the summer) Other drawbacks...18mpg, hard to get a lot of gear/passengers in. Underpowered....oh and its red as shit...i loved it at the time Otherwise a pretty fun car! I typically buy a car and drive it into the ground so I'm concerned this jeep is not going to cut it long term. I'm also worried I will be doing damage while towing over the long term. I'm thinking I shouldI trade the thing in now for a V6, maybe a 2017 Tacoma or 2017 Honda Ridgeline. Cut my losses. I spent almost $29,000 on the Jeep and owe $23,000 If I trade it in I can probably get $19,700 I feel like I'm just throwing money/equity away. I could hold onto it until maybe the warranty is near its end, but I worry that by that time it will lose even more value. Thoughts?
My renegade spebt 158 days in shop for warrenty repairs in under 340 days of owning. Worst suv ever made ..sale it asap before u lose more money on it. I highly reccomend never owning a fca vehicle again. Go tacoma never look back. Sent from my LG-H631 using Tapatalk
Man, this car/mini suv ...its not really made for towing, just trade for at least v6 or some more serious suv, this is just about 3000lb car cmon how is it going to pull 2000lb?? Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
As of now ,thank God ,my renny had no issues, and its true i don't havr a lot of miles just about 17k and just oil changes, and hope will stay that way, i actually enjoy shifting through the gears, oh wait i remember had thrown a code (p1cea) but got it cleared by the dealer they ve changed sum plugg or something, but thats it Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
I drive my Trailhawk hard... freeway, in town, highway, trails, access roads, no issues. That being said, lots of cars really loose their guts towing at that altitude. Do you have the tow package? (Oil & trans cooler?) I've done a lot of towing over the years and if you're gonna be hauling over the mountains regularly then something like the Cherokee with the V6 is more what you're looking for. I traded in a 200 with the 285hp V6 in it and I'd load the roof rack two feet high, pack the trunk and run 20 hours through the Mojave/Sonoran desert, up over Flagstaff, Sequoia... you name it, no issues. With a little bugger like the Renegade you really need to pay attention to trailer profile and tongue weight. Sent from my SM-G920T using ToasterJeep mobile app
You chose poorly. Four cylinders are not for towing. Ever. Trying to do that at 12,000 feet is ridiculous. You're pushing past the limits and them complaining. Go buy a proper tow vehicle.
I feel like somehow the poor spelling in this thread is somehow correlated to the poor decisions in this thread.
For about 15 years I hauled a trailer around for my band equipment with a '91 Caravan, it had a 2.5l four cylinder in it and I ran it all over the South West. My trailer was 4x5x8 and about 2300 lbs loaded... but had a tongue weight of around 100 lbs or maybe a little less. Towing isn't just about torque or hp though they are relative factors, trailer shape and profile relative to the tow vehicle, weight dispersion and tongue weight all factor in. At high altitude every combustion engine losses power, they rate them at close to sea level where you get greater expansion in the cylinder. Better fuel, low resistance air filters, well balanced loads, proper tuning, using manual shifting and using 4 wheel drive will all improve your towing experience. If you love your Renegade and only make that trip once in a while make adjustments, however if you want to just hook up and go with no pre-planning and you make that haul frequently maybe a different choice may benefit you. Sent from my SM-G920T using ToasterJeep mobile app
I had a renegade latitude that I used to tow a 5x8 enclosed uhaul trailer with a motorcycle and about 500lbs of boxes inside it from salt lake to Phoenix and didnt have a single issue. It struggled going uphill a bit and we had a bad headwind the whole way, but I was proud of what that little renny could do. Sent from my Pixel XL using ToasterJeep mobile app
To me the tow hitch is for bike racks and small trailer to haul camping gear. Never would have occurred to me to haul anything else. I have three vehicles. Each was bought for a purpose. My truck is for trailer and built for it. If I wanted all around then a four cylinder rig would not be it. My renegade is my short trip car camping rig with canoes on top. I bought it for that reason. Sent from my iPhone using ToasterJeep mobile app
I don't know if this is still an active thread but... I tow frequently with my Toaster (2016 Anniversary Ed.) I have a 1200lb camper (and I dig rocks for hobby so add several hundred lbs of gemstones/rocks on return). NO ISSUES, I have also used it to move with a medium size UHAUL trailer packed to the gills. I am careful to make sure the hitch weight isn't too high (weight dist). I do drive through the mountains (Allegheny ) just under 5,000 elevation. To date I have gotten anywhere from 19 mi per gallon to 21 depending on the trailer/camper style. I have found if the engine decides to run a bit hot I turn the interior heat on and roll down the window. It will temporarily drop engine temp. I have not yet had to do this with my Toaster. *note* My average tow trip is minimum 250 miles.
Yes, (side note) so far the only issue I have had with the Jeep at all is: I had high-centered it in a huge snow drift. With snow pack under the engine the 4x4 would not work (threw a...not working code). It appears that if the engine has ANY issues and maybe with no air getting up under the engine it was O2? the 4x4 will not work. It was designed this way (urg). I cleared snow out from underneath the engine and it worked perfectly. So just a side FYI if your check engine light is on...your 4x4 probably will not work unless they have changed something since the 2016.
