My inner Batman and the Jeep Renegade

No, I am no turncoat — but being a Gemini, I guess I am entitled to a shift in personality… once in a while.

Such was the case when I took the Jeep Renegade for a spin recently.

Known for the iconic Wrangler, Jeep enters into the small crossover segment with the Renegade. Best known as Bruce Wayne’s escape car in the beginning of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Renegade packs a capable off-roading system within its cutesy look.

As I sat in the cockpit of the Renegade, I imagined myself as Batman. Yes, I would pick him over Superman because he is as human as you and me.

I was fortunate to do a test drive of the Wrangler in the past, and each time I see a Wrangler on the road I fall in love with it all over again.  And, yes, it was also love-at-first-sight with Jeep Renegade.

Not just a little brother

The Renegade offers two of the most advanced and intelligent 4x4 systems, which can deliver up to 100 percent of the engine’s available torque to any wheel for optimal grip. There are two versions: the Jeep Active Drive and Jeep Active Drive Low — a class-exclusive full-time 4x4 system. In addition, the Renegade is the first small SUV that features a disconnecting rear axle and power take-off unit (PTU) providing better fuel economy. The system switches to 4x4 mode automatically when traction is needed.

So what does this mean? The Renegade is no small pushover, as it handles off-roading and on-roading with equal élan and smoothness. The Renegade is designed around a Tek-Tonic theme, which is interplay of soft form with rugged and functional details.

Channeling my inner Batman — minus an ever-faithful Alfred — I took the driver’s seat of the Renegade and smiled.

The major surfaces of the Renegade such as the sculpted soft-touch instrument panel are intersected with bold functional elements like the passenger grab handle borrowed from its big brother, the legendary Jeep Wrangler.

There are protective clamp fasteners, anodized design accents and inspired colors are derived from extreme sports equipment, while the newly familiar “X” shapes inspired by its roof and tail lamps add to Renegade’s Tek-Tonic interior look. And to make sure all of the needed passenger gear fits, the Renegade is designed with an efficient and flexible interior package that includes a removable, reversible and height-adjustable cargo floor panel and fold-forward front-passenger seat.

Of course, let’s not forget that the Renegade comes from a good line as it combines the Jeep brand’s heritage with fresh new styling. And, let me add here that all-new Jeep Renegade marks the brand’s first entry in the small sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment.

It was a busy workweek for me and the Renegade.

I imagined putting on a Batman costume and the work of fighting the bad guys on the road crossed my mind more than a few times.

With the Jeep Renegade, Jeep is now part of the growing small SUV segment — while staying true to its 4x4 capability. Its nine-speed automatic transmission was a great upper when I was faced with the daunting (yes, it has become daunting) task of driving myself from Pasig to the Port Area. I could not help but smile as I experienced just how efficient the Renegade is. It also helped that this SUV made me feel young again — after all, Jeep has christened this 4x4 as its way of bringing the young drivers and adventurous customers around the world to the Jeep brand.

“The all-new Jeep Renegade symbolizes the brand’s renowned American design, ingenuity and innovation, marking the Jeep brand’s first entry into the small SUV segment,” said Mike Manley, president and CEO–Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “(The) Renegade expands the brand’s product portfolio and targets the rapidly expanding small SUV segment with a best-in-class combination of fuel efficiency and off-road capability, while at the same time delivering outstanding driving dynamics customers expect from Jeep.”

It was fun, yes, really fun driving down EDSA at 6 a.m. Traffic was just beginning to build up and, perhaps because the drivers of the buses were still not yet fully awake, I was able to get the Regenade’s motor running in a way that I like.

Putting the pedal to the metal was an understatement; I floored the Renegade and had sooo much fun doing it. I guess I have to give credit to the Renegade’s most advanced and intelligent 4x4 system in its class. Providing up to 184 lb.-ft. (250 N·m) of the engine’s available torque to the rear wheels for optimal grip, the Jeep Renegade offers a full-time 4x4 system in the form of Jeep Active Drive.

I know, the Renegade is not a sports car, but let me tell you that it can be such an exhilarating and liberating experience to drive down EDSA when there is no traffic build-up yet. Of course, it helps that the Renegade features a disconnecting rear axle and power take-off unit (PTU), which provide it with enhanced fuel economy.

Made it to the Batcave

The Renegade’s 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo four-cylinder engine, which offers 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque, allowed me a spirited driving experience.

Of course, there are the little extras that sitting in the cockpit offered like the Uconnect touchscreen system, which features in-vehicle hands-free communication, entertainment and available navigation. Key features available on the Uconnect 6.5NAV system include a 6.5-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, and auxiliary audio jack input. Filling the Jeep Renegade’s gauge cluster in front of the driver is a 7-inch, full-color, premium multi-view display, featuring a reconfigurable function that enables drivers to personalize information inside the instrument cluster. The information display is designed to visually communicate information, using graphics and text, quickly and easily.

I made it to The STAR (a.k.a the Batcave) in one happy piece. One of the most important things in life to me is to be able to make it to the office relaxed and happy, so that I am ready for whatever needs to be done.

The Jeep Renegade made sure I did.

All I really needed that day was Alfred and to help my inner Batmen get all the work done.