Photo: Florin Profir
We kind of went the wrong way around and tested the Fiat 500X before its slightly older relative from across the pond, the 2015 Jeep Renegade, but better late than never, right? Oh, so VERY right, as missing on this car would be worse than sleeping through New Year's Eve. It's such a fun-loving machine that will act on your life like a defibrillator. It will take you places you've never been, show you things you've never seen, and you will irremediably fall in love with it within seconds. It will make your old car look as if it were holding you back, not showing you all there is to the experience of owning a car. You'll feel like you've just gotten out of a bad relationship that you didn't even know was bad. This is not just another car, it's a true lifestyle changer.
This is where it all begins. You get off the freeway and a new adventure is about to start. You're still on paved roads, but that's not going to be the case for much longer. You only continue to go on asphalt until you reach the frist path leading off it. Then, it's time to go exploring.
Or, if you're lucky like we were, you can come across a small mountain while you're still on the tarmac. The Jeep Renegade is one of the few cars that can pull off the orange paintwork thing without seeming like it's trying too much. It looks perfectly natural on it. And so does the car against this weird background that isn't photoshopped in any way.
You don't need to go anywhere specific to have fun with the Renegade, but it pays off to go off the beaten track, to find places where you're likely not to find any other cars. And not that many people either. On the other hand, get the Renegade Trailhawk into a crowded place, and you're certain to get some attention. It's all about how homophobic you feel at a certain time. In this case, it was just us and what a herd of cows had left behind. Watch your step as you look at this image.
The Trailhawk version of the Renegade allows you to do this. It may not look that dramatic now, but at the wheel it felt a lot more dangerous. Seeing the horizon tilt and then disappear beyond the upper edge of the windscreen while all you see now is the ground in front can be a weird feeling. Especially when the car is rocking back and forth with the right rear wheel hanging in mid-air. The car, on the other hand, it could do this all day long.
Damn this draught, you can't even take dramatic pictures anymore. This is the Trailhawk driving through a pretty dried-out riverbed, with its rocky and uneven bottom offering a nice free massage for those inside. Not complaining, though, as you don't get to do this every day. Our photographer, on the other hand, he had to move quick or he would have travelled back home with wet clothes.
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