Compare the2022 Jeep RenegadeVS 2021 Ford EcoSport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Renegade has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The EcoSport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Renegade Sport/Latitude/Limited has a standard Active Braking, which uses forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The EcoSport doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Renegade Limited offers optional Park Assist with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The EcoSport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Renegade’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The EcoSport doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Renegade Limited offers optional ParkSense to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or, optionally, in front of the vehicle. The EcoSport doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Renegade has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the EcoSport and isn't available on the not available.

Both the Renegade and the EcoSport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Renegade is safer than the Ford EcoSport:

	Renegade	EcoSport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	207	250
Neck Injury Risk	26%	36%
Neck Stress	332 lbs.	403 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	343/366 lbs.	495/441 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	35%	38%
Neck Compression	47 lbs.	74 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Renegade is safer than the Ford EcoSport:

	Renegade	EcoSport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	328 lbs.	337 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Renegade the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The EcoSport has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Renegade for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EcoSport.

Reliability

The engine in the Renegade has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the EcoSport have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 14th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep 3 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 54 more horsepower (177 vs. 123) and 85 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 125) than the EcoSport’s standard 1.0 turbo 3-cylinder. The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (177 vs. 166) and 61 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 149) than the EcoSport’s optional 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Renegade is faster than the Ford EcoSport:

	Renegade	EcoSport turbo 3 cyl.	EcoSport 4 cyl.
Zero to 60 MPH	9.3 sec	11.2 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	17.3 sec	18.2 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	78.1 MPH	76.7 MPH	77 MPH

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Jeep Renegade higher (6 out of 10) than the Ford EcoSport (5). This means the Renegade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the EcoSport every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Renegade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the EcoSport.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Renegade’s brake rotors are larger than those on the EcoSport:

	Renegade	EcoSport
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	10.95 inches	10.7 inches

The Renegade stops much shorter than the EcoSport:

	Renegade	EcoSport
70 to 0 MPH	158 feet	186 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Renegade has larger standard tires than the EcoSport (215/65R16 vs. 205/60R16). The Renegade Latitude/Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the EcoSport (235/45R19 vs. 205/60R16).

The Renegade Latitude/Limited’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EcoSport’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Renegade Latitude/Limited offers optional 19-inch wheels. The EcoSport’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

The Jeep Renegade’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Ford EcoSport only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Renegade Trailhawk offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the EcoSport; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Jeep Renegade has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The EcoSport 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Renegade has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Renegade flat and controlled during cornering. The EcoSport 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Renegade has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The EcoSport doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Renegade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The EcoSport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Renegade’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the EcoSport (101.2 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

The Renegade Latitude 4x4 handles at .78 G’s, while the EcoSport SE pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Renegade Latitude 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the EcoSport SE (28.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Renegade has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the EcoSport (100.1 vs. 91.1).

The Renegade has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the EcoSport.

Cargo Capacity

The Renegade has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the EcoSport with its rear seat folded (50.8 vs. 50 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Renegade. The EcoSport doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Renegade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The EcoSport’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

Ergonomics

The Renegade’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The EcoSport has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Renegade’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The EcoSport’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Renegade Limited detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The EcoSport doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Renegade Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The EcoSport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Renegade’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the EcoSport SES/Titanium.

The Renegade’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The EcoSport doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Renegade Limited offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The EcoSport doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Renegade Limited’s optional Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The EcoSport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Renegade owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Renegade with a number “5” insurance rate while the EcoSport is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

The Renegade will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Renegade will retain 49.82% to 54.1% of its original price after five years, while the EcoSport only retains 42.27% to 42.7%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Renegade is less expensive to operate than the EcoSport because typical repairs cost much less on the Renegade than the EcoSport, including $81 less for fuel injection, $60 less for a fuel pump, $441 less for a timing belt/chain and $603 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Jeep Renegade outsold the Ford EcoSport by 23% during the 2021 model year.

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