Compare the2023 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crosstrek CVT are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Crosstrek CVT’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Crosstrek and the Renegade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Crosstrek	Renegade
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	121	207
Neck Stress	304 lbs.	332 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	252/363 lbs.	343/366 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	122	363
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	195 lbs.	221 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

	Crosstrek	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	138	161
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Spine Acceleration	58 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	428 lbs.	1157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	201	314

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Crosstrek is 2.3% to 7.2% less likely to roll over than the Renegade.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 176 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Renegade last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crosstrek’s reliability 50 points higher than the Renegade.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Jeep.

Engine

The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (182 vs. 177) than the Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Crosstrek is faster than the Jeep Renegade (automatics tested):

	Crosstrek 2.0	Crosstrek Sport/Limited	Renegade
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	7.8 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.7 sec	16 sec	17.3 sec

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Renegade doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek gets better mileage than the Renegade:

			MPG
Crosstrek
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
Renegade
AWD	Auto	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Crosstrek uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Crosstrek has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Renegade (16.6 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Crosstrek has a standard locking fuel door The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Renegade. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Crosstrek higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Renegade (6). This means the Crosstrek produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Renegade every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Crosstrek offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Renegade doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Crosstrek offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Crosstrek stops much shorter than the Renegade:

	Crosstrek	Renegade
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Renegade (225/60R17 vs. 215/60R17).

The Crosstrek’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crosstrek’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the Renegade (104.9 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

The Crosstrek Limited handles at .81 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Renegade (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Subaru Crosstrek may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Crosstrek CVT (except Manual) has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Renegade uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Crosstrek has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 1.9 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.3 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Renegade.

The front step up height for the Crosstrek is 1.9 inches lower than the Renegade (17.5” vs. 19.4”). The Crosstrek’s rear step up height is 1.6 inches lower than the Renegade’s (18” vs. 19.6”).

Cargo Capacity

The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (20.8 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 50.8 cubic feet).

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Renegade’s in almost every dimension:

	Crosstrek	Renegade
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.3”/64.2”	28.9”/59”
Max Width	53”	40.1”
Min Width	43”	37.6”
Height	30”	33.7”

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Renegade. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Renegade doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its SiriusXM Guardian can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Consumer Reports rated the Crosstrek’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Renegade’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Crosstrek’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Renegade’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Renegade’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Crosstrek Limited’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Renegade offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Crosstrek Limited has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Crosstrek owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crosstrek will cost $175 to $1410 less than the Renegade over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Crosstrek is less expensive to operate than the Renegade because typical repairs cost much less on the Crosstrek than the Renegade, including $9 less for a water pump, $155 less for a muffler, $155 less for front brake pads, $201 less for a starter and $112 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Crosstrek will be $648 to $4668 less than for the Jeep Renegade.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Renegade isn't recommended.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Jeep Renegade by almost six to one during 2022.

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