SECTOR: SUV   PRICE: From €16,380   FUEL: 4.6–6.9l/100km   CO2: 120–160g/km

SUVs and me don't always hit it off. While I like the relatively good accommodation that the high rise seating position often gives, I'm often underwhelmed by the handling precision or ride quality. But as a motoring journalist, such things frequently matter more to me than those who are likely to choose them. Even so it’s

welcome to find an SUV that shows how well things can be done. The Jeep Renegade is such a vehicle.

I have been waiting to drive it since it first emerged at the Geneva Show last year. Firstly because of it's design which almost seems to poke fun at larger SUVs and secondly because it is based on the Fiat 500L, probably the least impressive car to wear Fiat 500 badges. Could the Renegade do better?

Jeep has something for everyone with the Renegade – two and four-wheel drive and in case you forget that it's a Jeep, the Trailhawk variant is a proper off-roader, with transfer gearbox giving low ratio gears for serious off-road work.

There's an equally broad range of engines including 140hp and 170hp 1.4-litre MultiAir and 110hp 1.6-litre

E-torQ petrol. Fleet-friendly diesels, all from the Fiat engine room include 120hp 1.6-litre with 140hp and 170hp 2.0-litre common rail versions. Transmissions include six speed manual for most engines, six-speed dual clutch automated for the 140hp MultiAir, as well as a ZF nine-speed torque converter automatic, similar to that used in the Honda C-RV, available with the 170hp MultiAir and 2.0-litre diesels. The most fleet friendly version is the 1.6-litre diesel, offering CO2 emissions of 120g/km and combined consumption of 4.6l/100km. Four-wheel drive is available with the 160hp MultiAir engine and the 2.0-litre diesel.

It's hard to fault the Renegade's accommodation, given its comparatively compact dimensions. There's space for 1.85m tall occupants to sit behind one another and reasonable luggage space in the boot with 351 litres seats up, plus the usual seat folding arrangements to liberate up to 1,297-litres. Front seat passengers sit a comfortable distance from the windscreen, which adds to the impression of space.

Off road, the availability of a low ratio gearbox with the 2.0-litre diesels ensures that the Renegade can deliver uninhibited Jeep off-road performance, helped by Jeep’s Selec-Terrain which gives four (five with Trailhawk versions) terrain settings; Auto, Snow, Sand and Mud, plus Rock for Trailhawk models. In Auto mode, the rear axle will be disconnected during normal on road driving.

Comfort is not sacrificed on-road either with a supple ride on tarmac. 4×4 models have a 30mm higher ride height than 4×2 models, while the Trailhawk rides slightly higher still.

There are four trim options and a long list of additional items too including detachable lift-out roof sections and a number of infotainment and connectivity systems.

Renegade is the first Jeep to be built in Europe and sold in the USA. All production will come from a plant in Melfi, Italy and it will be sold in 100 different countries.

What we think:

Jeep is taking on the class leaders in the compact SUV sector with the very capable Renegade. It looks like a success story in the making.