2016 Drive Car of the Year: Best City SUV

Twelve months ago, in the then-new category of Best City SUV for baby soft roaders, the Suzuki Vitara beat the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V to take a perhaps surprising win, underpinned by its superior on-road ride and handling, more safety gear and better overall refinement levels.

But that was then. Jumping aboard the segment for small, front-wheel-drive SUV-shaped city runabouts, Jeep has popped up with a metrosexual-influenced revival of an old butch nameplate, the Renegade.

So this year pits the new funky Renegade against the more conservative carryover champ Vitara, improved further since its 2015 COTY category success with a turbocharged 1.4-litre so-called Boosterjet engine hooked up to a six-speed auto.

The Renegade is the first all-fresh product resulting from the trans-Atlantic marriage between Jeep and Italy's Fiat group.  Manufactured in Italy, the new Renegade's squarish, caricature styling is clearly aimed at the young and young-at-heart. Despite some retro cues, it is far removed from the industrial-tough Wrangler Renegade of Jeep's past.

The new faux off-roader, the smallest Jeep ever made, is more suited to the 'burbs than the bush. Of the four different Renegade models, only one has 4WD and capable of some light work in the dirt.

The Renegade Sport 1.4 auto model in this contest is front-wheel drive and in driving terms not a whole lot different from any regular four-door hatchback. Then you slide inside to be confronted by a remarkable collection of Jeep logos scattered throughout the cabin.  It's as if the American icon needs to remind owners that the dinky little runabout is in fact a Jeep.

You sit low in the seats, and peer over a high fascia, vision partially obscured by one of the world's thickest A pillars.

Rear-seat space in the Renegade is tight around the knees but there is an abundance of head room.

Youthful touches in the cabin give clues to its prime target market, although Jeep has held back on some features that today's buyers expect, namely sat-nav and parking sensors. But it does have a reversing camera, 5.0-inch touchscreen, a compass as a street guide, integrated voice command with Bluetooth, electric park brake, steering wheel audio controls, a tilt/telescoping steering column, cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring.

While no fireball, the Renegade Sport's 1.4-litre turbo four cylinder is lively enough thanks to its low-rev response, also moving along pleasantly and quietly at cruising speeds.

The Italian six-speed dual-clutch automatic reveals some hesitation to hook up and go from rest, but shifts gears smoothly on the fly.

The boxy Renegade behaves well enough when it gets to corners, with just some initial body roll. For a vehicle with such a small wheelbase, it also rides well over the bumps with no suggestion that its suspension travel is limited. Road noise penetrates the cabin when the tarmac surface is less than immaculate.

In other respects, they measure up very closely, particularly in engine output, accelerative performance, identical 5.9L/100km economy,  resale over three years (both 50 per cent) warranty (three years/100,000km) and key safety features (seven airbags apiece, five-star rating).  Neither gets auto city braking.  Neither has a full-sized spare, settling instead for a spacesaver.

Pricing is always sensitive in a segment targeting young buyers, small families and retirees, and here the Jeep enjoys a nearly $1000 advantage but lacks some of the most worthy features of the Suzuki ? sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors, leather accented and suede seats, and Apple CarPlay.

Additional features include black alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, Bluetooth/USB, cruise control with speed limiter rain-sensing wipers, tilt- and telescopic-adjustable steering, electric-folding mirrors and auto on/off LED headlights.

While the Vitara is dimensionally smaller in key exterior measurements it makes good use of its space with adequate rear legroom  - more than the Renegade - and a decent cargo area (with a split floor 'wet' area).

Its Tupperware party cabin misses out on the sheer sense of cheekiness felt inside the Renegade, but its infotainment system is intuitive and easy to operate. 

Suzuki's move to a turbo 103kW 1.4-litre engine (leaving the old 86kW 1.6 to serve the base model Vitara) has registered positively on both fuel efficiency and performance, helped by its light weight.

Excellent driving dynamics are the Vitara's great strength, its sure handling and steering, and amazingly comfortable ride, being huge positives for a family vehicle.  Judges didn't like its interventionist stability control system but overall, the Vitara is nicer to drive and more agile, the Renegade feeling heavier, taller, softer?

The Vitara was a good car a year ago, and today it's even better.

In a close fight, each has their impactful characteristics and strengths. In this segment, the Jeep's cutesy, comic-book looks are a clear young buyer-grabber. Oldies, though, would surely prefer the more conservatively styled Vitara. 

With its predictable on-road behaviour, spaciousness, features-for-money, and revitalised with a new turbo engine, the Vitara landed five primary votes to the Renegade's one to emerge on top, retaining its Best City SUV crown in the 2016 Drive Car of the Year awards.

Judges' Vote

Suzuki Vitara Turbo - 7

Jeep Renegade - 11

(The Drive Car of the Year judging process awards points to every car in the category according to the position they were ranked by all six judges. The car with the lowest score therefore wins the category. If this vehicle defeats the existing category champion it is then eligible for the overall 2016 Drive Car of the Year award.)

Price and specifications

2016 Jeep Renegade Sport 1.4 turbo auto

Price: $28,000 (plus on-road costs)

As tested: $28,500 (with metallic paint)

Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 103kW at 5500rpm

Torque: 230Nm at 1750rpm

Transmission: 6-spd DDCT automatic, FWD

Fuel Use: 5.9L/100km (95RON)

• For all the latest information visit our Jeep showroom

2016 Suzuki Vitara S Turbo

Price: $28,990 (plus on-road costs)

As tested: $31,239 (with $1250 two-tone paint, $299 black side moulding plus fitting, and $199 DRL bezels. Plus fitting)

Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 103kW at 5500rpm

Torque: 220Nm at 1500-4000rpm

Transmission: 6-spd automatic, FWD

Fuel Use: 5.9L/100km (95RON)

• For all the latest information visit our Suzuki showroom