The Jeep Renegade Hard Steel concept has a unique brushed-steel paint finish. 

Auto Shows | March 08 2015

Jeep Renegade Hard Steel concept: Big sound in a small package

Attracting the attention of people filling the Geneva Motor Show this week presents a big challenge – the Palexpo center is packed with gleaming new exotic cars such as the sleek, turbocharged Ferrari 488 GTB.

But the Jeep stand at the show held a “small” surprise for journalists and industry people, the Jeep Renegade Hard Steel concept. The surprise? Hitched to the Renegade is a small trailer that mimics the look of the rear of Jeep’s new small SUV, right down to the fuel door above the right wheel.

The Renegade Hard Steel is a collaborative effort between Jeep, Mopar and the FCA Style Center. Based on the top-of-the-line Renegade Trailhawk production vehicle, the Hard Steel wears a unique coat of silver paint that looks like brushed steel. Accenting the exterior is a matte black finish for the bumpers, roof rails, rocker panels, grille, hood vents and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the brushed-steel look is applied to several trim pieces, such as the air vents, glove box, speakers and shift console. The seats and doors are covered in a lead-colored Frau Century leather with a special worn look.

The concept’s trailer has a tailgate embossed with the signature Jeep grille and round headlight design, while the hinged top raises to display a large touchscreen.

The touchscreen showcases the upcoming Uconnect LIVE service for European markets that gives in-vehicle access to Internet-based services such as Deezer music, TuneIn radio, Reuters news and real-time traffic information from TomTom. The services will debut on the Renegade in Europe this summer, linked with the available Uconnect 5-inch or 6.5-inch touchscreen audio systems. In addition, the trailer at Geneva is fitted with a Mopar WiFi system that turns the trailer into a mobile hotspot.

Here is some early reaction from the media:

— “We certainly dig the Jeep Renegade Hard Steel’s look – silver with matte-black trim and wheels is tough to beat – and the trailer is amazing,” writes Car and Driver.

— “Jeep’s Geneva Motor Show stand features one of the wildest versions of the Jeep Renegade crossover SUV we’ve seen so far,” says Auto Express.

— “OK, so maybe it’s not an off-road trailer like we would have hoped for but it’s definitely an interesting concept and any trailer with a set of aggressive all-terrain tires is just too cool to ignore. While Jeep has not yet said they will be offering a Renegade with a matching trailer option just yet, we can only hope that it becomes a reality,” says Four Wheeler.

Tell us what you think.

Dale Jewett

Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters
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Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters and 0-to-60 times – and the people who make it happen. Because behind every awesome vehicle are amazing people with vision and the desire to make it a reality. I cover Mopar, Dodge, SRT and motorsports for Stellantis Digital Media. I learned to drive on a 1973 Jeep CJ-5 with the rare Super Jeep option package and three-speed manual transmission. I still belong to the dwindling club of people who prefer to shift their own gears, and think the best way to drive is with the top down!