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Jeep Renegade refresh spied with big infotainment screen

Based on these recent spy shots, it looks like the littlest Jeep is getting a little makeover soon. They show a Renegade with camouflage on the front and rear, indicating there will be some changes to the outside. Whatever those changes are, they're extremely subtle. The headlights and taillights look untouched. The grille may have slightly wider slots than the current one, and the available fog lights look a little bigger. The biggest change appears to be inside. Sitting in the center stack is a massive touchscreen. It's bigger than any available on the current Renegade. It also pushes physical buttons and knobs for controls lower down in the stack, instead of surrounding the screen. The lower part of the center stack has also been redesigned for this new button layout, which includes driver assist buttons, stereo controls and climate controls. Fans of manual transmissions will also be happy to see this newer Renegade features a stick-shift. Part of that could be because this Renegade is probably a European model, based on where the images were taken. But seeing as this is a light refresh, and Jeep already offers a manual here, it should still be available on U.S. models, too. Also, considering how mild this update is, we would expect to see it revealed by the end of this year. Related Video:

Consumer Reports says these are the worst new cars of 2014

Consumer Reports has announced its annual list of worst vehicles, a cringe-inducing contrast to its list of top vehicles. Ignominiously leading the way in 2014 is Chrysler, which has a staggering seven models listed.
Jeep nearly sweeps the small SUV segment by itself, with its Compass, Patriot and 2.4-liter version of the new Cherokee, while the only midsize sedans listed by CR were the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger. The new Dodge Dart and the Dodge Journey round out CR's condemnation of Chrysler.
Ford is taking heat as well, with the Taurus, Edge and their counterparts from Lincoln all listed as the worst vehicles in their respective segments. Toyota doesn't fare much better, with its Lexus IS, Scion iQ and tC also making the list.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep appears to have nailed it this time. After two decades of assembling its Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle, the American automaker has finally delivered a world-class off-roader capable of taking on everything in its segment - and more - with a high likelihood of coming out on top.
And if you drove last year's model, it's time to climb behind the wheel again as Jeep has significantly updated the SUV for 2014 with a bold new exterior appearance, an upgraded interior with enhanced electronics and a new transmission that completely transforms the way it drives.
We recently spent a full week with a dark blue 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4, a well-optioned model fitted with the standard gasoline-fed V6. While it didn't have the punch of the range-topping V8-powered SRT8, or the fuel-sipping economy of its new EcoDiesel sibling, the high-volume variant left us quite impressed.