MADE in the USA has always been one of Jeep’s catchcries, so with news that the company’s new parent, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, would produce one of the 74-year-old brand’s key new models in Italy, reactions were … well, let’s just say mixed.

Jeep is a proud brand, and one that wears its heart firmly on its sun-faded, dusty sleeve. Its mantra is simple every product built under the brand needs to perform off-road. End of story.

So could a compact SUV program shared between Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Melfi, Italy, possibly work?More to the point, how will the new vehicle fit into one of the fastest-growing and cut-throat categories in modern automotive history?The Renegade has been on sale in other markets for almost a year, and is selling above expectations, according to the company.

But how will the diminutive Jeep stack up in Australia’s white-hot baby SUV battleground?

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