2019 Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X fuel economy revealed, slightly improved

The

2019 Jeep Renegade

and Fiat

500X

twins each get a new engine option, a turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder.

At 177 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque

, it’s substantially more potent than the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter engine it replaces, and nearly matches the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine for power while beating its 175 pound-feet of torque. But we haven’t known until now is how the new engine fares in terms of

fuel economy

.

The numbers are a little tricky to parse, since both the

Jeep

and

Fiat

have changed what transmissions are available, as well as what combinations of engine and driveline are offered. We’ll start with looking at the

Jeep Renegade

. It offers both the new turbo engine and the old 2.4-liter engine, but the manual transmission is gone, and the

Renegade

Trailhawk gets the turbo engine instead of the naturally aspirated one. All the numbers are below.

Overall, the new turbo engine coupled with front-drive and the standard nine-speed auto returns better fuel economy than even the old manual-equipped combo. Both all-wheel-drive models do worse, though, with the automatic and the new engine than with the old engine with a manual. The new turbocharged Trailhawk also doesn’t do as well on the highway as the old model, but does better in town. Fuel economy is unchanged for the 2.4-liter versions of the Renegade.

The Fiat 500X range is simpler to follow, since only one variant is available now: the turbo 1.3-liter engine with all-wheel drive and an automatic. It’s not quite as frugal as the fuel-sipping manual, front-drive turbo model from last year, but it does offer noticeable gains over the 2.4-liter versions. All the numbers are below.