1.3L for mountain roads? (Jeep Renegade 4XE)

[mountainer]

Hi there! (sorry for my poor english, I hope I'll be using the proper technical terms)

My mom is looking for a new car, but she has so many requirements that it gets hard to find it (automatic, 4 wheels, hybrid, jeep-like-but-not-too-square, not too big, ...).

I thought the Jeep Renegade 4XE would be a good fit. It's a 2021 hybrid car with 1.3L engine and between 190 and 240 hp (depending on the versions).

But a friend of mine (a mechanic) told me that 1.3L would be too weak for mountain roads (I mean plain asphalt roads that climb up, not rough trails inside the woods or off-roads into the snow) and that the motor would "soon" die.

My mom would need the car 90% for city / country-side roads, and a few times a year she would need to go up the mountain or across the highway.

Is really the 1.3L of the Jeep Renegade too weak for this? I heard about "downsizing", and that the engine size does not mean much nowadays.

Does it mean that the hp figure (like 190hp) means more than the engine size?

If it's like other things, e.g. phones, a smaller phone does not mean less computing power (i.e. size does not matter)

Thank you all!

[shorod]

If she won't be towing a trailer or hauling a vehicle full of heavy items up that mountain, the 1.3L will probably be perfectly fine. As you mentioned, the 4XE is a hybrid vehicle which has an electric motor to help with torque and power. Maybe the friend you spoke with didn't understand that.

There are videos and car reviews you can watch on the 4XE to get a better idea of if others have complained about a lack of power. Many of those though will probably describe the off-road abilities more than paved hill climbing, and off-roading is generally done at lower speeds though, but hopefully you'll find something useful.

-Rod

[mountainer]

Thank you Rod for the input!

I know nothing about cars, but maybe my mechanic friend wasn't fully aware of the additional electric engine.

Indeed I could find 2015 versions with a 2.0L engine, but the 2021's 4xe is "only" 1.3.

No, my mom won't be pulling a trailer or something she only has 2 dogs that she takes with her, nothing more really.

I did already find a review (in french ofc) that states it's a good 4x4 (four wheels), but I really wasn't sure... I'll try and find videos of the Renegade in moutain-scape!

Thank you again Rod!

Best,