The Renegade was originally offered in 1970 as a performance/appearance option, with seemingly more emphasis on performance, as it included a bigger engine, eventually including a V8. But by 1976, the V8 was gone from the package, with the Renegade package becoming more and more an appearance option. The Renegade package disappeared with the last CJ in 1986.

The Renegade name was briefly resurrected in 1991-1993 as an appearance option on the YJ.