Usually, when you think of vehicles in Batman movies, your mind goes to one of the many Batmobiles we’ve seen on screen. However, we briefly saw the Jeep Renegade in the spotlight for the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film. Why did billionaire Bruce Wayne drive an economical Jeep instead of an expensive exotic car?

Bruce Wayne gets behind the wheel of a Jeep Renegade in ‘Batman v Superman’

Part of the opening scene of Batman v Superman was the ending of Man of Steel, the Superman movie from 2013 starring Henry Cavill. However, it was shot from Bruce Wayne’s viewpoint. As Superman fought with his General Zod, the city of Metropolis was being destroyed. 

As seen on YouTube, Wayne arrived at the city in a helicopter, and he grabbed a nearby vehicle to speed off to save his co-workers who were in danger from getting destroyed. According to Jalopnik, he jumped into a Jeep Renegade, which isn’t what you’d expect him to drive. 

Wayne then sped off through the city, dodging vehicles and falling debris from nearby buildings. He watched the horrific fight unfold before him as he tried as hard as he could to get to his office. Eventually, he abandoned the Jeep Renegade and took off on foot running. 

How much was the Jeep Renegade we saw in ‘Batman v Superman’?

As Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was released in early 2016 and was filmed before that, we’ll assume the model we saw on screen was a 2015 or 2016 model year of the Jeep Renegade. The 2015 Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV with rivals that include the Honda H-RV, Chevy Trax, and Mazda CX-3. For the base model, the starting MSRP for the 2015 Jeep Renegade was a little under $19,000 at the time of its release, according to Kelley Blue Book. Still, that front-wheel-drive base version didn’t come with a whole lot of excitement.

According to KBB, if you wanted things like a touchscreen infotainment system, air conditioning, and even automatic transmission, the price would rise into the mid $20,000 range. For the upper trims, like the Limited and Trailhawk models, you could end up paying over $30,000. Additionally, if you wanted to buy a used one Renegade today from the same model year, it would run you approximately $11,000 or so.

Beyond its standard trim levels, Jeep also released a limited edition version of the Jeep Renegade to promote Batman v Superman in theaters. Seen on the parent company website of Stellantis (FCA at the time of release), it was called the Jeep Renegade Dawn of Justice and featured black-painted accents, black roof bars, tinted privacy glass, and unique Dawn of Justice badging, among other exclusive add-ons and accessories. According to Car and Driver, the Jeep Renegade Dawn of Justice was priced at $27,245.

As for power, the 2015 Jeep Renegade has two engine options. The lower trims come with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit producing 160 horsepower, while the upper trims offer a 2.4-liter Inline-four, which generates 180 horsepower. As for fuel economy, the based 2015 Renegade is rated 22 city mpg and 30 highway mpg, according to the U.S. Department of Energy website Fuel Economy.

Aren’t there any high-luxury cars worthy of a billionaire like Bruce Wayne?

While billionaire Bruce Wayne took off in a Jeep Renegade worth somewhere between $19,000 to $30,000, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any expensive luxury vehicles in the film. Throughout the film, when not being the Batman, Bruce Wayne is seen with plenty of other exotic cars to show off his wealth.

One vehicle of note was a 1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III that belongs to Director Zach Snyder. He used it in the movie when Wayne rode to a gala that Lex Luthor put on, according to Business Insider. Even James Bond producers liked the Aston Martin enough to use them in 007 films. 

Other luxury vehicles that we caught a glimpse of in the movie were a 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C, 1980 Mercedes-Benz 240 D, and a 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith. Of course, quite a few vehicles used during the production weren’t quite as expensive. According to IMCDB (the Internet Movie Cars Database), the film used a handful of Dodge vehicles, including 2011 and 2015 models of the Dodge Charger as well as a Challenger, Dakota, Durango, and even a Dart. Even Land Rover has a few models with some screen time. For example, Snyder and his team used a 110 Station Wagon, 88 Series III, and an LR3 (the predecessor to the Discovery). There were even two other Jeeps in the film. One was a 2014 Cherokee and a 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT. 

While the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie had some pretty expensive luxury cars, there were a few down-to-earth choices as well. The 2015 Jeep Renegade was only one, but it did play a part in one of the movie’s most iconic scenes. Unfortunately, owners in real life are losing interest in it. It might be due for a redesign in the near future to keep it a worthy choice for the next Batman.