Jeep Avenger | Electric Car Review

The first all-electric Jeep

(WLTP) 249-mile electric range

Based on shared Stellantis platform

Front-wheel drive only

Design & Powertrain

The Jeep Avenger compact SUV looks like a Jeep, with design features such as the recognisable front grille, large wheels relative to its body size, and short front and rear overhangs. However under the skin is Stellantis’ platform, shared with the Peugeot e-2008, DS 3 E-TENSE and Vauxhall Mokka-e – which means that the Avenger is only front-wheel drive. The 54 kWh battery is also common with all models, as is the 156hp electric motor.

Driving Experience

The Avenger offers the most refined driving quality of any Jeep. This is primarily due to the lack of noise and vibrations from the all-electric powertrain, but the ride quality is also good on most road surfaces, resulting in a very comfortable overall driving experience.

The Jeep is a compact size, with responsive steering, and a relatively light weight (1615 kg) compared to most EVs, which helps to result in a feeling of agility.

Because this is a Jeep, you might imagine that the Avenger is four-wheel drive, but it’s not – it’s front-wheel drive only. In an effort to compensate for this, in addition to the standard drive modes of Eco, Normal and Sport (you’ll need to select Sport to get decent throttle responses), the Avenger has three extra drive modes for Sand, Mud and Snow.

These modes adjust the torque delivery in order to deliver maximum traction on different surfaces, but with on-road tyres there will always be a limit to how much grip you can summon if tacking off-road terrain. However the Avenger does appear to result in less wheelspin on wet roads than other front-wheel drive EVs.

Gear changing is done via four buttons on the dashboard, which also offer the ability to select ‘B’ for increased brake regeneration. Locating the gear selector buttons on the dashboard frees up the area where a traditional gear selector would be located for a large storage space. The cover for this area folds back in a similar way to a cover on an iPad. If you fold it back all the way, the gear selector buttons are covered up, and even when fully folded back, the USB sockets, which are located underneath the far end of the cover, are still hard to reach.

Most car controls are accessed via the central touchscreen. The home screen features a number of boxes, including for radio/media, energy delivery/recuperation status and drive mode, climate, seat heating and ‘application drawer’. There’s no satnav on the home screen; this has to be accessed by either swiping the screen or selecting the application drawer. There’s a row of physical buttons under the touchscreen for heating and ventilation controls.

The Avenger has two potentially useful features, hill descent control and a heated windscreen; the buttons for both of these items are somewhat hidden away on the dashboard under the right-hand side of the steering wheel.

Range & Charging

The Jeep Avenger has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 249 miles. This increases to (WLTP) 342 miles for the city cycle. You should be able to expect a real-world range of 210-220 miles for mixed driving.

The Avenger has a heat pump, which is designed to warm the cabin in cold weather with minimal loss to the battery charge and therefore the electric driving range.

The Jeep’s maximum DC rapid charging rate for public charging is 100kW, potentially giving a 20% to 80% charge in 24 minutes. It can also charge at 11kW AC (using three-phase workplace charging), when a 0% to 100% charge takes 5 hours 34 minutes, or a 7.4kW home wall box should provide a 0% to 100% charge in 7 hours 58 minutes.

Price and Model Range

The Jeep Avenger is available in three trim levels, Longitude, Altitude, and Summit. Prices for the Jeep Avenger Longitude model start at £35,700, with the top-of-the-range Avenger Summit costing £39,600. Seven colours are available: Volcano, Ruby, Snow, Granite, Lake, Stone and Sun, with the bi-colour Volcano roof as an option.

Equipment Highlights

18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels
Adaptive cruise control with lane centring and traffic jam assist
180-degree rear camera
Urban blind spot monitor
Automatic high/low beam
Heated front seats
Heated windscreen

Conclusion

The compact SUV segment is a popular choice for car buyers, and now there’s another option, the Jeep Avenger, which gives you the Jeep badge and Jeep styling. However don’t expect the Avenger to be able to clamber up a snowy mountain, because it’s only front-wheel drive, with on-road tyres. This is because the Avenger shares the same platform with the Vauxhall Mokka-e, the Peugeot e-2008, the DS 3 E-TENSE. All four EVs are good to drive, with an element of fun thanks to their compact size. With broadly similar prices, which one you go for probably depends on which brand and exterior styling you prefer, although the Peugeot e-2008 has the most differentiation in terms of its interior, thanks to its 3D ‘i-Cockpit’ and its small steering wheel.