car news car tests

Jeep is the only American car brand that has always maintained a reasonable presence in Europe. Indeed, it has only been improving in recent years. The secret? The offerings include not only such tastemakers as the Wrangler and Cherokee models, but also include cars that are really meant for Europe. After the success of the relatively compact Renegade, it is now time for a truly compact model: the Jeep Avenger. With this, Jeep also offers an all-electric model for the first time.

Jeep has been fortunate to belong to the Stellantis group, or the amalgamation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA group with Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel and Peugeot, since 2021. As a result, Jeep does not have to develop an entirely new platform for compact models, but can use the technical platform on which the Opel Mokka and Peugeot 2008, among others, stand.

Is the Jeep Avenger a real Jeep?

We hear you thinking: so is the Jeep Avenger a real Jeep? That depends a bit on what you mean by “a real Jeep. In terms of design, at least, the Avenger fits neatly among the other Jeep models. A tall front end with distinctive grille, robust proportions and a tough overall look: it’s all there. The interior has matching robust elements. Moreover, like the larger Jeep models, you look out over a square flat hood.

So it does share its under-the-hood technology with a number of European models. It is also one of the few Jeep models that are not “trail rated. This means that against brand tradition, the Avenger is not really intended for off-road activities. However, the wheels are placed on the corners as much as possible and the bumpers are designed so that they do not easily scrape the ground. Earlier this year at its international launch, we could see that a mild obstacle course is no problem for the Avenger.

Jeep Avenger all-electric

The big news about the Jeep Avenger, aside from its all-Europe dimensions, is its all-electric powertrain. It is the familiar Stellantis package for this segment: a 54 kWh battery pack and a 115 kW (156 hp) electric motor with 260 Nm of torque. 100 km/h was reached in a tidy nine seconds (top speed 150 km/h). Even more interesting is the driving range of – depending on the version – 392 to 400 kilometers (WLTP). Even if you make that 350 kilometers in practice with the necessary margin, that is more than enough for all your trips. On longer trips, you have to stop for a break after two hours anyway.

Jeep Avenger also with gasoline engine?

The Jeep Avenger is also available with a gasoline engine. For a while it was still a question whether that variant would also come to the Netherlands, but the answer turned out to be “yes. However, the gasoline version was almost tacitly added to the price list shortly after its introduction and is even “tucked away” a bit at the back in it. Anyway, so here he is. You then get a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with 74 kW (100 hp) of power and 205 Nm of torque. The 100 km/h is reached after 10.6 seconds and the top speed is 184 km/h. Average consumption is 5.7 l/100 km (1 on 17.5 – WLTP). Whereas the electric Avenger may not tow anything, the gasoline version may tow 1,300 kg.

This is how the Jeep Avenger drives

We take a trip in the all-electric Jeep Avenger. Although the car has a somewhat taller build, the seating position relative to the car itself is quite low. At least if you adjust the seat height so that you can see under the rearview mirror, rather than against it. Along with the aforementioned view over the flat hood, the lower seating position does make you feel, in a positive sense, that you are traveling with a larger Jeep.

Furthermore, while driving, what strikes you most is how quiet the car is. You actually only hear a little wind noise at higher speeds. With certain types of asphalt, tire noise is relatively present, but that is also because there is simply hardly any other driving noise. Short bumps in the road surface are quite noticeable, but otherwise the Jeep Avenger has good suspension comfort.

Weighing 1,595 kg (registration weight), the Jeep Avenger is not heavy for an electric car, but for its size, it is still relatively large. The gasoline version weighs 1,255 kg, which does make a difference. The Avenger manages to hide that weight nicely, but when accelerating and in smooth turns in it is still noticeable.

Riding modes

B-mode reinforces that a bit more. This is the drive mode in which an electric car applies extra strong engine braking when the throttle is released. The advantage is that you recover more energy when braking, and you only need to touch the brake pedal when you want to brake really hard or stop completely. You then do almost everything with the “throttle. ‘One pedal driving’ is also called that. After some getting used to it, it is quite pleasant. The only downside is that it makes the car feel a little heavier.

Driving mode Eco further enhances the effect of B mode. In driving mode Sport, on the other hand, the Jeep Avenger responds a lot more vividly to throttle input and the car also feels a lot lighter. In the end, the combination of B-mode enabled and Sport driving mode was our favorite. Small point of improvement is that the controls for the transmission (actually: driving direction buttons) at the bottom of the center console are just a bit far away from you. Fortunately, you only use it while parking.

Space in the back

We also move to the back seat for a while. If we leave the front seat in our position, with our height of about 1.80 meters, we just sit with our knees against the backrest. That backrest is nice and soft at that point. The rear seat headrests in their highest position are still on the low side for adults, though.

Another practical point: in many electric cars, there is not really room for the charging cable. In the Jeep Avenger, it can be conveniently stored under the double bottom of the luggage compartment. So the cable doesn’t have to be slung around loose or crammed into a cramped bag. However, the storage space under the bottom is less convenient if you have luggage in the back.

Jeep has humor

A characteristic of Jeep models in recent years is that the brand hides all kinds of jokes in the car. The Jeep Avenger is no exception. Most striking is the little boy with stargazer at the bottom left of the windshield – the designer’s son. Stars can be seen in the upper right corner of the pane. At the bottom of the rear window you will find the mountains that can be seen from the design studio in Turin, in the bumper grille there is a small metal Jeep grille, over the roof runs a ladybug, and there are many more jokes to discover.

Prices Jeep Avenger

The Jeep Avenger is available from 33,850 euros for the gasoline version and from 39,500 euros for the electric version. The electric Avenger offers a choice of an unnamed entry-level model, the Longitude, the Altitude and top-of-the-line Summit. The gasoline version comes only as an Altitude. Top model Summit has a starting price of 44,500 euros and the other equipment levels are in between with an equal distribution.

Equipment

What do you get for those amounts? We mention a few highlights. For example, the Jeep Avenger comes standard with such features as 16-inch steel wheels (without hubcaps and with cool design!), fabric black-and-gray upholstery, 7-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch infotainment screen, cruise control and the usual package of safety and assistance systems, whether required by law or not. Convenient extras specific to the electric variant include an 11 kW on-board charger and a heat pump for interior heating. Navigation is optional for all trim levels, but as standard you can get by with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and your smartphone for that.

We drove top-of-the-line Summit model and then Jeep Avenger features include 18-inch alloy wheels, full LED lighting, extra tinted rear windows, heatable windshield edge, front seat heater, black-and-yellow fabric-faux leather upholstery, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charger, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assistant and parking assist with 360-degree camera. Full (standard) equipment along with the most current prices can be found at www.jeep.nl.

Conclusion

With the Jeep Avenger, the brand has tailored its offerings more than ever to the European market. Although the Avenger is largely similar under the skin to other models in the Stellantis group, there are plenty of elements that still look for that “real Jeep feel. With a compact, SUV-like model with an economical gasoline engine or all-electric drive, the brand has a model on its hands that can score well across Europe. This already seems to be the case in the Netherlands, as there are already over 800 units on Dutch registration plates.