Jeep Avenger now £11,000 cheaper thanks to new petrol versions
Originally launched in electric-only form, Jeep’s smallest SUV is now available with pure-petrol and mild-hybrid power
Pure-petrol and mild-hybrid versions of the new Jeep Avenger are finally available to order in the UK, with prices starting from £23,600 – more than £11,000 cheaper than the most basic all-electric version of Jeep’s baby SUV.
The petrol-powered Jeep Avenger’s starting price also undercuts the best-selling Ford Puma that’s priced from £25,640, and the recently facelifted Volkswagen T-Cross, which starts from £23,965.
The pure-petrol Avengers feature a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech engine that can already be found in the other Stellantis models, such as the Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall Mokka. The three-pot motor produces 99bhp and 205Nm of torque, is paired exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox in the Jeep, and can return up to 50.4mpg. 0-62mph takes 10.5 seconds.
Bridging the gap between the pure-petrol and fully-electric models is the Avenger e-Hybrid, priced from £25,300. Its mild-hybrid setup combines a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 28bhp electric motor and six-speed automatic gearbox. The e-motor is integrated directly into the transmission, and powered by a small lithium-ion battery. As this is only a mild-hybrid, the engine and regenerative braking system takes care of charging the battery, rather than you having to plug it in anywhere.
Jeep says you can drive on pure-electric power for less than a mile in the Avenger e-Hybrid, so long as you’re travelling at under 18mph, but that’s enough to help with low speed manoeuvring or creep along in stop-start city traffic without using the engine. We were surprised how much time the engine was off when we drove a Peugeot 3008 with the same mild-hybrid setup.
The Avenger e-Hybrid also offers improved fuel efficiency over the pure-petrol model, with Jeep claiming it will return up to 57.1mpg. CO2 emissions are down slightly on the pure-petrol model too, but the e-Hybrid setup takes 10.9 seconds to propel the car from 0-62mph.
Jeep Avenger trim levels and equipment
The Avenger e-Hybrid is available in the same selection of Longitude, Altitude and Summit trim levels as the original all-electric version, while the pure-petrol versions can only be had in either Longitude or Altitude specifications.
Entry-level Longitude models get 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and grey skid plates, fabric seat upholstery, manual air conditioning, a seven-inch digital driver’s display, plus a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. Safety features include rear parking sensors, cruise control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), traffic sign recognition and lane-keep assist.
Every model also has several drive modes including specific settings for Mud, Sand and Snow, plus a hill descent system. These should help the Avenger handle a bit of wet or slippery terrain if need be.
Stepping up to Altitude (+£1,700) adds a larger 10.25-inch digital dash, 17-inch wheels, silver skid plates, adaptive cruise control, cloth/vinyl upholstery and automatic climate control. e-Hybrid models also get a height adjustable boot floor as an added bonus.
Top-spec Summit cars (+£2,200 for the e-Hybrid) get 18-inch rims, full LED lights front and back, separate fog lights, privacy glass, a 180-degree reversing camera with “drove view”, 360-degree parking sensors, a wireless charging pad, hands free tailgate and level 2 autonomous driving tech. Plenty of option packs can be added to all trims, packaging key bits of kit together.
Jeep Avenger Altitude+
In late 2023, Jeep offered 500 examples of the pure-petrol Avenger to UK buyers in a special trim level called Altitude+, priced from £27,600. This exclusive initial run of the cars are equipped with 18-inch rims, heated seats, sat-nav, an eight-speaker JBL sound system, wireless smartphone charging pad, hands-free powered tailgate and blind spot monitoring. That’s in addition to a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and 10.25-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Jeep Avenger electric car: full details
The new Avenger is Jeep’s first fully-electric car and was launched early in 2023. Positioned as the first of Jeep’s four-strong lineup of new electric cars (including the luxury-focused Wagoneer S and the rugged Recon), the Avenger EV goes up against small SUVs like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, as well as rivals from parent company Stellantis in the shape of the Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric.
The inaugural 1st Edition version of the Avenger kicked off at £36,500 with a two-tone black roof, tinted windows and 18-inch alloy wheels. Now, buyers choose from Longitude, Altitude and Summit trim levels with the starting price of £35,700.
Customers can customise their cars extensively through their dealership. Around 100 accessories are available, including graphics for everywhere from the roof to the bonnet and the flanks, designed to ensure that no two Avengers will be exactly the same.
Powertrains and batteries
The electric Avenger features the latest version of Stellantis’s electric powertrain used by the facelifted Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric. The battery capacity is 54kWh (51kWh usable), comprising 10 cell modules in the rear of the car (beneath the back seats, basically) and seven modules under the front seats.
Elements including a heat pump and a three-phase 11kW AC charger will be standard across the range, along with 100kW DC charging that can take the battery from 0 to 80 per cent capacity in just over 30 minutes.
The Avenger is front-wheel drive-only for the moment, with the pure-electric model using a single motor producing 154bhp and 260Nm of torque. 0-62mph is dealt with in nine seconds flat and the top speed stands at 93mph. Jeep claims the 1,541kg Avenger will go 408km (254 miles) between charges on the WLTP test cycle, and as much as 550km (342 miles) in slower, stop-start city situations.
Every Avenger is equipped with Jeep’s SelecTerrain and Hill Descent Control systems, which allow for a decent amount of off-road ability compared to its sister cars. SelecTerrain comes with six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand.
However an upcoming four-wheel drive version called the 4Xe should be a better choice for going off the beaten track. Jeep already gave a glimpse of what it might look like with the aptly named Avenger 4x4 Concept, although the brand still hasn’t confirmed what will power the 4Xe variant. The concept not only has a wider track and larger wheel arches housing all-terrain tyres but the approach and departure angles have been improved. It’s not known how much of the concept’s off-road ability will be offered on the production car but it is due to be launched in 2024.
Design and technology
The overall look of the regular Avenger is predictably chunky – but the design team, which had the brief of “fitting 100 per cent of the brand DNA into four metres”, has done a good job of making its offering clearly a Jeep, and different from other CMP-based models. There’s a wide, planted-looking stance and at the front, an evolution of the Jeep seven-slot front grille that’s now flush to emphasise the car’s electric powertrain.
Jeep plans to offer customisation of this part – everything from graphics to illumination. The side profile features a ‘kick’ at the C-pillar, like many larger Jeeps, and the rear has a fresh take on the ‘X’ tail-lights. This motif has also been adopted on surfaces inside the vehicle.
Other rugged features include lights that are set back into their mouldings, for extra protection, and underbody skid plates that are made from a coloured material instead of being painted and thus more prone to scrapes and scuffs.
Regardless of the initial front-drive layout, Jeep says the car is as capable off-road as some of its stablemates – with better approach, breakover and departure angles than the larger Renegade. The suspension configuration is MacPherson struts at the front and a twist beam at the rear, though this is likely to change to a multi-link affair for four-wheel-drive editions.
The internal-combustion engined Avengers will feature a revised grille and single-exit exhaust but will be otherwise identical to the EVs except for the lack of Jeep’s ‘e’ badging.
Inside, there are up to 34 litres of storage space in the cabin itself, and the boot capacity is 380 litres. Based on our experience with a static display model, the car has a little more rear-cabin space than the Mokka, and decent headroom for six-footers – although an optional panoramic sunroof might make the Avenger less generous on this score.
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