Jeep Avenger 2026 facelift review - more mediocre than marvellous

Verdict

The updated Jeep Avenger hasn’t fundamentally changed. The electric version has the same battery and motor, the four-wheel-drive 4XE and the front-wheel drive hybrid are the same, and the basic manual model gets only minor mechanical changes. Most of the new stuff, then, is in the revised styling and the uplifted cabin quality, both of which are welcome. The cramped back seats remain, and we have question marks over the fit and finish, but the Avenger feels engaging and peppy to drive, and remains decent value for money.

An entire 85 years on from the creation of the original Jeep in 1941, the modern-day brand is launching an updated version of one of its best-selling models, including a special anniversary edition to mark the auspicious date. 

Given that chronological importance, you might expect more in the way of changes for the Jeep Avenger, the company’s smallest model, and its big seller in Europe. But no, the updates being made to the dinky SUV are really, really minor and amount to just some small styling tweaks, a bit of an upgrade for the cabin, and a fleeting mechanical update for one of the engine options. 

Does that amount to a worthwhile marking of a big anniversary of one of the most important and consequential vehicles in history? Probably not, no, but that doesn’t mean that the Avenger is in any sense a poor car. It’s just we expected a little more. 

Used - available now

2026 Jeep

Avenger

34,517 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £13,500

View Avenger

2026 Jeep

Avenger

8,246 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,799

View Avenger

2026 Jeep

Avenger

8,196 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £19,599

View Avenger

2026 Jeep

Avenger

12,322 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,495

View Avenger

So what has changed? Well, if you look at the front, you’ll notice that there’s a new grille, with the traditional seven-slot look – odd, given that the original 1941 Willys actually had nine slots in its grille – now embellished with a little bit of LED mood lighting. Speaking of lighting, there are now optional matrix-LED headlights, while the front and rear bumpers are new. That front bumper gets little inserts that stick out slightly to prevent the vulnerable forward-looking radar from getting clobbered. 

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The wheels are new too, and come in either 17 or 18-inch diameters, with either a painted or diamond-cut finish, while there’s now an outline of the original 1941 Willys etched into the centre caps. There are also two new colours — Forest, which is a classy dark green metallic, or Bamboo, which is a slightly lurid bright-acid green. As before, you can personalise your Avenger with all manner of stickers and decals. 

Speaking of which, there’s also a special 85th Anniversary model, which comes in Forest Green with gold highlights on the alloy wheels and bumpers, plus an 85th badge on the front wings. There’s also some gold contrast stitching on the inside, with tartan centres for the seats. 

The Avenger’s cabin hasn’t visually changed at all but there are some new soft-touch materials for the doors and the lower dashboard, and these look and feel rather more plush than the previous hard plastics. Altitude and Summit versions get classy cloth and imitation-leather upholstery for the seats, while the off-road focused 4XE version gets a rugged washable set of green seat covers. Elsewhere, the ‘Select Terrain’ drive-mode button is now bright red, with a rubberised toggle. 

Other than that, it’s all as before. There’s the same pleasantly low-set driving position, with a neat, small, three-spoke steering wheel that feels great to hold, plus plenty of proper physical buttons to go with the standard 10-inch infotainment screen. The overall uplift is noticeable, although you’d never confuse the Avenger with a genuinely premium product, and the foldaway iPad-style cover for the central storage bin still feels cheap.

Elsewhere, Jeep has made it easier to turn off the speed-limit warning with a long press of the driving-assistance menu button. The dreadful drum-beat indicator sound is still here, however, and still causing us to reach for a hammer to silence it…

There is now also the option of a 360-degree parking camera, but it’s a slight ruse, because there are only front and rear cameras, so the side views are digitally extrapolated from what they can see. There are no additional cameras under the door mirrors. 

With no mechanical modifications, the Avenger remains essentially unchanged to drive, but that’s not a bad thing. True, a little more range for the electric version would make it a more useful all-rounder, but 250 miles on one charge (figure on 200 miles in real-world conditions) is competitive at this size and price level. Battery charging at up to 100kW is nothing special, but it’s not too bad when the battery is this small.

The 154bhp electric motor driving the front wheels gives the Avenger a bit of genuine pep from a standstill. Thanks to being pretty compact (certainly by Jeep standards) the Avenger feels eager, almost puppy-ish, with quick, light steering and a sense of agility. Put it to the test on a truly challenging road and you soon find out that there’s just understeer and body roll at the end of the process, but up to a briskly driven point, the Avenger feels engaging, even fun, to drive. 

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It’s also a genuinely serious off-roader, especially in four-wheel-drive hybrid 4XE form, where the 210mm ride height is almost as much as you get from the much bigger Jeep Compass. The Avenger’s lower weight and smaller dimensions mean you might actually do better in the mud with one of these; it’s enormous fun in the rough stuff. 

The ride comfort can get caught out by very poor surfaces, bobbling and fidgeting a little, but more often it’s just a little springy, which again chimes with the overall feel. On-road refinement is the 4XE’s Achilles heel though, so you might be better off with the front-wheel-drive hybrid, with its standard automatic gearbox, or the newly reintroduced basic 99bhp mild-hybrid model, which gets a six-speed manual and whose engine now comes with a timing chain, rather than a timing belt, in the interests of long-term reliability. That comes as Jeep made some major gains in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey 2026, finishing as the eighth-most satisfying brand to own, a much better performance than in previous years. 

Finally, there’s practicality, which is unaltered from the pre-facelift Avenger. Space in the back is really quite tight, certainly if a tall-ish person is driving, and there are hardly any storage spaces for those in the rear seat. The 355-litre boot is more useful than it is outright massive, too.

Changed much? No, but then with more than 280,000 Avengers sold across Europe since launch, it arguably didn’t need to. The smallest Jeep looks a little sharper and remains sweet to drive – the electric version just needs a bit more range to make it an unequivocal recommendation.