Jeep launches its new small SUV with a special all-electric ‘1st Edition’ model
The new Avenger is Jeep’s first fully-electric car and it’s now available to pre-order. The rest of the line up will be launched in June this year, including the combustion-engined versions.
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 kicks off at £36,500, but we expect petrol-powered models to be pitched at around £30,000. As you’d expect, the 1st Edition comes with plenty of kit as standard. The exterior features a two-tone black roof, tinted windows and 18-inch alloy wheels. There’s also various ‘e’ badging, denoting the electrified powertrain.
Inside the Avenger 1st Edition (which coincidentally we’ve already driven) you get a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, voice recognition, Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility, 360-degree parking sensors and a 180-degree rear camera, plus wireless smartphone charging, a hands-free bootlid and keyless entry and start. There’s safety tech on board in the form of lane assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and speed assist.
The Avenger features the latest version of Stellantis’s electric powertrain because in all but a couple of European countries, it is designed to be a pure-electric offering only. 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 being introduced in front-wheel-drive form, with 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.
The 1st Edition comes with Jeep’s SelecTerrain and Hill Descent Control systems, which should allow for a decent amount of off-road ability. SelecTerrain comes with six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand.
The Avenger sits on an evolution of parent group Stellantis’s e-CMP platform, called e-CMP2. This new architecture has a number of key differences from the tech that underpins the current 2008, Mokka, and DS 3. One of these is an upcoming four-wheel drive version in the form of a 4Xe model – previewed by the 4×4 Concept. Jeep 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.
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 car features hill descent control and six driving modes to help with efficiency and poor conditions – eco, normal, sport, sand, mud and snow.
An internal-combustion engine Avenger has been spotted testing as well. The only visual tweaks that are noticeable on the test car are the revised grille, single-exit exhaust and the lack of Jeep’s ‘e’ badging. We expect it will borrow the commonly-used Stellantis turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder Puretech engine with around 110bhp.
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.
Jeep is launching the Avenger with a choice of seven paint colours and alloy wheels ranging in size from 16 to 18 inches. The car’s line-up will feature Jeep’s usual three trim levels – Sport, Longitude and Limited – although the company has yet to specify equipment lists for these versions.
Customers will also be able to customise their cars extensively through their dealership. Around 100 accessories will be 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.
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Keyword: New 2023 Jeep Avenger goes on sale from £36,500