JEEP AVENGER
nose is the same as the tail and the left as the right The glazing follows that pattern too This all has the amusing effect that the driver’s door is rear hinged and the passenger’s front hinged You tug little woven straps to open them like a GT RS but for different reasons Against this cost saving backdrop a right hand drive conversion would be a mad decadence You sit on the left but actually that’s just fine because it’s so narrow and so unable to overtake that you don’t need to sit towards the centre of the road and it’s better to be able to hop in and out from the kerb
Inside it’s not at all cramped It’s wholly unlike anything you’ve driven before but takes little time to learn because the controls are so few beyond of course two pedals a steering wheel one stalk wipers indicators horn and a handbrake Three buttons by the seat are marked D N and R Another pair of buttons take care of fan and heat A mysterious orange blob resides on the steering wheel spoke It Bluetooths to an Ami app on your phone held to the dash by a twangy clamp cycling through navigation and music The phone in turn Bluetooths to a can shaped speaker in the cupholder
It feels airy because of the glassy front and roof There are no visors so you need a wide brimmed chapeau for low angle sun If on the other hand it’s wet the demist fan will struggle Every surface bar the seat padding is Tupperware hard The welded square section steel frame is naked all round the perimeter The seats themselves might have been lifted from an airport departure lounge The passenger one is fixed a long way back which makes space ahead of their feet for luggage A wheeled airline carry on will fit Feeling in the holiday mood yet?
It’s charming but basic as can be probably more basic than you imagined You certainly didn’t imagine the crude noises at
mph The motor and its reduction gear whine prominently the suspension clonks and the superstructure rattles The ride is so stiff I actually wondered if there was suspension at all or if it was just tyre squidge doing the absorbing But no there is a bit of actual travel So why isn’t it softer? Search me
It doesn’t so much accelerate as accrete speed Never mind In the really confined bits of a city it can out accelerate pushbikes and easily keep up with that Lambo in front of you in the jam The steering is
sensibly geared and rather instinctive because it’s unpowered and the brakes do what they’re asked Also remember every city trip ends with parking and parking the Ami is smug joy
The Jeep is also all electric but it’s so different and so much more expensive you might wonder why we have the two side by side It can be your only vehicle Indeed that’s one of the best things about the Avenger Out on country roads and motorways it doesn’t even feel like a small car It’s got the refinement stability and comfort of something really quite a lot bigger than it is
Yet the Jeep feels well at home in a city It’s still small for an actual car shorter than most little crossovers even the related Vauxhall Mokka Its blocky outline makes it easy to thread down narrow streets and all round black plastic protection will save the day when you get it slightly wrong Because it’s set up for mild off roading the short overhangs and long suspension travel make light work of speed bumps and potholes Its height means it’ll carry adults in the back There’s a proper boot In those senses it has the advantages of a mini G AMG So for any city work carrying more than one passenger and more than a little luggage it’s the no brainer choice versus the Ami
It’s also rather pleasant to be in It’s one of those cars that seems to have been designed by people who enjoyed their job It’s not tricksy or cute and it’s not overwrought It’s just that the shapes textures colours and graphics are modern and cohere really nicely
So the Jeep does well in the city Now please don’t think of the Citroen as a cheap alternative to a car Rather it’s an expensive alternative to an electric bicycle warmer drier and able to carry a passenger Its mile range is just fine as that gives you five hours of solid driving in London Take an Ami beyond the mph zone though and you’re stuffed Whereas the Jeep is literally just getting going
If your life philosophy says any more than just enough is too much then the Ami is your city vehicle In that context it’s well focused cheap low impact personal transport Trouble is its argument collapses for most because an Ami will be an additional rather than substitutional vehicle The Jeep could be your only car It’s four times as expensive but I guarantee you’d use it at least four times as much