Gliding in the wilds
The Jeep Avenger is the off-road specialist’s first foray into pure electric motoring – but don’t expect all-wheel-drive. Words and pictures by Frederic Manby.
FOR a company rooted in making off-road cars for the world’s toughest trails, is it that surprising that Jeep comes late to the electric revolution? And then when it finally does make this bridge from electric hybrid to pure electric, is it another surprise that the Jeep is not all-wheel-drive but merely frontwheel-drive?
Here, looking Jeepish is that car, the likeable Avenger, designed in Europe for Europe and built in Poland alongside the Fiat 500. The stated combined range on a fully charged battery is “up to” 249 miles, and 342 miles in city driving. Prices start at £35,700 for the wellequipped Latitude model.
Apart from the absence of all-wheel-drive, this compact SUV is ready for something challenging. It has Peugeot’s grip-sensing traction on the front wheels, a raised chassis with a minimum clearance of around eight inches rising to nine inches under the shield which protects the electric battery and has a similar wading depth.
Off-road settings from the brand’s Selec-Terrain are sand, mud and snow. There is hill-descent speed control, usually only fitted to 4x4s. There are short front and rear body overhangs to avoid snagging the chin and buttocks on humps. There is scuff protection on all the edges and the wheel arches that let the large wheels extend beyond the sides of the cabin.
The platform – the bit you can’t see under the body – comes from Stellantis, the company which owns Chrysler Jeep and brands such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall. Some of them use the same electric drive system but not with the off-road focus of the Avenger.
The baby Jeep has stiffer suspension settings which resist vertical and lateral pitching. In return for a sometimes firm ride in the back, you get a vehicle less likely to bottom out on tracks and rougher stuff the owners may encounter.
It came here in summer, rejoicing in its European Car of the Year title. A sticker on the back window says so. It easily outscored the electric Volkswagen Buzz and the electric Nissan Ariya.
“It is a complete car, not a city car. But above all, it has a design that rocks,” said Alberto Sabbatini, vice-president of Car of the Year organisation. Fair comment.
It is also quite a small car, narrow outside for nipping in and out, a bit pushed for shoulder width and rear leg room.
Jeep says six in ten Avenger buyers will be men. So what can this one add? Like any electric car it is nice to drive. It is quiet, swift and smooth to respond immediately to the pedal.
The motor is from a joint venture between Stellantis and a Japanese partner. On the Sport setting, it produces a maximum 154 brake horse power and 192 lb ft of immediate torque.
The driver can select Economy, which slashes the ratings to 81bhp and 133 lb ft and limits the heater output but helps the mileage range. Normal delivers 107bhp and 162 lb ft and is the default mode when you switch on. Full power is always available if you flatten the pedal.
I set off in Normal with a full battery showing a range of 244 miles. The conditions were favourable for range, not too cold, daylight, a splash of rain. I covered 101 miles of suburban and country routes, leaving a predicted range of 113 miles and 49 per cent battery capacity. Battery depletion had “lost” 30 predicted miles of range on that 101-mile trip. Jeep’s “up to 249 miles” is looking optimistic. Don’t panic. A 100 kWh charger will add 62 miles in nine minutes.
Its credentials extend to clever cabin features in the front, with a better than average selection of storage spots and total volume sufficient “to hold 580 ping pong balls” plus boot storage for 2,443 rubber ducks (size unspecified).
Two in three buyers will be 45 or older, says Jeep. Nine in ten will be new to the brand, which is surprising. I have no idea how they know this other than projecting results from sampling. My samplers (aged 32 and 58) liked it but found travel in the back seats rather spartan, without door pockets or wide perches for elbows.
‘The total volume is sufficient “to hold 580 ping pong balls” plus boot storage for 2,443 rubber ducks (size unspecified).’
Longitude models, from £35,700, have the Uconnect infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections with wireless screen mirroring, cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and the all-terrain drive mode selector. Active driving aids include intelligent speed assistant, lane departure warning and lane guidance, emergency braking for all road users, traffic sign recognition, and drowsy driver detection.
There are A and C USB ports in the front, and a two-tier boot floor, 11kW on board charging and a home AC charging cable.
Altitude models (£37,400) add 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and locking and a handsfree power tailgate. Inside, there is a larger TFT cluster screen, adaptive cruise control and a C USB port for rear passengers.
The £39,600 Summit model brings fancy 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, taillights and fog lamps, and automatic folding electric heated door mirrors with puddle lights. There is an effective heated windscreen, heated front seats, wireless phone charging and an urban blind spot alert.
The current plan (before the UK’s recent extension of the 2030 electric deadline to 2035) is that all Jeeps will be fully electric by 2030. There is much to do. The Avenger, for example, will be available with 4x all-wheel-drive later next year. Whether it is all-electric or plugin hybrid has not been confirmed. The latter would mean it could tow and there would be a longer range without the need to recharge.
Jeep Avenger. Price: £35,700 (£42,125 for Summit, as tested), motor: 54kWh electric, power: 154bhp, torque: 192lb/ft, transmission: automatic, top speed: 93mph, 0-62mph: 9.6 seconds, economy: on test, 3.8m/kWh, range: up to 249 miles, CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, length: 158 inches.