Jeep has needed more time than other brands in the Stellantis group to launch a fully electric car, but it already has it. The most off-road brand on the market has chosen an urban SUV to enter the world of zero emissions.
It is called Jeep Avenger and it also comes to Spain with a gasoline version that makes it one of the cheapest models in its category.
Jeep was one of the first brands to launch a B-segment SUV with the Renegade. Almost 10 years have passed since then and throughout this time urban SUVs have become the kings of the market, so Jeep no longer has enough with the Renegade.
Despite its seniority, this model will continue to be sold, in fact, in recent years it has released a PHEV variant with a ZERO label and another hybrid micro with an ECO label, so the American brand only needed to have an electric to cover all the possible options in this segment.
But that car has not come from the Renegade, but from the Jeep Avenger, the new SUV B from the American firm that will share the category with the veteran Renegade. Of course, in Spain, the Avenger does not bet everything on electrification and is available with a gasoline engine which makes it one of the cheapest alternatives in its category.
But that is only in our market and in a few other countries where the purchasing power and sales of electric cars are not at the level of the rest of Europe, such as Italy and Portugal. Although this gasoline version will sell especially well in Spain, the novelty that the Avenger brings is that it is the first 100% electric Jeep.
The brand has taken advantage of Stellantis technology to develop it, so it shares the platform, engine, and battery with other urban SUVs in the group, such as the Opel Mokka and the Peugeot 2008.
It is based on the CMP modular architecture, although Jeep assures that it has modified it by 60% for this car, it uses the same electric motor of 156 CV and 260 Nm of torque as the Peugeot e-208 GT, the recently presented Peugeot e- 2008 or the Opel Astra Electric.
Urban, but Jeep
The battery, for its part, is lithium-ion with a capacity of 54 kWh (51 kWh useful) and is shared with the aforementioned Peugeot e-2008 that has just been renewed.
Due to dimensions, it is a little smaller than the Jeep Renegade and, compared to the rest of the models in the segment, it is also smaller in size, although its robust design, typically Jeep, hides it very well. It measures 4.08 meters long, 1.77 meters wide and 1.53 meters high.
If we talk about its off-road dimensions, it is one step ahead of its competitors, including the Jeep Renegade. Its ground clearance is 20 cm and the angles of the body are not bad for a model in this segment: the entrance is 20 degrees, the exit is 32 degrees and the ventral is 20 degrees.
It is not enough to go off-road, but it does allow you to be less careful when driving on roads or tracks. On the other hand, it's Jeep's way of distinguishing itself from the many B-SUVs for sale and contributing its DNA to a car that shares so much genetics with its Stellantis cousins.
Aware of this, Jeep has used the brand image and there are several references to the firm's history hidden in the Avenger, such as the Willys grill found on the bumper and wheels.
Jeep has also set out to combine form with function and, in addition to those aesthetic nods, has taken practicality into account when designing the Avenger.
With the aim of leaving less exposed the points of the bodywork that are most susceptible to bumps and scratches, such as the corners of the bumpers and the headlights, the American brand has incorporated extra protections on the exterior of this SUV.
Another formula that Jeep bets on to attract its customers with the Avenger is customization; In addition to offering very complete catalogs of colors and rims, you can opt for vinyl, stickers for the grill, and different moldings for the interior, where aesthetics and functionality coexist.
Instead of using colorful materials that do not stand the test of time very well, such as piano black plastic, and dispensing with the usual buttons to incorporate touch controls, inside the passenger compartment, we find hard plastics, physical buttons, many storage compartments, and good ergonomics.
Well equipped, but there is not enough space
The dashboard doesn't feel as soft to the touch as higher-end models, but it doesn't feel cheap either, and it feels like it's built to stand the test of time.
In general, the feeling that the Avenger transmits is robust, although we will have to see how the tablet-type cover that Jeep has chosen to hide the objects that are left on the center console endures over the years. It is an original detail, but anyone who has a tablet or mobile phone with a case of this type will have found that they wear out quickly.
As for ergonomics, it is good because everything is at hand. Today, it is difficult for a brand to design an interior with equal attention to function and form, but Jeep has done it and has not put aesthetics above all else.
There are physical buttons on the steering wheel, for the climate control and to regulate the volume of the multimedia, in addition to direct access to the key functions under the touch screen. You don't have to do everything through the central screen and, although some brands find it difficult to understand, drivers appreciate it.
There's plenty of storage space, too, and the driving position is comfortable. It's easy to find the right position, it has a central armrest and the seats are comfortable, although they don't support the body very well.
And it's not like it's giving up digitization either because the central screen is large (10.25”) and the two highest finishes have a customizable digital panel with various display modes, including one that allows you to see the browser's map.
It is the formula of the other Stellantis B SUVs but mixed with the hallmarks of Jeep. Now, in terms of habitability, it is not as superior as its older brothers, it is not even at the level of the Renegade.
The trunk is average for the segment, with 380 liters in the gasoline version and 355 liters in the electric version, but the rear seats seemed very fair in width and legroom. They are quite high, but access to them is not good either because the opening angle of the doors is rather low.
As in any car in the segment, the central rear seat is only used for children or emergencies, but other electric models in the category have a flat floor in this area, but the Avenger does not.
But neither is it a car designed for traveling, at least not on a regular basis, because it has an urban focus, although its design and Jeep's own philosophy invite you to make more trips out of the city than the rest of urban SUVs.
And it shouldn't be a problem with any of the engines it's available with. It is true that the 1.2 turbo gasoline block may fall somewhat short with its 100 hp and 205 Nm of torque, but this version of the Avenger weighs just over 1,250 kg, so it shouldn't move badly.
In fact, on paper, the gasoline Avenger accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds, but we will have to wait to drive it to see what it is capable of. For now, we've only gotten behind the wheel of the electric Jeep Avenger.
Jeep does not bet everything on electrification
With its 156 CV and 260 Nm of torque, this variant promises better performance than the gasoline (0 to 100 km/h in 9 seconds), but we must not forget that it is considerably heavier than the Avenger 1.2 turbo because the battery and the electric motor take it slightly above 1,600 kg.
In practice, the 156 CV allow you to move with enough agility in any scenario, but they shine more in the city than on the highway, not so much because of the performance offered by the engine, but because of its tuning. In this sense, it is very reminiscent of its French cousins, the Peugeot e-208 and e-2008, and has more similarities with them than with the Renegade.
The suspension is rather soft and the steering has little weight. And that's good in the city because it drives and parks very easily, but it's not so positive on the highway because there is a lack of information through the steering wheel and a lower level of assistance is missing when cornering, even with Sport mode activated.
For this reason and due to the soft setting of the suspension, the Avenger always invites you to drive at a calm pace, it does not reach the level of a Citroën ë-C4, but it cannot be compared with the Opel Mokka-e either, which gives the sensation of being more agile, despite the fact that it shares a platform with the Jeep and is less powerful (136 CV). The Jeep is similar to the Peugeot e-2008 and falls somewhere in between.
It also shares with its Stellantis relatives a good interior insulation that contributes to making it comfortable, although what is mentioned above also contributes: to comfortable seats, a good driving position, and more than correct ergonomics.
You can, therefore, leave the city without any problem, but you must take into account the same limitation that all-electric cars have: autonomy. It certifies up to 400 kilometers between charging, in line with the rest of the zero-emissions segments B and C, and when charging it can be done at powers of up to 100 kW in direct current.
That way, it would take just over 20 minutes to recover 20 to 80% of your battery capacity. With alternating current it is satisfied with a maximum charging power of 5.5 kW.
The usual, can you travel with it? The answer is simple: if you plan your route very well and know where to load, of course, you can, but it is clear that with the gasoline version, it will be easier.
The electric one, on the other hand, stands out much more in the city, not only because it has plenty of autonomy to cover the journeys of most drivers without having to charge for several days, but also because it is more comfortable and moves better.
What Jeep is doing with the Avenger is reaching a broader number of customers by not limiting itself to offering only the 100% electric version. And it makes sense because the Avenger is one of the most important products for Jeep in recent years.
Also because this segment has a huge public and this car is one of the ones with the most personality in the entire category, which is why it is bound to sell well, although it may have done better if it were also offered with the new micro-hybrid mechanics. Peugeot 2008.
It is highly probable that, at least in the short term, Jeep will sell more gasoline than electric units in our country, but the brand is taking a step forward because, until now, it has not sold any electric car and with the Avenger it is entering the world of zero emissions. Later, more electric Jeeps of higher categories and a more off-road electric version of the Avenger will arrive.
It is already on sale for 23,300 euros
And it is easy to make this last prediction because,
regardless of whether it is electric or gasoline, what matters to many buyers
is the price: the electric starts at 37,500 euros and the gasoline starts at
23,300 euros.
PVP
- JEEP AVENGER BEV 37.500 €
- JEEP AVENGER LONGITUDE BEV 38.500 €
- JEEP AVENGER ALTITUDE BEV 40.500 €
- JEEP AVENGER SUMMIT BEV 42.500 €
In both cases, there are four trim levels: Avenger,
Longitude, Altitude, and Summit. The basic model comes standard with 16"
steel wheels, LED lights, rain sensor, 10.25" central touch screen,
driving mode selector, descent control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto, signal recognition traffic, and lane keeping assistant, among other
things.
- PVP
- JEEP AVENGER 1.2 100 CV 23.300 €
- JEEP AVENGER 1.2 100 CV LONGITUDE 24.500 €
- JEEP AVENGER 1.2 100 CV ALTITUDE 26.200 €
- JEEP AVENGER 1.2 100 CV SUMMIT 28.700 €
The Longitude adds 16” alloy wheels and a rear parking sensor. The Altitude adds the so-called premium seats, which are the ones carried by the unit that we tested at first contact and said that they are comfortable, in addition to the digital panel with a 10.25” screen and a hands-free electric tailgate.
Finally, the Summit has LED taillights, multicolor interior
ambient lighting, level 2 autonomous driving (lane keeping assist and adaptive
cruise control), front and rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera with a
top-down view.
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