Jeep Avenger review - Electric motor, drive & performance

Our first experiences of the Jeep Avenger were in the electric version. On a twisty road, the Avenger suffers from minimal body lean for a boxy crossover, and it’s relatively light and small for a crossover EV, helping to boost its agility. The car’s steering is nicely weighted and as a result, the Avenger feels a lot more fun to drive than its Stellantis Group cousin, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric.

One thing to note is that the petrol car feels slightly different in terms of its handling and performance. While there’s still not too much body lean through the corners, the trade-off is that the petrol Avenger can feel a bit skittish and bouncy on rougher roads. This isn’t so noticeable in the EV, and it could be due to the lack of a heavy battery pack to help keep the ride settled.

This also isn’t such an issue in the 4xe version, which gets a unique multi-link rear suspension setup that improves ride quality, boosts its wading depth by 10mm and makes it more capable off-road.

Other than ‘Normal’ and ‘Eco’ modes, the Avenger also offers three more driving modes that are specifically designed for slippery conditions: Mud, Sand and Snow. Despite only being front-wheel-drive, clever software means the Avenger can deal with trickier terrain than other cars in its class. An increased ride height also helps Jeep’s EV to glide over larger obstacles, while a special hill descent mode allows for controlled movement down steep slopes. 

Thanks to that lifted suspension, the Jeep Avenger is well-equipped to deal with bumpy, pothole-laden British roads – even with top-spec Summit models’ larger 18-inch alloys the ride is acceptable. Our only complaint is that there’s a bit of wind noise when driving over 60mph, no doubt due to the Avenger’s boxy shape and fairly large door mirrors.

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Electric version

The electric model comes with a single front-mounted electric motor, although its output depends on which of the several drive modes you are in. In ‘Normal’, the Avenger outputs 107bhp, which drops further to just 87bhp in ‘Eco’ mode to preserve range. Both of these feel somewhat sluggish once up to speed, although instantly available torque means the Avenger still feels relatively nippy when darting between traffic lights in town.

When placed into the ‘Sport’ setting, the Avenger will produce its maximum output of 154bhp and will crack 0-62mph in nine seconds. While this doesn’t sound exactly mind-bending either, the pickup from 0-30mph feels faster than the numbers suggest, plus there’s very little whine from the electric motor, making the car feel incredibly refined. We do feel a more powerful dual-motor model would be a fine addition to the range, however.

Our test car was a Summit model which sat on 18-inch alloys. Despite the wheels’ larger size, the ride was acceptable, so drivers will likely find the ride on lower-spec models with the smaller wheels even smoother.

Brake regeneration when you take your foot off the accelerator isn’t enough for ‘one-pedal driving’, but it does slow the car noticeably and Jeep claims it can extend the electric car’s range to 360 miles in stop-start traffic.

Petrol engines

The petrol and mild-hybrid petrol Jeep Avengers use the same 1.2-litre engine found in other cars under the Stellantis umbrella, such as the Vauxhall Mokka and Peugeot 2008. The standard petrol gets 99bhp and a six-speed manual, while the e-Hybrid’s electric motor improves efficiency while keeping the same power figure and gets a six-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox.

The 4xe model is based on the mild-hybrid with four-wheel drive, a raised ride height and all-season tyres, so if you’re after an even more off-road-capable experience, it might be the version to go for.

We tested the 99bhp petrol Avenger on British roads, which replaces the near-silent hum of the electric motor with a deep-chested and somewhat gruff three-cylinder engine note. Some drivers will find it more characterful, even if it’s not quite as relaxing. It’s got a reasonable amount of grunt, so it feels nippy enough without you having to work the engine too hard.

When we tested the 99bhp petrol Jeep Avenger on British roads, we found it needed to be worked quite hard on faster roads and up hills, and as a result its gruff three-cylinder engine’s noise really makes itself known from the cabin, so it’s a lot less refined than the EV. Most of the time it’s nippy enough on moderate inclines, but it feels underpowered on steeper hills.

While the gear shift itself isn’t too bad, we weren’t fans of the large gear knob and it’s worth noting the clutch feels slightly heavier than some rivals, without making it somewhat tiring in traffic. The stop-start in our test car was a bit unpredictable, though, which may lead to a lot of owners simply turning it off.

While Jeep markets the Avenger e-Hybrid as its ‘entry-point to electrification’, the changes to its powertrain aren’t significant enough to warrant that claim. It’s only really a mild-hybrid, adding a small dose of electrical assistance for improved efficiency and an automatic gearbox. Once you consider it as such, it actually makes more sense, and only costs about £1,700 over the standard petrol.

On the move in the e-Hybrid, the transition between petrol and electric power is almost seamless – the only way you’d know when the engine drops in or out is when the gauge cluster glows blue to signify it. 

The mild-hybrid system makes for quiet driving most of the time, but if you put your foot down and increase the revs, you soon hear the 1.2-litre three-cylinder spring into life. The automatic gearbox is fairly responsive, shifting up and down quickly in Normal drive mode, but holding onto the gears for longer in Sport to eek more performance out of the engine – there are even paddles should you wish to shift manually, though it’s more suited to doing its own thing. It comes with regenerative braking, too, which isn’t quite strong enough to enable one-pedal driving, but can still feel a little aggressive and abrupt, for example on the motorway – we’d prefer more levels of adjustment for this feature, as there’s currently just one.

The 4xe feels fairly sprightly off the line thanks to the help from its extra electric motor, but the transition between its petrol and electric power can be a bit juddery, with the petrol engine often cutting in even at parking speeds. The petrol engine does at least settle to a faint hum at cruising speeds.

With improved traction from its all-wheel drive system and bumpers designed to avoid rubbing the car on steep slopes, the Avenger 4xe feels far more capable off-road than its owners are ever likely to need. In fact, it can negotiate tracks you’d seriously think twice about tackling in such a small SUV.