Launched just over a decade ago, the Renegade pioneered the idea that a Jeep could be compact. Buyers worldwide immediately loved this B segment model but back then something even smaller than the 4,230 mm long SUV seemed unlikely. All that changed with the merger of PSA and FCA, with plans drawn up for an even more compact and, for the first time, electric vehicle.
Straddling the A and B segments
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Although it seemed at first that the 4,084 mm long and 1,776 mm wide Avenger would be mainly an EV, Stellantis quickly decided to offer petrol power too. A wise move. In certain countries, this means a 1.2-litre engine but more widely available is a 1.2-litre mild hybrid alternative. The EV though remains the most powerful variant.
The little SUV is manufactured solely in Poland and has a lot in common with the Fiat 600 and Alfa Junior. Each also shares a platform with the Peugeot 2008 and Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, among others. The electric Jeep has a 115 kW (156 PS) motor and a battery pack with a 54-kilowatt-hour nominal capacity, of which 51 kWh is usable. Drive is to the front axle though for those buyers who want AWD, that has now become available for the mild hybrid 4xe.
Pricing is a strongpoint, in a segment where the entrants are many and not all are big on value. It also helps that the brand’s reputation for ruggedness has been applied to not only how the Avenger looks on the outside but inside too. Yes there is a lot of grey plastic but somehow this works in the car’s favour. So too the durable-looking upholstery should survive the worst of what, say, toddlers can throw at it.
Six power & traction settings
Stellantis didn’t design this car to be the roomiest in the class – the wheelbase is just 2,560 mm – so it’s more a vehicle best suited to those with young kids, or who for other reasons don’t need a huge amount of back-seat space. Having said that, the boot’s capacity is very good, as are places for stowing odds and ends, such as the door pockets and not one but two central cubby-bins.
It might be two-wheel drive, yet there are multiple options for various conditions. In addition to the expected Normal, Eco and Sport, Stellantis also specifies Sand, Mud and Snow settings. So it’s a real Jeep then? Well, sort of. As mentioned, it certainly looks the part and test conditions during my time with the Avenger included wet and near-icy roads. Never did this EV feel anything but sure of itself, never did it spin a wheel. Even when torque is there in abundance, that being 260 Nm.
Real world range: circa 200 miles
I chose Eco as the default to see what effect that might have on the range. Knowing it drops power to half the maximum level, this was the ideal way to get as close as possible to the 244 claimed miles between charges. Being winter, the reality is about 200 but in summer I would suspect around 220, perhaps more, would be possible.
Choosing Sport makes the Avenger decidedly brisk but yes, you then have less than 180 miles as your reality. At first, Eco mode feels almost hazardously tardy but a boost of acceleration is just a button press away. So those settings are in fact quite handy and not the gimmicks I initially expected them to be. Also, slipping into B mode – for regenerative braking – is nicely smooth without the dragging effect of some rivals.
The test vehicle had noticeable buffeting around the top of the driver’s window though perhaps that was because all else was commendably silent. Unlike many EVs, there didn’t seem to be any distinctive tone that could be heard from inside the car. It’s there – to let pedestrians know – but only audible to those who need to hear it.
Nippy in the city
It took me several days to decide that the Avenger is really mainly a great little vehicle for city conditions. Sure it looks the part yet even with its 200 mm of ground clearance I wouldn’t take it off-road (would any owner, for that matter?). That isn’t a criticism. The steering is on the light side and that’s fine, while the suspension was a great surprise, managing a convincing compromise between comfort and keeping things on the firmer side.
Jeep’s smallest model is commendably narrow and has a fantastic turning circle. Plus those big buttons for P-R-N-D rather than the fiddly-slow switch of so many Stellantis vehicles make low-speed direction changes a breeze. They’re also the same as in Maseratis. How cool is that?
Another round of applause too for there being physical HVAC controls as well as a touchscreen that’s not too large. This does vary in size, however, the smallest one being seven inches in diameter on the base Longitude trim level. Higher priced Altitude and Summit grades get 10+ inches-displays.
Next from Jeep
The Renegade may be more than a decade old but we need to wait until 2026 to see its successor. Coming this year though is a new generation of the larger Compass, the existing model having once been a huge seller, especially in Italy and the USA. Developed with the codename of J4U, it will be revealed in September, and, according to Stellantis, built at the Melfi plant and STLA M-based.
Using the group’s Medium architecture will mean not only front- and all-wheel drive but, like the Avenger, electric and MHEV propulsion systems. Uncertainty suddenly now hangs over one key piece of this global project puzzle however, in that the officially disclosed plans to manufacture it in Canada (Brampton, Ontario) were recently “paused”.
A-B-C segments sales boosts?
The next Compass, plus the recent expansion of the Avenger line-up with the addition of 4xe all-wheel drive variants (not for the EV), not to mention the Renegade’s successor, should all give Jeep a major boost within the next year or two. And as sales of electric vehicles in general bounce back in Britain, the brand’s smallest model could increasingly make a bigger impact than its diminutive dimensions might otherwise suggest.
The Jeep Avenger Full-Electric is priced from GBP29,999. It can be charged from 20-80 percent in a claimed 24 minutes and has a maximum stated range of 248 miles.
