The well-known American automotive model Jeep, a part of the worldwide conglomerate Stellantis, has not too long ago launched its first all-electric automobile to the Australian market: the Jeep Avenger, a compact SUV.
After receiving a collection of accolades in Europe following its launch in early 2023, the Avenger arrives in Australia practically two years later, coming into a aggressive panorama of electrical SUVs.
Manufactured in Tychy, Poland, the Avenger’s pricing begins at $49,990 for the bottom Longitude variant, rising to $54,990 and $60,990 for the Restricted and Summit variants, respectively, earlier than further on-road prices. All variants come geared up with a front-wheel drive motor and a 54 kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack, delivering a WLTP vary of 396 km for the Longitude and Restricted trims, whereas the Summit variant provides a barely decrease vary of 390 km because of its bigger 18-inch wheels. The take a look at automobile was a Summit mannequin in Solar paint, with a driveaway price of roughly $66,900 in New South Wales.
A Miniaturized Traditional Jeep
Jeep positions the Avenger as an embodiment of the "Jeep journey spirit" and asserts its functionality to traverse numerous terrains, due to options like Selec-Terrain and Hill Descent Management drive modes. With a floor clearance of 200 mm, it ranks seventh amongst electrical automobiles, trailing behind fashions from Toyota and Subaru that high out with 212 mm.
The Avenger’s exterior is unmistakably Jeep, highlighted by the long-lasting 7-slot entrance grille, although it’s strong black plastic on this mannequin, permitting air to chill the automobile via the decrease fascia. Conventional Jeep parts equivalent to 360-degree physique safety panels and skid plates are included to safeguard the paintwork throughout off-road excursions.
Upon nearer inspection, the Avenger’s compact dimensions are evident. It measures simply over 4 meters in size and 1.5 meters in top, making it the smallest Jeep at the moment accessible. Its platform is predicated on e-CMP2, which will even underpin the upcoming Alfa Romeo Junior, a refinement of the unique e-CMP used within the Peugeot e-2008.
The restricted dimension of the Avenger was notably noticeable when trying to suit a wood desk that I constructed with my uncle into the boot. The desk’s dimensions—1565 mm lengthy, 470 mm deep, and 700 mm excessive—required us to take away the headrests and recline the entrance passenger seat way back to attainable to squeeze it in, nearly stopping the tailgate from closing correctly.
Primary Inside, Restricted Consolation for Rear Passengers
The Avenger’s inside is designed for journey, that includes strong laborious plastic surfaces all through which might be simple to scrub and preserve. Nevertheless, lengthy drives reveal some discomfort, with noticeable laborious edges on the middle console and insufficient padding within the armrests.
The entrance seats supply affordable consolation, though all fashions function guide changes, apart from a 6-way powered driver’s seat with a therapeutic massage perform accessible within the Summit variant. Ample storage is positioned between the entrance seats and alongside the dashboard for small objects, with adjustable dividers in a single storage tray to create cup holders. Sadly, the glovebox stands as the one enclosed storage choice.
Rear seating is disappointing, missing normal options equivalent to cup holders, an armrest, air vents, and door pockets. Rear passengers can entry solely map pockets and a single USB-C charging port, the latter being accessible solely within the Restricted and Summit trims. House within the again is constrained; my two teenage boys remarked on its tightness, suggesting that almost all adults would discover it uncomfortable for something aside from brief journeys, compounded by the ground hump and slim hole making cross-side exits difficult.
The entrance and rear seats’ configuration highlights how the Avenger prioritizes entrance passenger house over these within the again, which can not swimsuit households needing frequent rears seat use.
On a constructive observe, infotainment is managed by two 10.25-inch screens supporting wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nevertheless, the central touchscreen feels outdated in comparison with newer, bigger, and extra responsive shows in different automobiles.
Beneath the central display, there is a set of buttons for fast entry to residence, settings, hazard lights, and local weather controls. Nevertheless, menu settings on the show may be primary and unintuitive, with restricted choices for displaying metrics like journey meters past on the spot consumption.
Driving Expertise and Effectivity
The driving expertise within the Jeep Avenger resembles that of a standard combustion engine automobile, with a begin/cease button and minimal regenerative braking choices—solely ‘D’ or ‘B’ modes, the latter providing considerably weak regenerative capabilities. Drivers should additionally preserve their foot on the brake at stops, as there isn’t any auto-hold function.
Stopping can really feel jerky, given the spongy brake pedal that turns into grabby because the automobile transitions from regenerative to friction braking. Sometimes, the Avenger feels underpowered, particularly when needing to speed up shortly on highways. With a 0-100 km/h time of 9 seconds, it doesn’t compete with the quicker EVs, however there isn’t any noticeable torque steer from the front-wheel-drive system.
As soon as at velocity, the Avenger handles corners capably and smooths out tough roads, benefitting from snug suspension. Drive modes embody eco, regular, and sport, together with off-road picks for sand, snow, and dust. I examined it on a gravel street pocked with potholes, the place it carried out surprisingly nicely, lending some credence to Jeep’s journey claims.
Impressively, the Avenger turned out to be probably the most environment friendly EVs examined, rivaling the refreshed Tesla Mannequin 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and outperforming smaller automobiles just like the Fiat 500e. Throughout my week with the Avenger, I usually recorded efficiencies as little as 12 or 13 kWh on city journeys, indicating that the claimed 390 km WLTP vary is lifelike.
This outstanding effectivity stems from its economical electrical motor and comparatively gentle weight of 1,520 kg, lighter than the unique Hyundai Ioniq. By comparability, most similar-sized electrical SUVs sometimes weigh between 1,800 and 1,900 kg, showcasing a big weight benefit.
Throughout a 146 km freeway journey, I consumed 44% of the battery, translating to about 15 kWh/100 km—realistically round 330 km of vary per full cost. For those who purpose to maintain the cost between 10% and 80% at DC quick chargers, this drops to roughly 230 km, which may pose anxiousness on lengthy journeys outdoors of well-serviced charging areas.
The Avenger helps a most DC quick charging velocity of 100 kW, and its usable battery capability of 51 kWh permits for a decent charging time of 24 minutes from 20% to 80%. Furthermore, a typical charging curve implies that reaching 10% to 80% ought to stay below half-hour.
The adaptive cruise management capabilities successfully, adjusting the automobile’s velocity based on surrounding site visitors circumstances. Though lane centering is out there within the Restricted and Summit trims, it often tends to float towards one facet of the lane slightly than sustaining a centered place.
Security options have been usually unobtrusive and didn’t require disabling, which is a welcome reduction in comparison with overly delicate programs in some trendy automobiles. Nevertheless, a low rating of 54 within the ANCAP security help class contributed to an general score of simply 3 out of 5 stars.
Guarantee, Servicing, and Security Options
Jeep offers a 5-year or 100,000 km guarantee for the Avenger, with an industry-standard battery guarantee of 8 years or 160,000 km. The beneficial service interval is each 12 months or 12,500 km, with capped-price servicing at $250 for the primary 5 years. Clients additionally profit from lifetime roadside help when servicing their automobile via Jeep.
One downside is the absence of a spare tire, solely a tire restore equipment resides below the boot ground alongside a vibrant yellow Kind 2 charging cable. For European fashions, the Avenger has a towing capability of 1,200 kg, however Australian documentation at the moment signifies a towing capability of 0 kg, which means it’s not rated for towing.
Current information concerning the Jeep Avenger revealed its 3-star ANCAP crash take a look at end result, attributed to common scores for grownup (79) and baby occupant safety (71), together with below-par scores for susceptible street consumer safety (59) and security help (54).
This efficiency is disheartening for Jeep, particularly when competitor EVs such because the Volvo EX30, Zeekr X, Leapmotor C10, and XPeng G6 have scored 5 stars, attaining sturdy scores throughout the board—in distinction, the Zeekr X boasts scores of 91 and 87 for grownup and baby occupant safety, respectively, together with 84 for susceptible street consumer safety and security help.
Closing Ideas
Jeep markets the Avenger as a mix of its conventional DNA and a spirit of journey, with promotional photos showcasing it traversing rugged grime roads. Nevertheless, its front-wheel-drive configuration, lack of a spare tire, restricted vary, and No-Load (V2L) functionality could hinder its suitability for tenting or different outside actions.
The restrained rear house and facilities additionally point out that the Avenger might not be essentially the most sensible alternative for households requiring common rear seat utilization. Households searching for a extra spacious and cozy small electrical SUV may discover a rising record of options.
Regardless of these limitations, I discovered the Avenger pleasing to drive; maybe the general expertise compensates for particular person drawbacks. It additionally boasts strengths like good floor clearance, a light-weight design, and noteworthy effectivity in city settings.
Specs Abstract Desk for the Jeep Avenger
- Variant: Longitude, Restricted, Summit
- Beginning Value (excludes on-road prices): $49,990, $54,990, $60,990
- Paint Choices: Seven colours together with Ruby, Snow, Volcano, Granite, Solar, Lake, and Stone; a two-tone Volcano roof is elective on the Restricted, whereas the Summit contains it.
- Battery Measurement: 54 kWh gross, 51 kWh usable
- Battery Chemistry and Producer: Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC), Stellantis
- Vary WLTP: 396 km (Longitude), 390 km (Restricted and Summit)
- Driving Wheels: Entrance-wheel drive
- Energy/Torque: 115 kW / 260 Nm
- Most Charging Pace: 100 kW DC, 7 kW AC (Longitude), 100 kW DC, 11 kW AC (Restricted and Summit)
- Charging Time: 11 kW DC (0 – 100 %) – 5 hours 34 minutes; 100 kW DC (20 – 80 %) – 24 minutes
- Dimensions: Size: 4,084 mm, Width: 1,797 mm, Top: 1,534 mm, Wheelbase: 2,557 mm, Floor Clearance: 200 mm
- Kerb Weight: 1,520 kg
- Storage House: Boot quantity: 355 L (rear seats up), 1,250 L (rear seats folded)
- Service Interval: 12 months / 12,500 km
