The spirit of Jeep
If an electric front-drive crossover can be a Jeep, what exactly does the badge mean? We delve into its convoluted history to find out
This is not a road test. This is an automotive paternity test and Iam the doctor, ready with my syringe or swab or, er, plastic cup, or whatever doctors use to do paternity tests.
The test is important because the new Jeep Avenger might be an imposter and we need to prove a genetic relationship. Yes, it has a Jeep badge, but the Avenger is a compact electric family hatchback with front-wheel drive for Heaven’s sake. That doesn’t sound like a Jeep! And there are rumours that Peugeot and Vauxhall might have been involved in its conception. This needs resolving before it turns into a full-blown family scandal.
So we’ve brought along a couple of ancestors to see how the Avenger measures up. First there’s Grandpa, a 1955 ex-military M38A1, everyone’s idea of what a Jeep should look like; and then cousin Cherokee, an XJ-series SUV, built in 2000.
And we’re not going to give the Avenger an easy time on urban roads or a school run, oh no. We’re going off-road to do some green-laning in the pouring rain, the kind of adventure that has a REAL Jeep saying: ‘Yes! Mud in my face! Cold water down the back of my socks! Awesome!’
Despite my suspicions, the new Avenger gets off to a good start by simply looking great. The Sun Yellow paint is a bit garish – I checked and sadly Jeep doesn’t offer a NATO Olive Drab option – but there’s no denying this is a handsome car. It’s very compact, just 4.08 metres long, smaller than a Mini Countryman. It’s also shorter than the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka EV with which it shares its Stellantis platform. The difference lies in the Jeep’s redesigned crash boxes, front and rear. These shorter overhangs give the Avenger its chunky, squared-off proportions. Combined with some muscle-flexing arches, that upright grille and taller-than-usual ground clearance (209mm) and it’s hard to deny the Avenger does look like a modern Jeep. Albeit one that’s shrunk in the wash.
Inside, the interior also has plenty of character, with some body-colour highlights and a wide dashboard shelf for collecting toffees and parking tickets. All the tech and touchscreens you’d expect are here, and I’m soon hooked up with Apple CarPlay and on my way.
But there’s a disappointment waiting for you when you get on the road. With a 54kWh battery and a single 154bhp e-motor driving the front wheels, the Avenger’s performance is surprisingly subdued. Surprising because – as anyone who’s driven an EV knows – electric power usually gives you an instant surge of to
