First electric Jeep is a small SUV that puts on-road manners well ahead of off-road ability On sale June Price from £34,800
Will Nightingale will.nightingale@haymarket.com
NOT EXACTLY A friendly name, is it? Especially given that the new Avenger is a remarkably affable car. Perhaps it’s been sent to avenge the unfavourable star ratings we’ve given most of Jeep’s model line-up over the past few years.
But joking aside, the Avenger is a very different proposition from the famous American brand. For starters, it’s the first fully electric car in Jeep’s 80-odd-year history. It’s also tiny (barely any longer than a Volkswagen Polo) and it doesn’t even have four-wheel drive.
This small SUV is intended to rival the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008 (with which, incidentally, the Avenger shares its basic underpinnings). Does that mean it’s a better Jeep for those who plan to drive on the road (in other words, most of us) rather than traversing the Rubicon Trail?
Powered by a single 154bhp electric motor, the Avenger accelerates from 0-62mph in 9.0sec. Granted, that’s fairly modest performance by broader electric car standards (the Kona Electric and Niro EV are noticeably quicker to build speed), but you’ll always be able to keep pace with fast-moving traffic in the Avenger, even on the motorway.
The Avenger has a slightly larger battery (51kWh usable capacity) than the e-2008 and its other siblings (from Citroën, DS and Vauxhall). That means it can go farther on a charge, and its official range of 245-249 miles (depending on trim) is more than respectable. For some context, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric has an official range of 209 miles and the Kona Electric 39kWh 189 miles. Mind you, the 64kWh version of the Kona promises 300 miles between charges and the Niro EV 285 miles.
In the real world, expect to get between 180 and 220 miles from a full charge – depending on the weather and how quickly you’re driving. And when you need to top up, the Avenger can accept up to 100kW of power, for a 10-80% top-up in around 25 minutes. That’s faster than you can charge a Niro EV or MG ZS EV.
The Avenger feels most at home in urban environments, where its light steering and relatively tight turning circle make it a doddle to manoeuvre. It also responds smoothly and predictably to accelerator inputs, and has a more feelsome brake pedal than many rivals. That makes it easy to slow your progress smoothly without your passengers thinking you’ve only just passed your test. That said, if you select ‘B’ mode, you won’t need to use the brake pedal
