Petrol-powered Jeep Avenger offers £8,000 price cut over all-electric model

Originally launched in electric-only form, the Avenger compact SUV is now available with pure-petrol power, while a petrol mild-hybrid version is arriving in 2024

A petrol-powered version of the new Jeep Avenger is finally available in the UK, priced from £27,600 – more than £8,000 cheaper than the most basic all-electric version of Jeep’s baby SUV.

Just 500 examples of the pure-petrol Avenger are headed for UK shores this year, each featuring a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech engine that can already be found in the other Stellantis models, such as the Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall Mokka. The three-pot motor produces 99bhp and 205Nm of torque, can return around 42mpg, and will be paired exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox.

This initial run of pure-petrol Avengers are only available in a special trim level called Altitude+, which is equipped with 18-inch rims, heated seats, sat-nav, an eight-speaker JBL sound system, wireless smartphone charging pad, hands-free powered tailgate and blind spot monitoring. That’s in addition to a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and 10.25-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

However, we highly doubt that the limited edition Avenger Altitude+ will be the only time pure-petrol power is offered in the American brand’s Ford Puma and Renault Captur rival. We expect it will join the Avenger line-up full time next year, alongside the mild-hybrid Avenger e-Hybrid that’s being introduced in Spring 2024.

The Avenger e-Hybrid combines the petrol model’s 1.2-litre PureTech engine with a 28bhp electric motor and six-speed automatic gearbox. The e-motor is integrated directly into the transmission, and powered by a small lithium-ion battery. As this is only a mild-hybrid, the engine and regenerative braking system takes care of charging the battery, rather than you having to plug it in anywhere. 

Jeep says you can drive on pure-electric power for less than a mile in the Avenger e-Hybrid, so long as you’re travelling at under 18mph too, but we were surprised how much time the engine was off when we drove a Peugeot 3008 with the same mild-hybrid setup. It will also offer improved fuel efficiency over the pure-petrol model, with Jeep claiming the Avenger e-Hybrid will average around 55mpg, but it’ll take 11 seconds to propel the car from 0-62mph.

Jeep has confirmed the Avenger e-Hybrid will be available in the same selection of Longitude, Altitude and Summit trim levels as the original all-electric version, however pricing won’t be announced until order books open in the coming weeks.

Jeep Avenger electric car: full details

The new Avenger is Jeep’s first fully-electric car and was launched early in 2023. Positioned as the first of Jeep’s four-strong lineup of new electric cars (including the luxury-focused Wagoneer S and the rugged Recon), the Avenger EV goes up against small SUVs like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, as well as rivals from parent company Stellantis in the shape of the Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. 

The inaugural 1st Edition version of the Avenger kicked off at £36,500 with a two-tone black roof, tinted windows and 18-inch alloy wheels. Now, buyers choose from Longitude, Altitude and Summit trim levels with the starting price of £35,700.

Customers can customise their cars extensively through their dealership. Around 100 accessories are available, including graphics for everywhere from the roof to the bonnet and the flanks, designed to ensure that no two Avengers will be exactly the same.  

Powertrains and batteries

The electric Avenger features the latest version of Stellantis’s electric powertrain used by the facelifted Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric. The battery capacity is 54kWh (51kWh usable), comprising 10 cell modules in the rear of the car (beneath the back seats, basically) and seven modules under the front seats.

Elements including a heat pump and a three-phase 11kW AC charger will be standard across the range, along with 100kW DC charging that can take the battery from 0 to 80 per cent capacity in just over 30 minutes.

The Avenger is front-wheel drive-only for the moment, with the pure-electric model using a single motor producing 154bhp and 260Nm of torque. 0-62mph is dealt with in nine seconds flat and the top speed stands at 93mph. Jeep claims the 1,541kg Avenger will go 408km (254 miles) between charges on the WLTP test cycle, and as much as 550km (342 miles) in slower, stop-start city situations.

Every Avenger is equipped with Jeep’s SelecTerrain and Hill Descent Control systems, which allow for a decent amount of off-road ability compared to its sister cars. SelecTerrain comes with six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand.

• New pure-electric Jeep Recon to launch in 2025

However an upcoming four-wheel drive version called the 4Xe should be a better choice for going off the beaten track. Jeep already gave a glimpse of what it might look like with the aptly named Avenger 4×4 Concept, although the brand still hasn’t confirmed what will power the 4Xe variant. The concept not only has a wider track and larger wheel arches housing all-terrain tyres but the approach and departure angles have been improved. It’s not known how much of the concept’s off-road ability will be offered on the production car but it is due to be launched in 2024.

Design and technology

The overall look of the regular Avenger is predictably chunky – but the design team, which had the brief of “fitting 100 per cent of the brand DNA into four metres”, has done a good job of making its offering clearly a Jeep, and different from other CMP-based models. There’s a wide, planted-looking stance and at the front, an evolution of the Jeep seven-slot front grille that’s now flush to emphasise the car’s electric powertrain. 

Jeep plans to offer customisation of this part – everything from graphics to illumination. The side profile features a ‘kick’ at the C-pillar, like many larger Jeeps, and the rear has a fresh take on the ‘X’ tail-lights. This motif has also been adopted on surfaces inside the vehicle.

Other rugged features include lights that are set back into their mouldings, for extra protection, and underbody skid plates that are made from a coloured material instead of being painted and thus more prone to scrapes and scuffs.

Regardless of the initial front-drive layout, Jeep says the car is as capable off-road as some of its stablemates – with better approach, breakover and departure angles than the larger Renegade. The suspension configuration is MacPherson struts at the front and a twist beam at the rear, though this is likely to change to a multi-link affair for four-wheel-drive editions. 

The internal-combustion engined Avengers will feature a revised grille and single-exit exhaust but will be otherwise identical to the EVs except for the lack of Jeep’s ‘e’ badging.

Inside, there are up to 34 litres of storage space in the cabin itself, and the boot capacity is 380 litres. Based on our experience with a static display model, the car has a little more rear-cabin space than the Mokka, and decent headroom for six-footers – although an optional panoramic sunroof might make the Avenger less generous on this score.

What does the new Avenger have to beat in electric guise? These are the best electric SUVs on sale right now…

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