• Only one powertrain (for now)
• Ride is too firm on 18-inch wheels
• Surprising off-road ability

Electric motor

For now, the Jeep Avenger is only available with a single electric powertrain in the UK. There are more options planned for launch in 2024 – but we’ll get to that further down the page.

The powertrain you can buy now comprises a 54kWh battery pack and a single electric motor mounted on the front axle. The system has an output of 156hp and 260Nm of torque, which Jeep says is enough for a 0–62mph time of 9.6 seconds and a top speed of 93mph.

That’s a reasonable amount of shove for a small SUV. Because it’s electric, all the performance is delivered from a standstill, which means there’s enough grunt to nose ahead of petrol-powered traffic around town. However, you need to make sure you’re in Sport mode for the best results.

Normal mode reduces the motor’s output to 110hp while Eco mode caps power at just 80hp in a bid to preserve battery capacity and increase range. It’s a handy bit of tech for hypermilers, but it can catch you off guard if you put your foot down in the wrong mode. You’ll think the car’s broken.

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Once you’re out on the open road, the Avenger’s powertrain can start to feel a little breathless. Like most EVs, the torque fades away as you build speed so, by the time you’re travelling at motorway speeds, there’s a lot less power in reserve for overtaking. It’ll still pull – but don’t expect the same sort of savage shove you get from a standstill.

It’s also worth remembering that there are better, more powerful options out there than the Avenger. The Kia Niro EV produces 204hp and 255Nm of torque – and that extra horsepower makes it appreciably quicker from a standing start. It takes just 7.8 seconds to sprint from 0–62mph.

The Smart #1, meanwhile, can leave both the Kia and the Jeep trailing in its wake. Even the cheapest, single motor model develops a healthy 272hp and 343Nm of torque. That’s enough for a 0–62mph time of 6.7 seconds, which is the same as the sporty Ford Puma ST.

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What’s it like to drive?

The Avenger might be based on the same platform as the DS 3 E-Tense (which we think is a rather average-driving car), but Jeep has made a whole heap of changes to the platform to make it better to drive both on and off the road. For starters, the company’s engineers increased the damping force of the suspension by 20%, which they say has reduced body roll and pitch.

It’s worked for the most part. The Avenger stays remarkably flat (for an SUV) in the corners and it remains planted over uneven terrain. However, the firmer suspension has had an impact on ride quality, especially when teamed with the 18-inch alloys fitted to our Summit test car. On broken tarmac, it’s downright uncomfortable and imperfections such as expansion joints or manhole covers send shocks through the cabin. We reckon the smallest 16-inch alloys will yield better results.

Jeep made other changes to make the Avenger as capable off-road as it could – and, having driven the car down some greenlanes, we were pleasantly surprised. It has short front and rear overhangs which allows it to tackle steep inclines, plus a taller suspension with 200mm of ground clearance. That’s 30mm more than you get in a Peugeot e-2008 – and it pays dividends when crawling over ruts and boulders. It also means you can ford shallow streams with less fear of running aground.

The Avenger’s drive modes help, too. There are programs for Mud, Snow and Sand, each with their own settings for the car’s stability control which promise to keep the front wheels turning. When we drove the car off-road, we could feel the car’s electronics moving power between the front wheels to retain traction. It can’t keep pace with a proper off-roader such as an Ineos Grenadier, but it’s certainly more capable than your average front-wheel drive electric SUV.

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The Jeep Avenger’s steering system is better judged than other e-CMP2-based cars such as the Fiat 600e. There isn’t a great deal of feedback and it’s still light around town, but there’s less assistance in Normal mode which makes it easier to place the car on faster roads. Enthusiastic drivers will likely prefer to leave the car in Sport mode, as the steering is heavier still and you get the full 156hp available from the electric motor. There’s loads of front-end grip for safe cornering, too. The car will only wash wide if you’re driving like a complete hooligan.

You also get a regenerative braking system, which is engaged by pressing the D button twice. It’s quite a mild level of brake regen, though – it certainly won’t satisfy Tesla drivers who are used to sharp braking when they lift their foot off the accelerator.