• Pure petrol or mild hybrid
• All-wheel drive model arriving soon
• Adequate if not sparkling performance

Petrol engines

There’s a solitary pure petrol option with 100hp and a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s a familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that’s also found in the Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall Mokka and plenty of other related small SUVs. It’s peppy around town and doesn’t feel out of its depth on the motorway, with a 10.6 second 0-62mph time possible if you work it hard.

Hybrid engines

The e-Hybrid provides a 48v helping hand to that 100hp petrol engine, and is again an engine shared with other Stellantis group small SUVs. It’s a mild hybrid system, albeit one that’s unusually able to drive the car. A 0.9 kWh lithium-ion battery is paired to a 21kW motor, which itself is integrated to a 48V belt starter and the only gearbox you can have on the e-Hybrid – a new, double-clutch six-speed unit.

It’s still only rated at 100hp, but Jeep says it’s enough for a 0–62mph figure of 10.4 seconds, and it feels a little more muscular than the base petrol on the road. Like the EV and the pure petrol model, the power goes to the front wheels – only the upcoming 4Xe will be all-wheel drive. The e-Hybrid isn’t much heavier than the conventional petrol Avenger at 1,280kg, with Stellantis saying you pay but a 60kg weight penalty for the hybrid technology.

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We think the e-Hybrid is the pick of the Avenger range because it combines the best of the petrol and EV models. In Normal and Eco drive modes, it can potter around on electric power around town, so it’s refined in slow-moving traffic save for the occasional clunky switch between power sources or gearchange. It often turns off the engine when going downhill or for the brief periods the tiny 0.9kWh battery and 21kW motor can power the car. In Sport mode, it’s a little more engaging, keeping the engine on at all times.

If you’re more interested in the fully electric Jeep Avenger, that gets its own separate review.

What’s it like to drive?

As befits the badge, the Avenger hasn’t been set up to be particularly sporty. Relatively small wheels and supple suspension means it’s one of the comfier small SUVs out there. It’s no roly-poly mess in the corners, though. There is some body roll, but it’s not alarming and there’s plenty of grip.

The Avenger’s steering is light without being nervous, well-paced and even gives you a bit of feedback from the front tyres. In the same way, the brakes are solid and dependable and feel connected, even on hybrid models with regenerative braking. The only downside? You can’t change the level of regen like you can in some other hybrids.

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The six-speed manual gearbox is quite pleasant to use with its metal knob. The shift is longer than you’d find in a Volkswagen T-Roc, if still precise. The hybrid’s auto gearbox is generally smooth apart from the odd slightly unpolished shift.

Being a Jeep, all versions get hill descent control and Selec-Terrain variable traction control, while mud and snow tyres are available. We’ve seen it’s capable of more off-road than you’d think, even without the electrically driven back axle of the Avenger 4xe. We’d bet a Dacia Duster 4x4 would go even farther off the beaten track, though.