Jeep Avenger - long-term review
LIFE WITH AN ELECTRIC JEEP AVENGER: A LIKEABLE CAR SUITED TO CITY LIVING
https://www.topgear.com/long-term-car-r ... o/report-1
It seems like it would make a nice, little city commuter. It looks pretty nice.Our reigning Electric Car of the Year has joined the Top Gear Garage, and I’m the one who’s snaffled the keys. I have an EV charging point, I have children, I live in a big city and I have no interest in driving around in muddy puddles at the weekend. In theory, this should be the Jeep for me.
The Avenger’s e-CMP platform is familiar from a whole heap of Stellantis B-SUV EVs like the DS 3 Crossback, Fiat 600e, Vauxhall Mokka-e and Peugeot e-2008, although it has been somewhat Jeep-ified with ‘Selec-Terrain’ tech that adds hill descent control as standard and six driving modes - Normal, Eco and Sport, plus settings for driving on snow, sand or mud. Reassuring on a wintry commute, unlikely to see you safely across the Darién Gap.
Power and torque from the single front axle e-motor of 154bhp and 192lb ft, 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and a top speed of 93mph isn’t going to blow your hair back either, but barring the original Willys, this is the smallest Jeep ever. It might have the jacked-up silhouette and lightly-muscled stance of an SUV, but this is a city car at heart, with a WLTP range of 249 miles and a max DC rapid charge rate of 100kW. Fine by me.
You can get an entry-level Longitude-spec Avenger from £35,700, but as is the tradition with press fleets our ‘Summit’ comes from the other end of the brochure – costing £39,600, or £42,215 once you’ve added the Sun yellow paint and contrasting black roof (£1,100), black leather seats (£900) and a few other accoutrements.
First impressions? It’s an exceedingly handsome little car. My phone was buzzing of the hook from inquisitive neighbours when it arrived on the street. For me Jeeps have never been good looking cars – butch, purposeful, blocky but rarely easy on the eye – but the Avenger is instantly likeable, which is odd because it’s the furthest from Jeep’s mud-plugging roots the brand has ever strayed and yet the design team has struck gold. The proportions just work, there’s just enough bulge and lower body cladding to suggest it can take a knock or two and the interior is simplicity itself.
A 10.25-inch screen behind the wheel, another of the same size in the middle of the dash with wireless CarPlay. A row of physical buttons for the climate control underneath, and another for selecting your intended direction of travel below that. The rear seats are a bit squished for adults, fine for kids, and the boot is on the small side – but hey, we’ll just have to pack light. I’m looking forward to stress-testing its road-trip, city-car and family car smarts, might even take it off-road. It’s a Jeep after all.
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