We have already driven the “baby-SUV” Jeep Avenger: positioned below the Renegade, it is an electric vehicle that maintains the brand’s identity – and will also be available with gasoline engines. The Jeep Avenger has arrived, and with it an old question reappears. Because the years go by, cars change and we reach new technological eras – but, in the world of automobiles, a tradition never goes out of fashion: the controversy over the concept of any model respecting (real or presumed) values (tangible and intangible) – of brand.
Is the new Defender out? Don’t go to the desert with it, as it’s not a real Land Rover. Has the Armada arrived? We like it, because we know it’s a Nissan, even if it’s a bad one. And the Cayenne? It seems that the only worthy Porsche is the 911.
Enthusiasts, understandably linked to convictions with very distant roots, reject any derivation from the paradigms they consider immutable.
Manufacturers, although aware of their duty to listen to the customer when defining their products, know that they must please not only those who only see the world through the rear-view mirror, but also those who, freed from this true intellectual slavery, end up increasing their sales.
Therefore, things may not always go exactly as planned. If it is true that Mini successfully carried out a sophisticated operation to recover its name, although fans of the original were initially cold, it is also true that a Giulia in line with the historical dictates of the Alfa – three-volume body, perfect handling and dedicated platform – sold poorly, despite the enthusiasm of Alfistas.
This proves that some of these dogmas do not necessarily coincide with real purchasing intentions).After 35 years in the profession in which the question of veracity has so often dominated the debate about a new model, I am sure that the Avenger will soon be at the center of a similar debate, and the question will be repeated: “But is it a real Jeep?”
My humble opinion is that if manufacturers followed comments on social media, we would still be using primitive resources, given fans’ loyalty to their subjective perceptions.
But, in the end, it is always the market that guides decisions: the Avenger represents a specific response to consumer needs (who want increasingly smaller SUVs) and to the formulation of public policies (mainly in Europe, which imposes total electrification as a solution also for the economy).
Avenger means “avenger”, and, despite its success in comics and cinemas today (The Avengers), it is a name with a long history before that, under the aegis of Chrysler – from the Hillman of the 1970s to the Dodges of the 1970s. 1990 and 2000.
The novelty is part of a BEV (battery electric) family that includes the Wagoneer S and the Recon (a descendant of the “spirit” of the Wrangler; we’ll soon see how traditional customers will receive it) and places Jeep in the world of zero emissions (up to 2030 the entire range will be electric).
This new Jeep therefore has the mission of leading a segment that is the second in volume in Europe (and more than a third of the Brazilian market – reaching more than 40% when including medium and large SUVs), and which tends also growing downwards, with models in the four meter long range.
Having clarified the strategic need to occupy a new and promising segment, let’s then try to answer the fateful question: “Is it a real Jeep”?
As the Avenger is the brand’s first electric car, and considering that it will operate in a market segment that does not exactly stand out for its profit margins, the platform is taken from what Stellantis’ production lines already offer in the area: in this case , not the “New” 500 platform, but the Peugeot e-CMP2, the e-2008, the DS 3 E-Tense and the Opel Mokka-e.
News that, I imagine, will be used as a weapon by identity deniers, who will link the Jeep to a French DS. I even understand the point.
And, probably, the Turin engineers also understood this (even though it is made in Poland, it is an Italian product) as they really made an effort to transform a base created for other purposes into something coherent with the adventurous perception of the brand that boasts the seven slits on the front grid.
Again, it also seems rhetorical to ask whether the owner of the Avenger will one day feel the need to go off the road in search of strong emotions: the answer is no.
But a Jeep, to gain brand legitimacy, cannot fail to offer a high-level off-road experience: in addition to being a reaffirmation of belonging to the brand, it is also a way of distinguishing itself from its many rivals, marking a competitive advantage in its positioning.
I was told, in any case, that the little guy has attack and departure angles that guarantee great mobility in unlikely and severe situations (20° attack angle and 32° departure angle), as well as a height from the ground that avoids blows to the belly (which also involves a high H point).
Appreciating calculated risk and eager to make Avenger’s parents proud, I agreed to go through a twist-type obstacle, which he approached with great indifference.
An admirable undertaking, considering that the entry-level model has only front-wheel drive (later, with the addition of a second rear electric motor, an electric 4×4 version will arrive).
I imagine, however, that it will find much more prosaic applications in the stone jungle of urban traffic.
In fact, Daniele Calonaci, who designed the SUV, highlights how the body parts most exposed to impacts in parking lots were prepared to avoid damage.
Descent assistance is standard, as is the SelecTerrain Mud&Sand function – if the driver feels like an adventure.
Big inside
The driving position is quite correct (with the column adjustable in height and depth), and – an unusual feature in a world where we see the road and nothing else – the short bonnet has great stage presence: the horizontal arrangement is a stylistic mark of the car. Jeep, as well as the straight roof and trapezoidal wheel arches). The general design of the dashboard, however, has little to do with that of the brothers: here and there you can see the use of details from the PSA world (with the rocker button for driving modes) and, above all, reminiscent of the Fiat 500, such as the horizontal display and the air conditioning and gear selector buttons.
There’s plenty of space to place objects: in addition to a pocket that runs the entire width (reference to the Uno/Panda?), it has a deep drawer in the center of the panel with a folding magnetic lid. Jeep declares a total storage capacity of 34 liters (and trunk capacity of 380 liters). However, I found the logic of the multimedia and information system commands confusing: it is worth considering that the one tested was a pre-series version, and perhaps they will change.
Agile and sincere
The Avenger is powered by a 156 hp and 260 Nm (about 27 kgfm) electric motor, which, in turn, is powered by the 54 kWh battery.
The range is 400 km (according to the generous WLTP standard), but the manufacturer estimates – and this does not apply to homologation – that it will run 550 in urban use. I didn’t have the opportunity to stop at a charging station (I suggest that manufacturers always schedule a stop during testing), but the onboard charger is 11 kW, and, at stations with direct current, the Avenger accepts up to 100 kW: If you’re lucky enough to find an HPC, it goes from 20 to 80% in 24 minutes.
On the narrow roads of the Côte d’Azur, France, I enjoyed experimenting with the different modes of use: in Normal, maximum power is only available by pressing your foot down on the accelerator (okay, we understand), when it reaches 109 hp (it drops to 82 hp in Eco).
As I like to accelerate, I always kept the Sport position and the regenerative braking at maximum calibration (-1.2 m/s2: it is activated with button B on the gearshift controls, which I still find impractical).
The Jeep Avenger is four meters long, 16 cm shorter than the Renegade , and moves nimbly, although without vehemence. It has a certain tendency to understeer, but this is not a problem: on the contrary, taking advantage of load transfers, which are more pronounced in battery-powered electric cars for obvious reasons, it even achieves fun behavior.
Brake modulation is very good, when regeneration is not enough to slow the car, and the suspension absorption capacity is pleasing.
I don’t know if the on-board computer’s consumption indication was correct: in our test, which had a long climb compensated by an equally long descent, I recorded 7 km/kWh. If it’s true, considering I didn’t hold back, it’s a great result.