First drive in the Avenger Hybrid: The smallest Jeep is now available as an affordable electric car

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Jeep has been extremely successful so far with the Avenger. When the car was launched in 2023, it impressed the European jury of experts and immediately won the title of “Car of the Year”, followed a few months later by the title of “Swiss Car of the Year 2024”. Achievements that the off-road expert will want to build on.

In line with Jeep’s new “Freedom of Choice” slogan, the Avenger E-Hybrid provides the missing link between the internal combustion engine and the electric vehicle. The 48V mild hybrid not only covers the missing segment, but also aims to pave the way for customers to take up electromobility. A big incentive is that the 100 hp (73 kW) turbo gasoline engine consumes up to 13 percent less fuel than without hybrid drive, thanks to the addition of hybrid drive. The automatic transmission is also attractive; The pure combustion engine is available in manual only.

Authorized mild hybrid

The hybrid drive becomes noticeable very quickly in the test drive, as the Jeep automatically recovers with light braking as soon as we lift the gas pedal. You cannot turn off this function, but after getting used to it for a short time, we did not find it disturbing. For safety reasons, Avenger even turns on the brake lights automatically depending on the situation. Jeep engineers confirmed to us that this is how they provide the hybrid drive with as much energy as possible to preserve the capacity of the battery at all times.

The results show this: We covered approximately a quarter of the route entirely on electricity. The Avenger rolls almost silently at low speeds, especially in urban areas. However, long distances are not electrically possible. The battery can travel a maximum of one kilometer at a time; The drive is primarily for electric starting, parking and sliding purposes.

A Jeep for town and country

Things move faster outside residential areas. In Sport mode, the Avenger is powered solely by the internal combustion engine and moves extremely fast. The steering responds nicely and directly to our input, and the chassis feels taut enough on twisty roads. But as we accelerate, we realize once again that we are not testing a sports car here: We wouldn’t expect anything more from a city SUV.

As a hybrid, Jeep also takes another step toward targeting its target audience: The Avenger is more about a lifestyle than an off-roader. And yet the SUV performs surprisingly well on the off-road test track, too. Although the hybrid (like the internal combustion engine and electric car) is front-wheel drive only, slopes of up to 40 percent can still be mastered safely, and thanks to optional hill descent control, the Jeep can descend steeper grades on its own. Avenger also helps with six different driving programs, including Normal, Eco and Sport, as well as mud, sand and snow off-road programs. Jeep lives up to its name, whether customers need it or not.

Additionally mild hybrid

Eric Laforge, president of the Jeep brand in Europe, emphasizes that the E-Hybrid is only slightly more expensive than the combustion engine and also has an automatic transmission. If you factor in the extra cost of automatic transmission, the hybrid will be “almost free.” Laforge also states that they want to enable customers, especially those who are not yet ready to switch to electric vehicles, to take the “first step towards electrification” with the E-Hybrid.

The Avenger E-Hybrid will be available at the end of April for 26,990 francs, just 1,000 francs more than the pure combustion engine. In addition to the basic version, two more versions are offered. The more expensive “Swiss Altitude” and “Summit” variants, in addition to higher-quality interior equipment, also receive other functions such as adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and 360-degree parking sensors; A glass sliding sunroof can be installed optionally. For an additional fee of 1,300 francs.

Source: Blick