Brutal name, quiet ride

What were the marketing strategists thinking? Avenger, which means “Avenger” in German, is the name of the new entry-level model of Jeep, which is also the first electric car of the iconic US off-road brand. Revenge for what? And why not? This remains the secret of Antonella Bruno, the European boss of Jeep, among others. It is confident that it will attract Jeep’s bestsellers in Europe and above all new female customers to showrooms.

It might help that Jeep doesn’t have any of the rough and ready lumberjack image it used to have, at least since it’s been part of the Stellantis group. Diesel engines, like fat V8 petrol engines, are a thing of the past in Europe, and most compact and mid-range models have been around for a long time. Even the topic of mechanical all-wheel drive is over. In the future, only additional electric motors on the rear axle will provide the 4X4. The avenger has to make do with even front-wheel drive.

Easter eggs are everywhere

But the design remains functional and brand-specific. The front grille has seven bars, the expensive LED headlights are behind protective polycarbonate, and the tiny five-seater just 4.08 meters long also looks boxy. Short overhangs ensure that the front and rear are not scratched in the ground on ascents and descents, and the underbody has 20 centimeters of ground clearance under the battery. Another good idea is dark plastic panels in the corners that have no effect when parked. The avenger is also a feast for Easter egg seekers: It refers to the small allusions that the designers hid throughout the car: the chief designer’s son posed for a stargazer and telescope on the windshield, plus insects on the roof or mountain. silhouettes on the rear window.

The inside of the avenger looks tidy and practical. Virtual instruments, body-coloured panels, comfortable seats and a tablet-like folding cover to cover the center console. Buttons select the direction of travel and the drum machine sound of the gauge will make you smile. Like the VW Golf, with its 380-litre loading volume and narrow dimensions, there isn’t much left for the rear seat: it sits on the head, but the feet and knees are pretty tight.

New driver with more power

So far this has been true for Stellantis Stromer: If you know someone, you know them all. From the Citroën ë-C4 to the Peugeot e-208, they are all based on 136 hp engines and the same batteries. For the first time, the Avenger has a new 156 hp electric drive and a battery with a net capacity of 51 kilowatt-hours (kWh) – five more than you’re used to. It has a range of 400 kilometers compared to the standard cycle, or even 550 kilometers in urban operation if a lot of energy can be recovered through recovery. But: The charging capacity is only 100 kilowatts, which pushes electricity into the battery for 30 kilometers in three minutes. It takes 24 minutes to reach 80 percent capacity – but from 20 percent occupancy, not 10. Most competitors give between 10 and 80 percent.

You can feel the extra horsepower on the test lap around Grasse (F) – sometimes they put too much torque on the front wheels. The smallest Jeep starts quickly, steers quickly and impresses above all with its ride comfort: it is firm enough on asphalt, but on the rut-filled gravel road through the forest it confidently smooths everything out. A little more than 65 kW of recovery power would be nice when going downhill – you have to press the brake pedal often. We failed to achieve the record-breaking standard value of 12.5 kWh/100 kilometers.

Works even in the field

There are six driving programs, from normal to sports, from sand to mud and from snow to terrain assistant, reducing the speed to kilometers per hour. On the steel ramps, however, there was only one rehearsal: the Avenger would sometimes helplessly flex the right rear wheel, sometimes hold the left rear wheel in the air. But the driven front wheels were still pulling it. Precise dosing of the electric motor helps here.

Starting in January, Avenger will launch with a highly-equipped First Edition, with the rest of the equipment arriving in the summer. It won’t replace the previous Renegade – it’s a plug-in hybrid and will stay on schedule with a 4×4. And we won’t have a combustion Avenger with a one-liter petrol engine only allowed to rattle in southern Europe. The price is still on.