Jeep Avenger EV – it’s a Jeep!

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The bright yellow Jeep Avenger electric vehicle is sure to turn heads as you drive on one of Brisbane’s main roads. It has become very well known and, according to the young salesman who spent the morning with us, there are a lot of enquiries. At least 5 per week. Although, he admitted, not as much as the BYD Shark, which was also sold here. The specification of its drivetrain is accurate, but it’s not Jeep heritage.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first, this is not a family vehicle. Many who come to see him are disappointed by his size, describing him as “cute”. You would, literally, be hard-pressed to fit four men or an Australian-sized Sheila. However, what I see in my mind when I look at this interesting European-style fun car are echoes of the Mini Moke lifestyle – surfboard on top, beer in the back, and a long summer of fun ahead. When asked for my honest opinion, I commented – I think it will appeal to 18-25 year olds, which is definitely a niche market. City and beach!

My neighbors 19 year old daughter would really enjoy this. She currently drives her mother’s huge SUV. Out of interest, I checked the size specifications with a WWII Jeep: a Willys MB. It was approximately 132 inches long, 62 inches wide, and 69 inches high. The Avenger’s specifications are given in meters, so a direct comparison would be: Willie is 3.35 meters long, 1.57 meters wide and 1.77 meters high. The Avenger is 4,084 meters long, 1,797 meters wide and 1,534 meters high. So, one could argue that the Avenger is larger than the original Jeep by a margin. It’s retro size!

However, in today’s size-conscious car market, the Polish-made Jeep Avenger EV fares worse when compared to the competition. But does size really matter when it comes to an off-road-focused vehicle, or is it more about the fun factor when comparing Willys? The dealer had several Jeep models to choose from. Hopefully Stellantis (who owns Jeep) will continue to produce larger BEV Jeeps. One advantage of a dealership that offers a variety of brands is that buyers can shop in the same location. One inquirer, who found the Avenger too small, went on to purchase a BYD Sealion 06. The dealership is preparing for the future by installing more electric vehicle chargers.

The time we spent with the sales representative was informative and informal. This is perhaps the most notable feature of the Buy Now experience. Salespeople know their products. Our guy can take cars home for the weekend (this particular dealership also sells BYD and a Fiat 500e), so he was familiar with all aspects of the Jeep — and some of the competitors, since his parents own a Polestar 2 and a Tesla Model 3. Mind you, I told him about The reason we were there was that we weren’t going to buy the car, which took the pressure off him a little bit. But I also told him that I was going to write this article for CleanTechnica magazine, and that I hoped to get thousands of hits.

We walked around the car and took lots of pictures. I loved the dramatic blue “e” on the back. The Jeep console seems to have a good balance between screen and physical buttons. The interior design is similar to the Fiat 500e. The Avenger has a range of about 400 kilometers and accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in about 9 seconds. (And yes, the Magella had to check it out safely on the highway!) It has a 54 kWh battery. We didn’t get a chance to drive the Avenger off-road, but the seller assured us that several employees at the dealership did.

The Avenger comes with a charging cable and can receive over-the-air updates. One of the questions a seller frequently asks is, “Can I charge my car with a Tesla Supercharger?” Just like most countries, you can use some superchargers and some you can’t. Sitting in the back, I missed the back seat air conditioning in my Tesla. The Avenger comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One nice feature is that the monitor comes with a home button, so if you get lost in the menus, you can go back to the beginning.

What about the drive? The car was charged and ready to go! We’re used to one-pedal driving, but this Jeep didn’t have that – the Majella had to keep pressing the brakes, which became annoying. The Regen system has slowed us down, but it hasn’t stopped us completely. The suspension was as stiff and “chunky” as you’d expect in an off-road capable vehicle. The Avenger weighs 1,520 kg (3,351 lbs), which is slightly lighter than the Tesla Model 3 (3,582 lbs). I mention this because Majella said the car was heavy to drive.

Available colors include red. So, we were happy. The color names emphasize that this electric vehicle is designed for off-roading: Ruby, Ice Volcano, Sun, Granite, Lake, and Stone. I can see the young professional saying to his teammates: “I’m off on the weekend to soak up the sun by the lake in my Granite Avenger!” Or some such nonsense. At the top of the range you can mix colors in one pattern. For example, you could have a ruby-colored Jeep with a volcano (black) roof. If we could combine the sun and the ruby, we could have a true Avenger – Iron Man!

More technical details can be found in the Jeep brochure and from this European review.

Australia is in the midst of a price war sparked by an influx of Chinese-made cars. I’m not sure how Stellantis will handle this. However, the entry-level Jeep is advertised at the same price as a Hyundai Kona Electric or BYD Atto 3 at present. Jeep has reduced the price of the base model by AU$4,000 ahead of launch, bringing it under AU$50,000. However, the site still lists the price at around AU$54,000. Watch this space, there are dragons lurking!

The Jeep Avenger has already won several awards: European Car of the Year 2023, and Best Small Car at the Autocar Awards 2023. This Jeep won’t go to war and it certainly won’t tow your caravan around Australia, but as a city-based recreational vehicle, it will fill a niche Fits into the EV product lineup, and will hopefully eat into the market share of the RAV4 (HEV).