Read more
Electric Jeep rollout commences with production new Avenger
"Baby Jeep" is expected to become the marque's best-seller by 2024 and is said to have been designed from the onset as proper Jeep.
While officially the new smallest Jeep and without an all-paw gripping system, the Avenger still displays all of the signature Jeep exterior applique.
Unveiled essentially in final production form last month as part of Jeep’s mass electric vehicle rollout, the Stellantis-owned brand has divulged more details of the all-new Avenger at the Paris Motor Show.
Developed as the first all-electric Jeep model ever since rumours started emerging three years ago, the Avenger, which will be built at Fiat’s Tychy Plant in Poland and also serve as a preview of Alfa Romeo Brennero due in 2024, rides on the same electrified CMP platform as the Opel Mokka-e and Peugeot e-2008, but with revised dimensions in order for it to be positioned below the Renegade.
While no figures related to the sizes in question were disclosed, Jeep did confirm boot space of 380-litres accessed via an electric tailgate, as well as a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and two Uconnect touchscreen infotainment systems of seven or ten-inches, both with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Although restricted to front-wheel-drive for now with all-wheel-drive unconfirmed for now, the Avenger not only receives Hill Descent Control, but also Jeep’s Selec-Terrain system with six modes; Eco, Normal, Snow, Mud, Sand and Sport, 200 mm of ground clearance and breakover, departure and approach angles of 20-degrees, 32-degrees and 20-degrees respectively.
ALSO READ: Jeep’s electric future revealed with four new models
Aesthetically styled to resemble a smaller Compass, the Avenger, which Jeep claims has been designed as a proper Jeep from the get-go, rides on 18-inch alloy wheels, with additional features to those mentioned comprising an optional two-tone body colour, roof rails and a split LED headlight design.
On the safety front, the range of tech, which contributes to the Avenger being capable of Level 2 autonomous driving, consists of Adaptive Cruise Control with Lance Centring, a 360-degree surround-view camera, Traffic Sign Recognition, Traffic Jam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist Recognition, Lane Keep Assist, Park Assit, Blind Spot Monitoring and Driver Attention Alert.
As mentioned though, the biggest difference from the plug-in hybrid 4xe models is the all-electric powertrain made-up of a 400-volt electric motor driven by a 54-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
Combined, the system delivers 115kW/260Nm, which translates to a range of 400 km and waiting time of 24 minutes from 20-80% using a 100 kW charging station. According to Jeep, a range of 30 km is obtained after only three minutes plugged-in.
Tipped to become Jeep’s best-selling model by 2024, production of the Avenger will commence in earnest next year, but for now, don’t expect it to become available in South Africa in the long-term.
