An electric jeep? Since real off-road fans turn up their noses. Where, please, should there be sockets in the wilderness, desert or savannah? It so happens that around 98 percent of all models of this type of vehicle avoid such regions anyway. As the first off-road vehicle manufacturer, Jeep can now present its first all-electric model, the Avenger, with a clear conscience. With its compact dimensions, attractive design, decent range and respectable comfort equipment, the mini-SUV fulfills all the requirements for asserting oneself in the urban jungle. And there might even be a few green rounds of applause.
Although, if you think regarding it, a Stromer is basically made for off-road use. After all, what do you need to crawl over hill and dale in crawler gear, gently grope your way up or down slopes or wade through bonnets at high water points? Beefy traction from the first turn. And that is precisely the much-quoted and admired specialty of an electric motor. The idea of moving silently in nature instead of being startled by a pounding diesel engine is definitely appealing.
The first electric Jeep Avenger wants to be just as sympathetic. In complete contrast to its name (“Avenger”), the SUV, which is just 4.08 meters long and has short overhangs, has a friendly appearance with cleanly drawn contours, harmonious proportions and a suggested seven-slot radiator grille. It goes without saying that this is only waste that is typical of the brand, as the Stromer needs neither air nor cooling. But he does connect with his compact brothers, Renegade and Compass, both of which tower over him by several centimetres. And the Avenger also has the usual characteristics such as the sweeping fenders with large wheel arches, offset side and underride protection panels, and the X in the taillights like the Wrangler and Renegade.
The interior is also immediately appealing with a continuous instrument panel stretched across the entire width, which contains all the controls, the ventilation outlets, ambient lighting and the central touchscreen with a screen diagonal of 26 centimetres. The lower part is mostly storage space. Including the spacious central console, the Avenger offers up to 34 liters of storage space. The center tunnel is flexible and modular and can be moved around depending on the size of the items or even removed to make room for larger items. At 380 liters, the trunk is also one of the largest in the segment. It can be opened by a sensor-controlled, electrically powered tailgate and easily filled via a 72 centimeter deep loading sill.
The infotainment system with a 10.25-inch touchscreen is always standard, and the digital instrument cluster is available in two versions with a display diagonal of 17.8 and 26 centimeters. There is also TomTom navigation with natural speech recognition and over-the-air updates. Using the app, Avenger owners can locate the location, lock and unlock the doors, check the battery level and charge the vehicle.
When it comes to safety, the Avenger is at the forefront of small SUVs. In this way, it meets the requirement for Level 2 autonomous driving with automatic control of speed, distance and lane keeping in combination with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistant. There is also a traffic jam and autonomous brake assistant, 360-degree parking sensors with active parking assistance and a 180-degree reversing camera with a drone view.
Unlike its brand brothers, however, it has to do without all-wheel drive. But a Trailhawk version is already in preparation. In any case, the Avenger has the classic off-road characteristics such as 20 centimeters of ground clearance or an approach angle of 20 degrees at the front and 32 degrees at the rear. In the urban jungle, high curbs or steep ascents and descents in underground car parks can be tackled without scratches. A downhill driving aid and the Selec-Terrain system with the driving programs Sand, Mud (mud) and Snow (snow), on the other hand, seem a bit overambitious for a front-wheel drive vehicle. Eco, Normal and Sport, on the other hand, fit well into everyday urban life.
Just like the electric drive system. The Avenger is the first model in the Stellantis group to drive up on the ECMP2 platform with the new electric motor. The 400-volt electric motor delivers 115 kW (156 hp), develops 260 Nm of torque from a standing start and is powered by an equally larger battery with a capacity of 54 kWh. Placed under the front and rear seats and the center tunnel to save space, it should ensure a WLTP range of 400 kilometers, and up to 550 kilometers should also be possible in city traffic. The battery can be charged quickly on a DC column, where it should be filled from 20 to 80 percent in 24 minutes with a maximum of 100 kW. On an AC wall box, it should be fully charged in three phases with up to 11 kW in five and a half hours. Jeep specifies the average consumption as 15.7 to 16.5 kWh. Jeep has not yet published any further driving data.
Jeep already opened the configurator for the Avenger on October 17, initially only in a 1st edition, which corresponds to a future top model with almost complete equipment. These include full LED headlights, the digital cockpit, the infotainment system with 10.25-inch touchscreen, ambient lighting, smartphone integration including charging pad, Level 2 assistance package including traffic jam assistant, sensor-controlled tailgate, 18-inch alloy wheels and two-tone paintwork. Cost: 39,900 euros or 349 euros monthly leasing rate. Nevertheless, 3000 reservations have been received in Germany alone, in Europe there are already 10,000. The first deliveries are planned for the second quarter of 2023. Seems like the first all-electric Jeep will be a hit without going off-road. (Frank Wald/cen)
