Jeep has already launched its baby crossover, the Avenger, in Ireland with a fully electric powertrain or petrol engine, but now there's added usability as the 48-volt petrol-electric e-Hybrid joins the range. It's only a modest hybrid drivetrain and isn't the most powerful vehicle of its type in the world, but the overall polish of the product and the real-world benefits its efficient propulsion system bring to the party compel us to say that this is straight away the best model in the Avenger line-up.
In the metal
The chunky wheelarches, compact proportions and X-shaped rear-light signatures of the Jeep Avenger are all retained for the e-Hybrid, which means it is a lovely-looking little thing. OK, there are vague hints of Mk1 Range Rover Evoque about it at the back, but overall, it doesn't feel derivative and certainly has enough 'proper' Jeep hallmarks - such as the seven-bar radiator grille - to make it work. The only giveaways to the e-Hybrid model are a small, green 'e' badge on the left of the boot, plus a discreet exhaust poking out to the right of the diffuser, neither of which spoil what is, aesthetically, Jeep's best work this side of the Wrangler.
The interior is very pleasant too, albeit you can feel the budget status of the car in places. Specifically, we're talking about the scratchy, hard door cards and some flimsier plastics used on lower-mounted surfaces, like the sides of the transmission tunnel. However, we like the contrasting strip of metal-look plastic that breaks up what would otherwise be a monotonously black dashboard, while Jeep has been quite canny in making the Avenger's main touchpoints, such as the steering wheel and switchgear, feel really good. Furthermore, the twin 10.25-inch digital displays - one for the instrument cluster and one for the infotainment - bring a high-tech feel, and they both look suitably crisp and (crucially) they also work well.
Admittedly, we could do without the bizarre irregular drumbeat noise the Jeep's indicators make when they're pressed into action, while rear-seat space is the one area which shows up the Avenger's true shortcomings. At 4,084mm long, it's about 15cm shorter than a Jeep Renegade and this manifests in cramped legroom in the rear, certainly for six-foot adults sitting behind a six-foot driver. Still, the interior should be OK for families with younger, smaller children, while the boot is a decent 380 litres with all seats in use (that's with the floor in its lowest setting, and it's an acceptable 321 litres with it raised), so it's an impressive passenger compartment, all things considered.
Driving it
This hybrid drivetrain is making its way through a vast number of Stellantis' multitudinous model lines - you can see similar, if not identical, set-ups in things like the Opel Corsa, the Peugeot 208, the Citroen C5 Aircross and more. In some larger vehicle applications, it makes 136hp and 230Nm, but in the smaller Avenger, Jeep feels that quoted outputs of 100hp and 205Nm are more than adequate.
The system, a 48-volt hybrid, uses a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged PureTech petrol engine as its basis, which on its own produces the official maximum figures of 100hp and 205Nm. Housed in the 'eDCT6' gearbox, however, is a 21kW electric motor, which is powered by a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery housed under the front-left seat. That motor produces up to 29hp and 55Nm of torque, but not necessarily at the same time that the engine is producing its maximums, so while it undoubtedly enhances the performance, you can't just add the peak figures from both engine and motor to get theoretical combined maximums.
This is our way of saying that, despite the slowest on-paper performance figures in the line-up, the little Avenger e-Hybrid is a delight to drive. It never feels notably underpowered or wheezy, and has lovely, linear power delivery too, which means it scoots neatly about town and yet never gives the impression that it's lost at sea when the roads get bigger and the speeds rise. We think that the three-cylinder thrum the engine makes is distinctive and appealing, too, though others may not.
Better yet is the calibration of the six-speed gearbox. When we tried this dual-clutch transmission for the first time last year in a Citroen C5 Aircross, we thought it felt rough around the edges and a tad uncivilised. Well, the control software has obviously been given a serious polish for the Jeep Avenger, because it shifts gears almost imperceptibly. It also rarely refuses a reasonable downshift request on the paddles behind the wheel, while it reacts smartly to big inputs of throttle. It's really cultured and slick.
Armed with a willing, likeable engine and a talented gearbox, that's half the dynamic battle won for the Jeep Avenger e-Hybrid. Yet it continues to excel in terms of its blend of ride comfort, rolling refinement and handling. Our test cars were all in what would be analogous to top-spec Summit trim here in Ireland (see section below), which means they were sitting on 18-inch wheels, while the Longitude (16-inch) and Altitude (17-inch) grades get smaller alloys likely to improve the ride comfort thanks to having plumper tyres.
Further, the test cars were all running on winter tyres in warm temperatures, which means they wasn't operating at their best; there's less grip and increased road noise from winter tyres in these conditions.
Despite all of this, the Avenger e-Hybrid felt assured and, dare we say it, downright enjoyable to drive. There is tyre chatter which makes its way into the cabin, but it's never evident at much more than a background level, while wind noise is admirably subdued even at high motorway pace. The suspension, on standard fixed-rate springs and dampers at all corners, backs this up by being supple and accommodating. Only once on a lengthy test loop, which included plenty of nasty road surfaces, did the ride in the 18-inch-wheel-shod Avenger ever drop below a level of 'thoroughly comfortable' - when we hit a particularly sizeable transverse metal gutter strip in the road under a railway bridge.
For the rest of the time, it felt smooth and controlled, which translates into capable handling. The body of the Avenger doesn't lean about in faster corners, while the steering has a pleasing weight and accuracy.
One final major boon for the Avenger e-Hybrid: get in it with a full tank of petrol onboard and you'll see a range in the trip computer that can be in the vicinity of 700km. Bear in mind the electric model of the Jeep will theoretically only do around 400km to a charge and you can see what the appeal of the e-Hybrid would be to buyers who are maybe a bit nervous about plugging a car in and charging it from the mains in order to get about the place. And the petrol-electric version also achieved 7.0 litres/100km on a varied test route without too much effort, so its official economy figure looks achievable.
What you get for your money
Jeep Ireland hasn't confirmed the e-Hybrid's price yet, although we'd expect it to slot in between the €31,495 figure for the 1.2 pure-petrol Avenger and the basic €35,995 you'd need to get into the Avenger Electric. A lower CO2 output on this car compared to the plain petrol model should help with VRT, while we'd also expect the e-Hybrid to have the same Longitude, Altitude and Summit specifications as the electric variant, with generous standard-kit levels on each. Once we've got more information in this regard, we'll update this section of the review.
Summary
The Jeep Avenger was already an important car for the company in Ireland, with the electric model keying into the ecologically sound zeitgeist. Brilliantly, this part-petrol e-Hybrid model manages to play the environmental card, with its low CO2 emissions, while maintaining all the easy usability and long-range tendencies of an internal-combustion vehicle. It manages to blend these attributes together beautifully, resulting in a handsome, nicely finished crossover that drives well and has a commendably refined powertrain. There are one or two reservations, primarily around space in the back of the cabin and the quality of some plastics used in the interior, but otherwise the Avenger e-Hybrid is definitely the model to go for in its own range.
