Jeep Avenger review

The 1.2-litre engine appears rather measly on paper, but by no means does it make life painful.

Even in the 99bhp manual, you can keep up with the flow of the traffic – although you really do have to go mining for torque at higher speeds. It's a good thing the clutch pedal and gearlever are both pleasant to use, then.

If you've always loved the look of a proper Jeep 4x4 but been best suited to cars like the Ford Fiesta, the petrol Avenger is your dream come true.

Kris Culmer

Chief sub-editor

The automatic e-Hybrid has the same 99bhp total output but is torquier off the line, being bolstered by an E-Boost feature that adds 40lb ft of torque for an extra push in acceleration. 

It also feels gutsier than the figures suggest in the mid-range. Indeed, Jeep says the e-Hybrid offers 30%-faster acceleration between 30-60mph than the manual petrol Avenger.

You can feel the difference on faster B-roads and motorways. However, the gearbox can disappoint, because it doesn't always shift up or down when you need it to.

The engine can sound quite gruff when you put your foot down too, in marked contrast to the near-slient serenity offered by the electric Avenger.

The e-Hybrid can drive for up to 1km (0.6 miles) on electric power alone, which is more than most mild hybrids but a long way short of a good full-hybrid system like Toyota’s.

Still, it comes in useful when you're manoeuvring or driving around town, and this is where the e-Hybrid excels, offering a refined and quiet driving experience when taking off from a set of lights or trundling through traffic.

In the 4xe, even with the assistance of a couple of electric motors, the engine remains a thrashy and strained one when pushing on, and the addition of a bit of extra power doesn’t translate to any great boost in pep: you feel every one of those 9.5 seconds on the way to 62mph.

At lower speeds, though, this a more refined system that manages gearshifts sensibly and transitions between electric and petrol power smoothly and quietly when you’re under way.

In keeping with its off-road aspirations, the 4xe is equipped with Snow and Sand & Mud drive modes with their own gearbox calibrations and traction control settings, while Sport mode liberates the full output from all power sources.

Pair this with 'manual' shifts and the 4xe does a passable impression of a warm hatch on the twistier bits, although it still needs to be worked hard and the more outdoorsy rubber gets a bit scrabbly and screechy if you’re particularly boisterous.