Jeep Avenger review

The Jeep Avenger could be seen as the air fryer of Jeep's car range: it’s small, compact and far easier to live with than the traditional – perhaps conventional oven-like – Wrangler.

Indeed, with dinky small SUV dimensions and a platform shared with the Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall Mokka, the Avenger is the most car-like Jeep you can buy. That might put off die-hard Jeep fans but could tempt new buyers who like their looks but don't plan to go off road.

Indeed, most Avengers have front-wheel drive rather than the four-wheel drive you might expect – you'll need the all-wheel-drive Avenger 4xe if that's what you want. (And if you want all-electric power rather than petrol, you'll need our Jeep Avenger Electric review.)

So is the Jeep Avenger a worthy rival to the likes of the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke and Skoda Kamiq? Read on to find out how we rate it against the best small SUVs...

The Jeep Avenger's engine range starts with a 1.2-litre petrol, which comes with a six-speed manual gearbox that slots into gear smoothly and has a short throw. Its 99bhp power figure might sound a bit weedy but there’s enough grunt at low revs and it can get you up to motorway speeds without stress.

For a little more money, there’s the Avenger e-Hybrid, which has the same 1.2-litre engine but adds mild-hybrid tech and comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox. That gearbox is much snappier than the eight-speed autos in the Citroën C4 and Peugeot 2008 and takes the effort out of driving in heavy traffic.

Still, with 0-62mph taking 11 seconds, the Avenger is out-accelerated by the equivalent Peugeot 2008 (which takes 8.3 seconds). It's also slower than a Ford Puma 125 with an auto gearbox (9.6 seconds).

The 4xe gets the same hybrid set-up as the e-Hybrid, but with two electric motors, each pumping out 28bhp, to give four-wheel drive. That extra power cuts the 0-62mph time to 9.5 seconds but acceleration still feels a little sluggish.

The e-Hybrid's 0.9kWh battery allows it to cover short distances on electric power alone. Jeep reckons the electric-only range is more than half a mile at up to 20mph but you'll need a flat road and a light right foot to get close to that.

The Lexus LBX and Toyota Yaris Cross – with their regular hybrid systems – are more economical around town and can go much further on electric power alone.

Regardless, the Avenger feels most at home in urban environments, where its small dimensions and relatively tight turning circle make it a doddle to drive. Switching into Sport drive mode makes little difference to the light steering, its accurate response still inspires enough confidence when it’s time to thread the Avenger through turns.

This is not a sporty SUV though. A Ford Puma grips harder, leans less and is much sharper to drive. Ultimately, the Avenger puts comfort ahead of dynamics: it's much comfier than a Puma and calmer than the taller-bodied Jeep Renegade.

All Avengers come with Hill Descent Control, which uses the brakes to manage downhill speeds without the driver having to touch the pedals. There are also Sand, Snow and Mud drive modes to maximise traction. It had little trouble dealing with a small muddy track when we took it off-roading.

The 4xe feels the most capable off-road, with 10mm extra ground clearance compared with the front-wheel-drive versions (which have 200mm), and protective cladding.

In terms of refinement, the petrol Avenger is good – with wind and road noise fairly well contained at speed – but not up there with the best small SUVs. In the entry-level car, the stop-start system doesn’t activate very quickly or smoothly, but that's not a problem in the e-Hybrid version thanks to the mild-hybrid tech.

If you want the fastest and smoothest Avenger, you'll need the 154bhp electric SUV version. To read more about that see our Jeep Avenger Electric review.

"The 4xe's outer cladding made me feel a bit better about hitting rocks and bumps in the road during my test drive, although I did hear a bit of a whir from the engine after a few knocks." – Eleanor Cooper, News Writer

The Jeep Avenger’s interior is a perfectly pleasant place to spend time, with a simple design and, in higher-spec models, a big slab of trim finisher to brighten the mood. The 4xe version gets largely the same interior, but with a couple of added extras, including rubber floor mats and a more robust fabric on the seats.

There are a lot of hard and scratchy plastics but overall it looks more uplifting than many rivals, including the rather plain Ford Puma and Toyota Yaris Cross. There are plusher alternatives, including the Lexus LBX, Peugeot 2008 and Volkswagen T-Roc.

All Avengers have a digital driver's display: you get a 7in screen in entry-level Longitude trim and a 10.3in version with a wider choice of lay-outs in other models.

In the e-Hybrid and 4xe, the speedo turns blue when you're running on electricity, and those versions also get gearshift paddles on the steering wheel so you can override the automatic gearbox if you want.

Forward visibility is mostly impressive thanks to the tall side windows and slim front window pillars. However, the view over your shoulder isn’t as impressive due to wide rear window pillars. Rear parking sensors come as standard to make parking a doddle, while all-round sensors and a rear-view camera is fitted to top-spec Summit.

With lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel, you’ll find it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. The only disappointment is that adjustable lumbar support in the driver's seat is optional on all versions of the Avenger (you do get a massaging function with it though).

The Avenger's 10.3in infotainment touchscreen is positioned high on the dashboard to make it fairly easy to glance across at while driving. It’s straightforward to use with an intuitive operating system and quick responses to prods.

You have to pay extra for built-in sat-nav on all Avengers, but we wouldn’t bother because you get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so you can sync up your phone and run navigation apps through the screen.

Like the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke, the Avenger's climate controls has physical adjusters, making it less distracting to use while you're driving than the touchscreen-based system in the Peugeot 2008.

“It’s a shame there’s no adjustable lumbar support in the driver's seat of any version of the Avenger, especially when it is such an easy car to cover big distances in.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Jeep Avenger is dinky even by small SUV standards, so it's not the most practical model in the class. Still, space in the front is impressive and there’s lots of head and leg room so two six-footers will get comfortable easily.

There’s plenty of storage space in the front, including a big cubby with a magnetic lid at the bottom of the dashboard, two cupholders and a cubby beneath the centre armrest. There’s also a long storage tray running across the dash below the air vents, but it can result in smaller items sliding around when cornering, so it’s not all that useful.

Where the Avenger comes up a little short is in the rear seats, where space is tight. Your 6ft friends will fit, with enough head room and space to tuck their feet under the front seats. Their knees will be wedged up against the seats in front, though, and there’s no storage in the back. The Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc are far more accommodating.

Front-wheel-drive petrol Avengers have 380 litres of boot space, which trails the Ford Puma, the Peugeot 2008 and the Kamiq but should be enough for a family weekend trip away. The e-Hybrid in Altitude trim or above has a height-adjustable boot floor.

The four-wheel-drive Avenger – the 4xe – loses quite a lot of boot capacity to its extra electric motor, ending up with 325 litres of storage. The Jeep Avenger Electric beats that, with 355 litres, and most petrol small SUVs give you more space.

The Avenger's rear seatbacks split and fold in a 60/40 format so you can extend the boot. You don’t get a sliding rear bench – as you do in a VW T-Cross – or a ski hatch (which you get in a VW T-Roc).

“It’s a shame you don’t get more space in the rear. I’m 6ft 1in, and while I have just enough head room, my knees need to be wedged up against the front seatbacks.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The Jeep Avenger’s entry-level list price undercuts the Peugeot 2008, Skoda Kamiq and Vauxhall Mokka by a small amount, while a Ford Puma is significantly pricier.

You’ll have to pay slightly more for the e-Hybrid version than the entry-level petrol version, and quite a bit more for the four-wheel-drive model, the 4xe. Upgrading to the e-Hybrid improves official fuel efficiency from 49.6mpg to 57.6mpg.

If you're looking for a company car, we'd recommend looking at the Jeep Avenger Electric instead – it will attract much less BIK tax than any petrol car.

The Avenger is predicted to lose its value more slowly than all its main rivals, which should lead to attractive monthly payments if you buy one on a PCP finance deal. You can check for the latest offers using our New Car Deals pages.

Entry-level Longitude trim comes with 16in alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, automatic wipers and keyless entry. We think it's the best choice, and you can select option packs if there are other luxuries you want to add.

Upgrading to mid-spec Altitude will get you a smarter interior with silver trim finishers, a faux-leather steering wheel, 17in alloys, adaptive cruise control and climate control.

Range-topping Summit is limited to the e-Hybrid version and comes with 18in wheels, rear privacy glass, heated front seats, a wireless phone-charging pad and a powered tailgate.

The 4xe gets its own bespoke trim levels: Upland, Overland and the North Face Edition. We’d recommend sticking with Upland, which comes with everything you need, but we can understand why you might be attracted by the North Face Edition's funky styling.

We don't have recent reliability data for Jeep. Last time the brand appeared in our What Car? Reliability Survey was in 2022, when it finished bottom out of 32 brands.

Despite its rugged looks, the Avenger didn't do very well when it was tested for safety: Euro NCAP gave it a disappointing three stars out of five. Its scores for protecting vulnerable road users and safety assist were just 59% and 53%.

You get plenty of safety aids on the Avenger as standard, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition and driver attention monitor.

“I think the e-Hybrid makes the most sense if you buy a petrol Avenger. It’s powerful enough and more refined than the regular engine.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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