In the early 1970s, my father made a bit of a U-turn. He was always someone who bought a Morris. Morris Minor, Morris Marina, Morris 1100 and Morris 1800 were a selection.

And then he came home in a Hillman, a Hillman Avenger to be specific. It was mustard colour with a beige interior and was absolutely horrible. Fast forward 12 months later and he ditched it and bought an Austin Allegro, the one with a rectangular steering wheel.

For the past week, I’ve been riding around in another Avenger which, by chance, is also a history maker. And it’s really good.

This particular Avenger is the first 100% electric car to be made by the US car giant, Jeep. You can also get a petrol or hybrid version, but the one I’m trying is the battery driven version, although it’s worth pointing out that the 1.2 litre 100bhp petrol model kicks off the Avenger range at £23,600 while the 158bhp electric comes in at £34,800. Do the maths.  

From the front, in particular, you can tell this is a Jeep straightaway. Swoopy, flowing lines have been ditched in favour of good old Jeep DNA.

Underneath the smart exterior, Jeep has reached into the Stellantis parts bin. Jeep is now part of the group which also includes Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat and Vauxhall.

The electric Avenger gets a predicted range of 246 miles with power going to the front wheels. Shock, this Jeep doesn’t have all-wheel drive so better skip the idea of doing some serious off-roading and stick to the tarmac, or even wait until the end of the year when a 4x4 arrives. Having said that, the Avenger does get Snow, Mud and Sand settings to join the usual array of Normal, Eco and Sport. The slightly lofty ride height will help you cross a rutted track and the clever traction control gadgetry will keep you going over loose or soggy ground. The Sport setting gives you access to all of the 158 horses with the other two settings turning down the available power to stretch out the economy. Eco mode drops it to 81bhp and if you drive in town traffic and use the Eco mode, Jeep reckons you’ll get close to 370 miles. That could be optimistic target in ‘real world’ driving though.

Charging times are about on average for this sort of car. A 20-80% charge takes around 8 hours on a typical wall box, but if you can find a rapid charger you’ll get that sort of top-up in about 25 minutes.  

Out on the road, The Avenger drives very nicely indeed. The ride is smooth and controlled. Some of these small SUVs can be a bit choppy but the Avenger is remarkably civilised, probably benefitting from being designed without the need to cope with rough terrain. It rides better than some much bigger cars and is actually really good fun to drive. The light steering makes it a nimble car to drive around town and the boxy dimensions make it easy to place on the road or when parking. It’s not a flying machine though with 0-60mph taking about 9.6 seconds, but for the majority of the time, it feels adequately powered.

Oh, and a special mention to whoever devised the sound that the indicator makes. You know when you go to see a band, each number invariably starts with the drummer counting in the rest of the band by giving a beat using the little high-hat cymbals. That is precisely the sound you get whenever you indicate. It’s a hoot.

I think the Avenger looks rather smart. Okay, it’s a small-ish SUV, but it looks bigger in the flesh.

Three trims are available - Longitude, Altitude and Summit - and each one adds about two grand to the price, although all use the same power plant. If you go for the mid-level Altitude trim, you’ll get all of the essentials; DAB radio, powered tailgate, rear parking sensors, air con, adaptive cruise control, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which allow you to mirror your phone’s sat nay through the central 10.25-inch touchscreen which, incidentally, has clear and responsive graphics. It’s also situated quite high up on the dashboard which makes for easy viewing while driving. Overall the interior is a plus point. It looks smart and, hurrah, there are loads of toggle buttons.

One slight downside is that the ‘home’ button for the screen is situated below the toggle buttons and isn’t illuminated.

The problem with the Avenger being one of the smaller cars in its class is the rear legroom. If you have a 6-foot tall driver, it’s a bit tight. Children will be fine but adults will have their knees buried into the back of the seat in front. On the plus side, the seats look good, they’re comfortable and supportive too. You also have loads of storage space. 

As electric cars go, the Jeep Avenger is worth a serious look if you want something that fits the Jeep mould and can double-up as a family holdall, school runabout, and cope with the occasional trip onto light off-road territory. It looks very smart and is instantly recognisable as a Jeep and stands out from an increasingly anonymous crowd. For most families who like the hunky look of a Jeep and want to go down the route of an electric car, it should fit the bill perfectly.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Jeep