One of the few with uncovered steel wheels
This week it’s the turn of the new Car of the Year for a Back to Basics treatment: the Jeep Avenger. The first fully electric Jeep is available with four different trim levels after the disappearance of the First Edition. Whichever you choose, you can apply for a SEPP subsidy for all four – provided you act quickly. The fiscal value is always less than €45,000. The starting price of the entry-level model is €37,000 (minus the subsidy €34,050) and this is what you get if you don’t pay a penny more than that on Jeep’s counter.
Jeep Avengers, €37,000
With the introduction of the Jeep Avenger, the American brand is also starting to reap the fully electric benefits of the Stellantis group. The Avenger is on the same platform as, for example, the Peugeot e-2008 and has the same technology under the skin, although the Avenger can already benefit from Stellantis’ more efficient powertrain with a 54-kWh battery pack. The Avenger is also currently only available with the 156 hp electric motor. The 136 hp power source from, among others, the Peugeot mentioned is not available at Jeep and will probably also be replaced in the Peugeot by the 156 hp one.
The combination of 54 kWh and 156 hp is also the only option for the Avenger here in the Netherlands, so that you do not have to ignore more powerful options by choosing the basic version. In addition, each of the Jeep’s four trim levels has a tax value of less than $45,000, making the Avenger buyer eligible for the $2,950 SEPP new electric car purchase grant anyway – unless you want the most luxurious equipped with several options, bringing the fiscal value above €45,000. Due to the subsidy, the effective starting price of the Avenger this year is actually €34,050 (€37,000 minus €2,950). At least: as long as the subsidy pot is not yet empty.
Red is standard
With the mentioned powertrain, the Jeep Avenger sprints from 0 to 100 km / h in 9 seconds and the 54-kWh battery pack is good for a range of up to 408 km on the WLTP cycle. Today we look at what else the nameless base version has to offer, starting with the appearance. If you order a Jeep Avenger for the absolute basic price, you will receive a car that can be recognized by its 16-inch black steel wheels without hubcaps. This makes the Avenger one of the few non-commercial vehicles that you can order from the factory with ‘naked’ steel. Furthermore, the basic version is the only one with black door handles, because on the other trim levels they are painted in the color of the body.
Speaking of which, the only complimentary color is the Ruby Red shown in the images, a non-metallic orange-red paint. You can also make it less noticeable with a gray, white or black tint, but that will cost you €750 extra. In the more expensive trim levels, the wheels grow to a diameter of 18 inches and a roof painted in a contrasting color is also possible. On the outside of the entry-level Avenger, we find LED lighting and daytime running lights at the front, but halogen ones at the back. If you also want LED lamps there, then you are also dependent on a step higher.
The standard upholstery has a motif on the backrest and the seat.
Inside the least expensive version, the seats are wrapped in a partly black fabric upholstery, we find a 7-inch instrument panel and a 10.25-inch touchscreen as part of the infotainment system. This provides wireless access to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and sends sounds into the interior via four speakers. Physical features such as a split-folding rear seat and an armrest between the front seats are also standard, as are climate control, keyless go and a cabin heater that uses a heat pump. All windows can be opened electrically, part of the other functionalities can be operated from the multifunction steering wheel.
Little to choose
If you go for the Jeep Avenger Longitude, the second trim level, the small electric crossover is also equipped with heated exterior mirrors and, for example, six speakers in the interior. The entry-level model is the only one to receive the system with four speakers. In addition, the entry-level model is the only version on which the various option packages, in which we find things such as a navigation system, for example, are not available. It therefore only offers a solution for consumers who do not want to choose anything besides a color, because for further personal wishes you have to turn to one of the three trim levels with name.
LED daytime running lights are standard.
The latest business – outside of what usual suspects om – which are part of the standard equipment are the (active) driver assistance and safety systems. On an Avenger without extra cost we find cruise control, fatigue and traffic sign recognition, automatic lighting and windshield wipers, lane keep assist, a city emergency braking system and hill descent control After all, it’s still a Jeep. Furthermore, the Avenger always has one all-terrain driving mode, although we wonder if that means more than a more restrictive setting for the traction control. After all, the small Jeep does not have four-wheel drive or a height-adjustable chassis.
You have to rely on your own skills and senses for parking in the entry-level vehicle, because it does not have parking sensors or a reversing camera. Partly because of this, we can conclude that the basic version of the Jeep Avenger with air conditioning, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control and a heat pump offers sufficient comfort for the average motorist, but that the customer who wants something more should go for a higher level. This also applies to a customer who wants relatively simple things such as heated exterior mirrors. This is mainly due to the fact that you cannot select an option package when choosing the entry-level model. Fortunately, opting for something more luxurious does not immediately mean that you lose the possible ‘discount’ in the form of the SEPP subsidy.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl