Jeep Avenger EV — It Is A Jeep!

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The brilliant yellow Jeep Avenger electrical automobile definitely attracts the attention as you drive down one of many foremost arterial roads in Brisbane. He’s getting a number of publicity, and in keeping with the younger salesman who spent the morning with us, a number of enquiries. A minimum of 5 per week. Although, he admitted not as a lot as the BYD Shark, additionally bought right here. It’s powertrain identification is refined, however not it’s Jeep heritage.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way in which first up — this isn’t a household automobile. Plenty of those that come to see it are disenchanted on the dimension, describing it as “cute.” You’d be laborious pressed, actually, to suit 4 Aussie sized blokes or Shielas into it. Nonetheless, what I see in my thoughts’s eye when this spectacular European styled enjoyable automobile is echoes of the Mini Moke way of life — surfboard on the highest, beers within the again, and an extended summer season of enjoyable in entrance of us. When requested my candid opinion, I commented — I believe it’ll enchantment to the 18–25-year-olds, undoubtedly a distinct segment market. Metropolis and seashore!

My neighbours’ 19-year-old daughter would actually take pleasure in it. She is at present driving mum’s enormous SUV Jeep. Out of curiosity I checked the scale specs with the World Battle II Jeep: the Willys MB. It was about 132 inches lengthy, 62 inches broad, and 69¾ inches excessive. The Avenger’s specs are given in metres, so a direct comparability could be: Willy 3.35 m lengthy 1.57 m broad, and 1.77 m tall. The Avenger is 4.084 m lengthy, 1.797 m broad and 1.534 m tall. So, one might argue that the Avenger is greater than the unique Jeep by a small margin. It’s a retro dimension!

Nonetheless, in immediately’s size-conscious automobile market, the Polish made Jeep Avenger EV comes off worse when in comparison with the competitors. However does dimension actually matter on the subject of an off-road targeted automobile, or is it extra concerning the enjoyable issue when evaluating Willys. The seller’s lot had many Jeep fashions to select from. Hopefully Stellantis (who owns Jeep) will proceed to convey out bigger BEV Jeeps. One benefit of a dealership that provides quite a lot of manufacturers is that purchasers can cross store in the identical location. One enquirer who discovered the Avenger too small went on to buy a BYD Sealion 06. The dealership is making ready for the long run by putting in extra EV chargers.

The time we spent with the salesperson was informative and informal. Most likely that is probably the most standout characteristic of the shopping for expertise now. The salespeople know their product. Our man will get to take vehicles house for the weekend (this specific dealership additionally sells BYD and the Fiat 500e), so he was very acquainted with all features of the Jeep — and among the competitors, as his dad and mom have a Polestar 2 and a Tesla Mannequin 3. Thoughts you, I did inform him why we had been there and that we wouldn’t be shopping for the automobile, in order that took the strain off him a bit. However I additionally advised him I might be writing it up for CleanTechnica and hoped for hundreds of hits.

We had a wander across the automobile and took a number of photographs. Beloved the horny blue ‘e’ on the again. The console of the Jeep appeared to have a very good stability between display and bodily buttons. The inside is just like the Fiat 500e’s. The Avenger has a spread of about 400 km and does 0–100 km/h in about 9 seconds. (And, sure, Majella needed to examine that out safely on the freeway!) It has a 54-kW battery. We didn’t have the chance to take the Avenger off highway, however the salesman assured us that a number of of the employees on the dealership had achieved so.

The Avenger comes with a charging cable and is ready to obtain over-the-air updates. One of many questions the salesperson will get regularly is “Can I cost my automobile at a Tesla Supercharger?” Identical to most nations, some Superchargers you possibly can and a few you possibly can’t. Sitting within the again, I missed the backseat air con in my Tesla. The Avenger comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One nice characteristic is that the display comes with a house button, so in case you get misplaced within the menus, you possibly can return to the start.

What concerning the drive? The automobile was charged up and able to go! We’re used to one-pedal driving, however this Jeep didn’t have that — Majella needed to hold making use of the brakes, which turned annoying. Regen slowed us down, however wouldn’t convey us to an entire cease. The suspension was laborious and “chunky,” as you’d anticipate in an off-road succesful automobile. The Avenger weighs in at 1520 kg (3351 lb), simply barely lighter than our Tesla Mannequin 3 (3582 lb). I point out this as a result of Majella mentioned the automobile felt heavy to drive.

The out there colors embrace purple. So, we had been glad. The names of the colors emphasise that that is an EV designed to go off highway: Ruby, Snow Volcano, Solar, Granite, Lake, Stone. I can see the younger skilled telling his mates, “I’m off for the weekend to get some Solar by the Lake in my Granite Avenger!” Or some such nonsense. On the high quality you possibly can combine colors in a single mannequin. For instance, you possibly can have a Ruby colored Jeep with a Volcano (black) roof. If we might mix the Solar with the Ruby, we might have an actual Avenger — Iron Man!

Extra technical particulars may be discovered within the Jeep brochure, and from this European evaluate.

Australia is in the midst of a value warfare triggered by an inflow of Chinese language-made automobiles. I’m unsure how Stellantis will cope with this. Nonetheless, a base-level Jeep is marketed as about the identical value as a Hyundai Kona Electrical or a BYD Atto 3 at current. Jeep decreased the worth of the bottom mannequin by AUD$4,000 previous to launch, making it lower than AUD$50,000. Nonetheless, the web site nonetheless lists the worth as round AUD$54,000. Watch this house, there be dragons lurking!

The Jeep Avenger has already acquired many awards: European Automotive of the Yr for 2023, and Finest Small Automotive on the 2023 Autocar Awards. This Jeep gained’t be going to warfare and it definitely gained’t tow your caravan round Australia, however as city-based enjoyable automobile, it’ll fill a distinct segment within the EV product lineup, hopefully consuming into the market share of the RAV4 (HEV).