-Take 83 years of four-wheel drive expertise and stuff it into a 4 meter SUV. Then you get the Jeep Avenger, says Eric LaForge, Jeep’s European manager.
When the model was launched, it was in front-wheel drive and we criticized the car for not having four-wheel drive, which the Jeep DNA requires.
We headed to Frankfurt to attend the world premiere of the new Jeep Avenger 4xe, just over 18 months after the model was first introduced.
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When the Jeep Avenger was launched, it was in front-wheel drive. (Photo: Jeep) In hybrid format
The Jeep Avenger 4xe is a mild hybrid with more off-road focus than its front-wheel drive siblings. This is communicated through a series of cosmetic updates.
In the Avenger 4xe, a combustion engine and an electric motor drive the front wheels, while an electric motor is available to drive the rear wheels when the situation calls for it.
The combustion engine pumps out 136 horsepower. At the back, you will also find an electric motor and in total the car can send up to 50 percent of the power to the rear axle.
The car can always guarantee four-wheel drive because the front engines act as generators. It is only possible to have permanent four-wheel drive up to 30 km/h, while the four-wheel drive only flicks into higher speeds if necessary.
There are four driving modes available – Auto, Snow, Mud, Sport. In terms of performance, the Jeep Avenger 4xe has up to 136 horsepower and 230 newton meters. The sprint to 100 km/h is accomplished in 9.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 195 km/h.
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Avenger 4xe has got a more robust look. (Photo: Jeep)Beyond the asphalt
The idea with the Avenger 4xe is to be more capable off-road, something a ground clearance of 21 cm and a wading depth of 40 centimeters ensures. The interior material choices are more robust and the Avenger 4xe is also offered with relatively rough off-road tires from the factory.
The ground clearance is a decent 21 centimeters while the wading depth is 40 centimeters.
– Our customers want to be able to have the freedom to go everywhere and do anything, explains Fabio Carli. When it comes to the Avenger, the focus has been on promoting an active lifestyle, although the car will handle anything 99 percent of customers throw at it.
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The interior has received more robust material choices. (Photo: Jeep)A real cash cow
Since its debut in late 2022, just over 90,000 orders have been placed for the new Avenger, despite the lack of all-wheel drive. Of these, 30 percent are fully electric, just over 7 percent are hybrids and the rest are pure petrol cars.
The biggest markets are Italy, France and Great Britain. The success in the Italian market is something that Jeep wants to recreate in other markets, something they haven’t really succeeded in, for example, in Sweden.
The Jeep Avenger 4xe will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2024, while the first test drives will take place in the first quarter of 2025.
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The Jeep Avenger 4xe is a mild hybrid. (Photo: Jeep)