What does the Jeep brand mean for you? If that’s already difficult I’ve got another question: what do you think of the Jeep Avenger EV?
Front-wheel drive, compact and nippy, it’s the furthest the brand has travelled from its rugged, militaristic origins – and it’s trying to compensate: everywhere you look there are Easter eggs that aim to retcon this product into Jeep’s close-knit family. Most common is the classic grille logo that appears on top of the dash, on every wheel – and indeed below the actual grille.
Jump inside and the accolades start to make sense. It feels robust, which is very much on brand. In addition to a touchscreen, there’s a deep tray which acts as a holder for sunglasses, keys and so on. The use of the external body colour on the inside helps extend the rugged outdoors vibe. Then there’s the iPad-style folding cubbyhole cover, but we’ll get to that another month.
Push to start and then push to select gear, and the Avenger chirps into life. Quick to 30mph, handy in Normal mode and nippy in Sport, it feels perky enough to be interesting, but not well equipped to trouble the MG 4 XPowers or Cupra VZs of this world.