Review: Jeep Avenger Petrol Altitude

The last few years have been good ones for Jeep.

At the end of 2024, it reported 193 per cent growth in UK sales and opened 10 new retail sites.

UK sales have also increased this year. In 2024, it sold 4,466 vehicles, and already that has risen to 7,450.

Additionally, the new Compass and Avenger 4xe have recently been debuted.

The subject of this week’s test drive is an Avenger, but the petrol-powered front-wheel drive version rather than the 4xe.

Since it was launched as an all-electric SUV in Europe in 2023 ( the first 100 per cent electric SUV from Jeep) Avenger has been phenomenally successful with orders of more than 200,000.

In the world of wannabe off-roaders, the Avenger stands out from the crowd. It looks like it means business, even though it doesn’t have any four-by-four capability in this guise.

It’s basically a city car, but it is robust-looking without looking too aggressive. It has the trademark Jeep grille, though it is pared down and doesn’t dominate the front end as some of those on the more rugged models do.

It’s quite at home in the city with a high ride height and nimble steering. It is small enough to negotiate tricky car parks and narrow roads.

The interior is nicely laid out, and there is a helpful cluster of buttons to access the climate control without resorting to the 10.3in infotainment screen every time you want to adjust the temperature.

It may not be a particularly high-tech interior, but that’s one of the reasons I like it so much.

The front seats are comfortable and roomy with plenty of leg and head room, but those at the rear are a bit cramped, and three adults may struggle for comfort on long journeys.

The boot at 321 litres is quite small (that of the 4xe is even smaller at 262 litres).

With the rear seats folded, this increases to 1,053 litres, again not class-leading by any stretch of the imagination.

There are three trim levels: Longitude, Altitude and Summit, which evoke the Jeep’s go-anywhere heritage.

The entry-level trim has plenty of equipment as standard, including hill descent control, rear parking sensors, cruise control, keyless start and auto climate control.

We had Altitude, which added a height-adjustable cargo floor, adaptive cruise control, a 10.5in instrument screen (up from 7in in the Longitude) and a 180° rear camera with drone view.

Move up to the top spec and you are rewarded with a wireless charger, blind spot warning and 360° parking sensors.

The petrol-powered Jeep is available with two engines. Both are 1.2 litres and deliver 101bhp. One is a mild hybrid with an automatic transmission, and the other is a manual without electrical assistance.

We had the latter and found it smooth and responsive, and delivered a comfortable ride on all types of roads.

Jeep Avenger Petrol Altitude

Price: £25,335 (as tested £25,345)

Engine:1.2 litre petrol

Power: 101bhp

Torque: 151lb/ft

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Top speed: 14mph

0-62mph: 10.6 seconds

Economy: 50.4mpg

CO2 emissions:131g/km