Jeep’s new Avenger will spearhead the brand’s electric car assault in Australia.
The compact electric SUV is due here in the second half of next year and will be the smallest vehicle in the American brand’s line-up.
There is no word yet on local prices but in the UK it costs the equivalent of about $70,000, which puts it up against the much bigger Tesla Model Y.
Jeep says the Avenger measures just a smidgen over four metres long, which is shorter than the pint-sized Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross SUVs.
Jeep Australia boss, Michael Filazzola, says the Avenger represents a key milestone for the company as its first fully electric car.
“A compact SUV, the Avenger will provide a new entry point to the Jeep range while adding another level of electrification to our offering in Australia and represents a further step in the Jeep brand’s evolution,” says Mr Filazzola.
It has a 54kWh battery that provides a driving range of up to 400km. It can accept a max charging rate of 100kW, which is well below benchmark 350kW’s delivered by Hyundai and Kia.
It can add 20-80 per cent of charge in 24 minutes or 10km a minute.
A single electric motor makes 115kW and 260Nm, which is delivered to the front wheels.
There is plenty of standard safety equipment including auto emergency braking, blind-spot warning, lane-keep assist and a bird’s eye view camera.
Inside there is a 10.25-inch central touchscreen as standard and either a seven-inch or 10.25-inch digital driver’s display.
Jeep says there is a surprising amount of interior storage space despite its compact dimensions. There is a big 355-litre boot that easily trumps similar sized petrol cars and there is the equivalent of a carry-on bag’s worth of space inside the cabin, too.
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