Jeep Avenger 4xe (2025) Review

Introduction

The American brand Jeep is legendary. It has been around for over 80 years, specialising in SUVs, pick-up trucks, and four-wheel drive.

But the sad fact is, despite some of its iconic cars, it's never had the best reputation, certainly in the UK.

Think big, thirsty engines and heavy depreciation. Plus, it doesn't have the wide appeal here that it enjoys across the other side of the Atlantic.

There is also a sense of utilitarianism about Jeeps, which many UK motorists might not necessarily want: the success of marques such as Land Rover, BMW and Audi with their luxury-laden SUVs tells you all you need to know about our SUV buying and leasing habits here in Blighty.

However, Jeep hasn’t stood still in terms of turning the tide – and there’s no better example of this than the Avenger.

Firstly, it was designed in Europe, offering something more suited to non-American roads. Secondly, build quality has improved over the years, too. Thirdly, it has a smaller, more city-friendly design, being a compact crossover. Finally, it's also become Jeep's first-ever all-electric vehicle, which aligns nicely with the swathe of manufacturers that are pushing towards electrification here.

But it’s a new hybrid Avenger we’re interested in for this review's purposes – namely the 4xe.

It might shock you to learn that, despite four-wheel drive being key to Jeep's identity, the Avenger has never been offered with anything other than front or rear-wheel drive. But the 4xe changes that.

To celebrate, it’s teamed up with a well-known outdoor apparel brand to put a special edition on the market called The North Face, which we've got our hands on here. Let’s hope the Avenger has found its off-roading shoes, then. We pack the ropes and harness in the back and set off.

At A Glance

As we said earlier, some Jeeps look a tad utilitarian.

Not so the Avenger, which now seems more robust and substantial than ever before.

It has a more squat appearance nowadays, with its iconic ‘seven-slot’ front grille made up of vertically positioned rectangular elements. These bridge the gap between the headlights on each side, accommodating thin day-running LEDs.

The North Face Edition offers some colourful features at the front - notably two yellowy-orange vertical struts towards the sides of the aggressively styled lower grille.

The North Face's lettered logo also appears on a large black sticker on the bonnet, along with another yellowy-orange stripe next to it.

Two notable creases around the sides accentuate the flared and cladded wheel arches. Other indentations and creases in the doors, including one that runs horizontally through the door handles, also accentuate the aggressive arches.

Lower down, the cladding thickens into a meaty side skirt, while the sloping roofline shows off the car’s aggressive, athletic proportions.

The rear features square taillights with rounded edges, although the brake lights illuminate in more of an 'X' shape. Cladding layers rise at the bottom, revealing a skid plate and room for the exhaust pipe.

This Jeep is sure to impress when it comes to looks. It is bold, muscular and quite sporty looking.

Key Features

The Jeep Avenger 4xe comes well-equipped as standard.

If you're not entirely sold on the North Face Edition, we'll run through the other trims on the 4xe.

Note that the 4xe’s trim levels differ from those offered on the standard Avenger petrol, e-Hybrid and electric models.

Entry-level Upland gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, automatic air conditioning, LED headlights and fog lights, and fabric seats.

It also features a synthetic leather steering wheel, a rear-view camera, an automatic high beam, keyless start, a hands-free powered tailgate, and a height-adjustable boot floor.

The Overland trim gets the Overland Pack, which enhances its off-road capabilities with bumpers, skid plates, roof rails, a rear tow hook, and mud and snow tyres.

It also gets the Winter Pack, which includes heated front seats, a windscreen wiper de-icer, and front and rear velour floor mats.

The North Face Edition goes even further, adding front and rear parking sensors, LED projector headlights and LED taillights, keyless entry, satellite navigation and a wireless phone charger.

In terms of performance, Jeep offers quite a bit of choice across the Avenger range, with a selection of powertrains and transmissions.

However, the North Face Edition is only available on the 4xe, which means you’re without a selection here.

The 4xe houses a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit and two electric motors, one on each axle, producing a combined 136PS.

It is also slightly taller, thanks to the body sitting 1cm higher on its suspension, which includes a new multi-link rear axle to improve its ride comfort and wading depth.

Performance & Drive

The 4xe gets from 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds. That is not terrible, although it isn't awesome, given that there are two electric motors, even if they are small.

136PS leaves the SUV feeling relatively underpowered in a straight line, and the engine must be worked hard to get decent performance out of it. However, it's reasonably smooth and refined when you get up to motorway speeds.

Gear changes feel smooth, too, although the Jeep is undoubtedly more sophisticated when cruising along steadily and not trying to maximise its performance.

The 4xe can run on electric power alone for brief periods, with the engine cutting in and out as required. Although this doesn't cause an issue at higher speeds, it can feel a little jerky when travelling slowly.

If you want more poke, then you’ll have to go with the all-electric version, which has 156PS. However, it’s 0.1 seconds slower to get to 62mph, with the petrol and e-Hybrid versions around a second slower.

The 4xe also has the highest top speed in the Avenger range, at 121mph.

The ride quality seems quite good, but potholes in the road surface can cause a bit of wobbling, so it takes the Avenger a bit of time to settle down again.

Regarding handling, the 4xe has more body lean in corners than we expected, particularly given its slightly higher ride height compared with the rest of the Avenger lineup. That said, measuring the ability of a car like this to tackle a twisty B-road flat out is a bit like judging a cruise liner by its ability to perform a handbrake turn.

A Jeep should be judged on its ability to be off the road entirely - and, thanks to the addition of all-wheel drive for the first time, the Avenger now does just that.

Thanks to its Selec-Terrain system, the Avenger has various driving modes, including Snow, Mud, and Sand, and it makes light work of tackling the rough stuff. These settings automatically reconfigure the gearbox, offering maximum traction.

We were fortunate to spend some time with it on a slippery and hilly off-road course, and we were impressed with its ability to maintain its progress without even fearing it might struggle.

It can also navigate inclines better than expected, helped by an increase in the Avenger’s approach and departure angles, which have gone up from 18 to 22 degrees and 33 to 35 degrees, respectively.

Admittedly, it’s not built to take on terrain as rocky, steep, or slippery as a Jeep Wrangler, and if you're an off-roading aficionado, the Avenger likely won't wow you anywhere near as much as it wowed us.

Nevertheless, if you like driving through mud-slung fields and bogs, the Avenger is far more capable than the two-wheel drive versions. Its reliance on its two low-powered electric motors is quite impressive, given that it doesn’t have a low-range gearbox.

Running Costs & Emissions

The Avenger 4xe returns 51.3mpg and emits 124g/km of CO2, although it's 52.3mpg and 122g/km in the North Face Edition we're testing.

That’s not bad, considering Jeeps are renowned for their thirstiness, although some rivals can do better.

By comparison, even the petrol-only model will manage 49.5mpg and emit 122 to 133g/km of CO2, depending on trim, while the e-Hybrid returns up to 57.6mpg and 111 to 114g/km of CO2, again depending on trim.

None of these will be suitable as a company car, though. For that, it'd be too tempting to pass up the electric version due to the huge savings on Benefit In Kind tax.

The electric version will also be much cheaper to tax, with the others costing £440 to £540 for the first year compared with the electric model's £10.

They are all even after that, though, at a flat rate of £195 a year.

Reliability-wise, Jeep is not renowned for its dependability, often coming near the bottom (or, in some cases, literally bottom) of the league tables.

Interior & Technology

The differences between the 4xe's interior and that of any other Avenger are the bright green 4xe badges on the centre console and the far end of the dashboard.

You also get some rubber floor mats and more robust, washable seat covers - and the North Face Edition gets yellowy-orange piping on the seat seams. On the back of the seats, there are elastic straps that remind you of backpacks.

The interior looks quite nice, albeit rather short on luxuries. It seems tough enough to match the Avenger’s perceived off-road ruggedness yet pleasant enough to look sophisticated on a motorway cruise.

Admittedly, that means there are some hard surfaces, and some of the materials feel cheap, but Jeep has done a good job of creating a pleasing aesthetic for the cabin.

Plenty of bits are surrounded by silver trim, while the entire front of the dashboard on either side of the digital instrument cluster is also silver, along with part of the steering wheel, which helps brighten things up.

We are not so keen on the look of the infotainment screen, though. It is perched on the silver section of the dashboard, which is set slightly lower than the blackened top, so it doesn't get in the way. However, at 10.25 inches, although it’s plenty big enough, its thick borders make it look a little dated.

The graphics are sharp, and the menu layout is fairly intuitive, but the operating system feels like it’s due an upgrade. It looks a little bit ‘last year’ in this fast-paced world of technology.

The same can be said of the digital instrument display, which also offers crisp graphics and plenty of useful information, although it's very limited in customisability.

Thankfully, the air conditioning settings have been left as physical controls beneath the infotainment screen rather than buried into the screen.

Practicality & Boot Space

There is no electric adjustment in the front seats of the Avenger, but it’s still easy to find a decent driving position.

There is plenty of space in the front, too, offering sufficient headroom and legroom for even the tallest drivers.

The news isn't as good in the back, though. Even moderately tall adults will feel cramped for legroom, and the combination of a lofty rear seat occupant sitting behind a tall front seat occupant will likely cause problems. It isn’t wide enough to comfortably fit three grown-ups in the rear, either.

Forward visibility isn’t the best, as the pillars are quite thick once you take into account the window frame and the black border around the windscreen. However, it’s swept back, meaning you can get a better view by leaning forward.

The pillars in the rear are even thicker, not helped by a tiny third window and the rear door handle being positioned behind it. The sides of the roof spoiler also hamper your view.

Thankfully, front, rear and even side parking sensors are standard on the North Face Edition, which also gets a 180-degree rear-view camera.

The boot space isn’t great, measuring only 325 litres, but it expands to 1,218 litres with the rear seats folded down in a 60:40 split.

That’s 55 litres smaller than the petrol and e-Hybrid and 30 litres smaller than the all-electric Avenger - and plenty of competitors comfortably beat the entire range.

A large cubby in the centre console, reasonably sized door bins, and a shelf on the dashboard in front of the passenger’s side allow you to store many odds and ends inside the cabin.

Safety

The Jeep Avenger was put through its paces by crash-testing experts Euro NCAP in 2024 but only earned a three-star rating.

It scored 79% for adult occupants, 70% for children and 53% for safety assists.

Despite this, you get a plethora of driving assistance aids, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist, driver attention assist, and a 180-degree rear-view camera with a 'drone' view.

North Face Edition models add lane centring and traffic jam assist.

Options

There is a big options list for the Avenger 4xe North Face.

You can choose from white, grey or black shades without paying extra, although a black roof with the white or grey body colours will cost a few hundred quid.

An electric panoramic sunroof is quite an expensive addition, while patterned grille rectangles, decorative exterior and interior mirror shells and stainless-steel door sill trims can also be bought.

If you wish, you can change the stickers on the bonnet for several alternative designs.

There is also a ‘pet pack’ which adds numerous accessories to make the Avenger more animal friendly.

A smoker’s kit, USB cables, a fragrance diffuser, luggage trays, tote bags, rear seat covers, cleaning kits, mud guards, emergency kits, a car alarm, tyre valve caps, and a rear-seat tablet holder are offered, too.

There are also various roof rack and roof box designs. Plus, you can get some less Jeep-esque items, such as a coat hanger that connects to the back of the front seat and a tray table for the rear seats.

Rival Cars

The Avenger 4xe is, to some extent, in a league of its own.

Sure, as an SUV, there are plenty of rivals, including the Peugeot 2008, the Vauxhall Mokka, the Ford Puma, the Nissan Juke and the Skoda Kamiq, but none are all-wheel drive.

And, if you pick many of its all-wheel drive foes, including the Lexus LBX, Toyota Yaris Cross AWD-I and Mini Countryman ALL4, these aren't true off-roaders – and some are much more expensive.

The Subaru Crosstrek (formerly called the XV) and the Suzuki S-Cross AllGrip are likely the best alternatives, while the Dacia Duster 4x4 might also be worth considering, as it’s surprisingly good off-road.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Jeep Avenger 4xe is a decent vehicle which moves the brand forward.

The launch of this all-wheel drive version gives the Avenger something that’s been key to Jeep's identity, which has been missing from this car until now.

It is also very stylish, with aggressive yet contemporary exterior and interior designs. However, despite being well-dressed, the interior feels a bit cheap.

It is not the most practical car, especially for rear-seat passengers, either. The boot space is poor, and the three-star safety rating is very much below the norm for most manufacturers today.

Would we recommend the North Face Edition? In truth, it doesn't really offer anything significant that justifies the price unless the bright colours and North Face logos enhance its appeal for you. It is considerably more expensive than the usual range-topping Overland.

Mind you, do you actually need the 4xe at all? Yes, all-wheel drive is the essence of a Jeep, but not all SUV drivers go near a farm track, let alone an off-road course.

If that’s you, you’re better off looking at one of the other versions – especially as even the all-electric Avenger in top-of-the-range Summit trim is cheaper than the North Face Edition.

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Jeep Avenger.