Jeep Avenger review – Electric motor, drive & performance

While the gear shift itself isn't too bad, we weren't fans of the large gear knob and it's worth noting the clutch feels slightly heavier than some rivals, without making it somewhat tiring in traffic. The stop-start in our test car was a bit unpredictable, though, which may lead to a lot of owners simply turning it off. Advertisement - Article continues below

While Jeep markets the Avenger e-Hybrid as its 'entry-point to electrification', the changes to its powertrain aren't significant enough to warrant that claim. It's only really a mild-hybrid, adding a small dose of electrical assistance for improved efficiency and an automatic gearbox. Once you consider it as such, it actually makes more sense, and only costs about GBP1,700 over the standard petrol.

On the move in the e-Hybrid, the transition between petrol and electric power is almost seamless - the only way you'd know when the engine drops in or out is when the gauge cluster glows blue to signify it.  The mild-hybrid system makes for quiet driving most of the time, but if you put your foot down and increase the revs, you soon hear the 1.2-litre three-cylinder spring into life. The automatic gearbox is fairly responsive, shifting up and down quickly in Normal drive mode, but holding onto the gears for longer in Sport to eek more performance out of the engine - there are even paddles should you wish to shift manually, though it's more suited to doing its own thing.

The mild-hybrid comes with regenerative braking, too.

This isn't quite strong enough to enable one-pedal driving, but can still feel a little aggressive and abrupt, for example on the motorway - we'd prefer more levels of adjustment for this feature, as there's currently just one.