Pint-sized electric Jeep Avenger locked in for NZ

The local arm of Jeep has today announced that its first fully electric vehicle, the Avenger, is coming to New Zealand in December.

However, if you want to get your hands on one before the end of the year, you’ll have to be quick because just 50 Launch Editions are available for Kiwi customers.

Pricing for the baby Jeep comes to $59,990 driveway after the full Clean Car Discount rebate is applied, with orders being taken on the local distributor’s website now.

We can expect the model’s price to effectively rise to $67,005 come the start of next year though, as the Clean Car Discount is set to be scrapped on December 31, 2023.

Considering it’s been more than a year since we last heard about the Avenger, we don’t blame you if you need a refresher. The model is Jeep’s first EV and features a 54kWh lithium-ion battery, giving it enough juice to travel a claimed 400km on a single charge.

Recharging from 20 to 80 per cent takes 24 minutes when using a 100kW fast charger, or 5.5 hours from empty to full with an 11kW alternating current charger.

It’s also only offered with a front-wheel drive powertrain, making use of a single electric motor up front that produces 115kW and 260Nm of torque.

In keeping with the rest of the brand’s line-up, the iconic seven-slot front grille makes an appearance, while it also features pumped fenders on all four corners that are home to 18-inch wheels.

A cool touch can be found at the rear, with the model’s signature X-shaped tail lights having been designed to look like jerry cans that you’d commonly find mounted to the back of WW2-era Willys Jeeps.

The interior features a centrally-mounted 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, while there’s plenty of space at the back for luggage, with the total capacity coming to 380 litres.

To top it all off, the new Jeep Avenger will arrive into New Zealand with a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, along with a suite of safety and driver assistance features like level-two autonomous driving, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, automatic parking, and more.