Jeep Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition review

What’s happening here?

Take a deep breath: this is the Jeep Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition. For simplicity, we’ll refer to it as the Avenger North Face. Car-and-fashion collaborations may not be as commonplace as they once were, but Stellantis clearly still believes in them. Following the formidable Peugeot 205 Lacoste comes the new Fiat 500 Giorgio Armani and this more outdoorsy Avenger.

Its seats wholeheartedly embrace the North Face puffer-jacket look, while the bonnet wears an anti-reflection decal in the manner of an old rally car. There is also a tent and assorted camping paraphernalia in the boot, with mountain contour lines etched everywhere.

Starting at a fraction over £35k, it costs four grand more than a standard Avenger 4xe, or roughly £50 per month. Anyone who has treated themselves to even a modest North Face shopping trip outside Black Friday may consider that a fairly unsurprising - perhaps even reasonable - increase.

What sits underneath?

This remains the nimble little Avenger we know and quite like, but with hybrid 4WD power. A 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine drives the front wheels, aided by two 28bhp electric motors, with one positioned on each axle. The rear motor is not active all the time and disconnects completely above 56mph to improve fuel economy, though it remains available to help the car clamber across terrain a conventional front-driven Avenger might not manage.

At speeds below 19mph, power is generally divided 50:50 between the front and rear. That is excessive for a school run, admittedly, but it perhaps gives the distinctly European-feeling Avenger more traditional Jeep character than ever before. No bad thing, considering it was named 2023 Car of the Year.

There are several terrain settings, too: Snow, Mud and Sand. Standard mud 'n' snow tyres - or optional all-terrain rubber - sit on 17in alloys, while multilink rear suspension adds a touch of sophistication. There is also plenty of data to excite people who enjoy getting muddy: 22deg approach, 21deg breakover and 35deg departure angles, plus 210mm of ground clearance, which is 10mm more than standard. That helps it ford 400mm of water or tackle a 40 per cent loose-surface incline. Jeep says the Avenger 4xe can provide up to 20 per cent traction when the front axle has little or no grip.

I’ll be using mine on the road, thanks.

It is pleasant there as well. The Avenger is fundamentally light, agile and unexpectedly enjoyable, and the additional complication of hybrid power and 4WD barely dilutes those qualities. At 1,475kg, it is 220kg heavier than the basic front-wheel-drive Avenger with its manual ‘box, yet it is notably lighter than the Avenger Electric, which presumably did much of the work in winning that COTY award.

Its performance is adequately brisk rather than exceptional. Peak combined output of 134bhp arrives at 5,500rpm, producing a 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds. Top speed stands at 120mph, with official figures of 52.3mpg and 122g/km of CO2.

How does the Jeep Avenger 4xe handle?

The ride is largely good, although its chunky ‘M+S’ tyres introduce some fidgeting; those staying on tarmac may prefer all-season tyres. It handles with appealing agility, too. Through bends, the car feels cohesive, seemingly using all four tyres evenly to create dependable, predictable grip. Push particularly hard when exiting a wet junction, however, and the front axle can still spin up briefly.

It changes direction with the eagerness its compact footprint and middling mass promise, yet displays a delicacy rarely associated with Jeeps. Naturally, it is nothing like a traditional Cherokee or tough Wrangler, sharing much of its hardware with an almost endless list of Stellantis crossovers. Vauxhall Mokka, Peugeot 2008, Fiat 600, Alfa Romeo Junior… there are plenty of them. Still, the Avenger rises above its relatives in more ways than simple ground clearance. Its cabin’s character and perceived quality seem to have been taken from the higher shelves of the Stellantis cupboard, making this Avenger feel appreciably more upmarket than the Citroen C3 we tested recently.

What are the hybrid elements like?

They are welcome additions. There is a worthwhile degree of brake regeneration, with no baffling modes required to access it. This is neither a hybrid that can be plugged in at home nor one capable of travelling huge distances solely on grid power, but its engine shuts down reasonably frequently in slow-moving traffic and during gentler cruising.

We achieved 46mpg over mixed driving that was often brisk, so those intending to use it chiefly as an urban runabout should comfortably meet the official claims. Although, in that case, a FWD model - or the EV - is probably the better choice anyway.

What makes the North Face special?

That depends on how keen you are to resemble an unpaid brand ambassador, especially as a regular Avenger 4xe provides the identical powertrain for usefully less money. However, buyers committed to this look can choose white, grey or black paint before the North Face logo is liberally applied across the small Avenger.

Production is limited to 4,806 examples, reflecting the height of Mont Blanc in metres. The summit of that Franco-Italian mountain features prominently throughout the bold trim that covers this North Face Edition. The most unusual feature may be the toolbelt-style fabric and elasticated cords on the front-seat backs, which look remarkably like a flexible adventure rucksack. Ridiculous? Obviously. But that does not make it wrong - unless your children spend an entire motorway journey to the in-laws twanging the cords.

And Avenger sales seem to be flourishing. More than 200,000 have been sold in only two years, while Jeep’s UK sales have been strong so far in 2025. As Stellantis seemingly mishandles the futures of Alfa and Maserati, its smallest Jeep appears to be a success amid the turmoil - with or without its flamboyant North Face makeover.