Jeep has finally launched its first all-electric car at the Paris Motor Show, although the news wasn’t exactly a secret beforehand. It’s called the Avenger, and Jeep reckons it will be the company’s bestselling model by the end of 2024.

The Jeep Wrangler 4xe had already managed to become the bestselling plug-in hybrid in America, but of course that still has an internal combustion engine. The Jeep Avenger, in contrast, will be marketed in most countries as electric-only, although Spain and Italy will still be getting a fossil fuel-powered version. It’s also a very different beast to the Wrangler, despite incorporating similar design cues from Jeep’s history. Production is just starting at the Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland, which has the potential capacity to produce 1,000 cars a day. This factory has just completed retooling, after previous manufacturing the Fiat 500.

The Jeep Avenger will initially be front-wheel-drive, but an all-wheel-drive concept was also ... [+] revealed in Paris.

The Avenger will debut the second-generation CMP platform from Stellantis called STLA Small. So this will be one car from the group that doesn’t come with 136hp and a 50kWh battery. However, it’s only a little bit more powerful, with 156hp, and the battery is 54kWh gross (51kWh net). Jeep hasn’t announced performance characteristics for the car yet, but although it’s relatively light in its class at 1,541kg, it’s still not going to be that fast by EV standards.

The 51kWh net battery is also now relatively small compared to the latest EVs. Jeep says the Avenger will have a decent but far from exciting range of 400km (250 miles) in the WLTP test. Although the company claims this could rise to 550km (343 miles) in urban use, we’re now starting to see an increasing number of electric cars exceeding 300 miles of range. Still, with 100kW DC charging able to take the battery from 20 to 80% in 24 minutes, intercity trips will be possible, although driving about town is the more likely scenario. There’s also a heat pump included as standard to improve cold weather range, and 11kW AC charging across all models, which will be great for anyone with three-phase power.

The initial version of the Avenger, for Europe only, will be a front-wheel-drive family car with ... [+] offroad pretentions.

Unfortunately, although Jeep has designed the Avenger to maximize space and capabilities around the benefits of electrification, there are some compromises to enable the petrol version, such as a mound in the middle of the floor for the back seats. Headroom is great front and back, but the knee room is surprisingly meagre in the rear. Plenty of thought has been given to rear luggage, though. The boot / trunk lip is flush with the floor and is lined with a rubber mat to prevent damage. It also has a kick release as standard. The capacity is a decent if not outstanding 380 liters, but there’s also 34 liters of storage in various places inside the cabin. Capacity with the rear seats down hasn’t been revealed yet.

Jeep hasn’t made any attempt to design an integrated digital experience combining the cockpit and infotainment, unlike some manufacturers. The dashboard will be 7in or 10.25in, depending on trim, but the separate infotainment screen will be 10.25in on all models. This will have Google Android Auto OS underneath, but navigation supplied by TomTom. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available wirelessly if you want to use your phone’s capabilities instead. The dashboard looks functional rather than futuristic.

The Jeep Avenger will be manufactured at Stellantis's recently retooled factory in Tychy, Poland.

Although this is a Jeep and has offroad settings via the Jeep Selec-Terrain system such as mud, sand and ice drive modes, it’s more comfortably placed in the popular crossover classification, and Jeep calls it a “B-SUV Compact”. This version is front-wheel-drive only, rather than all-wheel-drive. There will be a huge range of stylistic options, which is in keeping with the Jeep brand’s image of personalization, but hints at this car’s lifestyle orientation rather than being a true off roader.

However, at the Paris Motor Show, Jeep also announced a concept for an Avenger 4x4, which will be much closer to the tradition of the Willys Jeep that originated the company. It will have all-wheel-drive, fatter tires, a wider track, and extra lights for illuminating rough terrain at night. It will therefore boast even better road clearance as well as steeper approach, departure and breakover angles. There’s a new lightweight roof cargo system as well, making this Avenger a much more likely candidate for wilderness adventure.

There will be many customization options available for the Avenger.

Americans will also have to wait a little longer for an all-electric Jeep, because currently there are no plans to bring the Avenger to the US. This is because it’s too small for American buyers, who love their giant trucks. The head of design at Jeep, Ralph Gilles, is trying to make a business case to bring it over, but there will be other electrified Jeeps for North America to look forward to soon instead, such as the Wagoneer “S” and Recon.

No exact price has been announced yet, just a ballpark figure of 30,000 Euros ($29,000) with incentives. Since the UK doesn’t have these, it’s likely to be at least £36,000 ($41,000) to start with in Great Britain. Premium loaded trims will be more than £40,000 ($45,000). That’s about the same as other recent releases in a similar class, such as the Renault Megane E-Tech. So it really will need to be good to drive to succeed.

Despite offroad drive modes, the Jeep Avenger is more likely to spend most of its time in an urban ... [+] environment.

The Jeep Avenger is likely to see more service on the school run than the offroad trail. But it has been designed robustly should you want to go camping or take a trip to the beach. That’s the fence Jeep has been sitting on for years. In our hearts, we want a 4x4 that can go anywhere and do anything. But in our daily lives, we will be spending most of our time nipping to the supermarket. So while the Jeep Avenger does have some ability to do what the Jeep brand has always been famous for, it’s more of a small family car. And as there are lots of families about, at the right price it could sell well.

Most European markets can already pre-book the exclusive Launch Edition of the Jeep Avenger, and UK customers can place reservations from January 2023 or express interest on Jeep’s website.