Jeep is working on the first all-wheel-drive version of its Avenger subcompact crossover sold overseas.
The baby Jeep debuted in late 2022 as the brand’s first electric vehicle. Gas and mild-hybrid powertrains were later added. All powertrains so far have only been with front-wheel drive.
The new all-wheel-drive version is expected to debut late this year or early next for markets where the Avenger is offered, and it will come with a new hybrid powertrain.
Although Jeep previewed an Avenger with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive electric powertrain with 2022’s Avenger 4×4 concept, the prototype here features a hybrid powertrain, likely with an electric motor powering the rear wheels and the currently available gas engine, a turbocharged 1.2-liter inline-3, driving the front pair. The gas engine delivers 100 hp on its own, and the addition of an electric motor should boost the vehicle’s total output.
Jeep Avenger 4×4 concept
The prototype also features the roof rack previewed on the Avenger 4×4 concept, and it’s possible there will also be some styling cues from the concept hidden under the camouflage gear.
The Avenger rides on the CMP modular platform of Jeep parent company Stellantis. The platform is designed for subcompact and compact vehicles, and is also found in the related Alfa Romeo Junior and Fiat 600. Production of all three vehicles is handled at a plant in Tychy, Poland.
With most of the CMP-based crossovers measuring only about 160 inches in length, or roughly six inches less than the already small Renegade, don’t expect any of them to reach the U.S.