Review: 2025 Jeep Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition
There’s something very satisfying about a small car that behaves like it’s pretending to be a proper outdoorsy SUV. The Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition is exactly that: pint-sized, energetic and dressed for the job, as if someone asked a full-size Jeep to “be useful, but less bossy.” Pull up at the campsite, sling your muddy dog in the back, and it all feels deliberate - from the washable surfaces to the rubber floor mats, rather than a happy accident.
Under the bonnet is a neat little 1.2-litre turbo three-cylinder that works with a two-motor 48-volt hybrid set-up to give you true all-wheel drive without a heavy driveshaft. The system produces roughly 136 horsepower combined, enough to hustle the Avenger along country lanes without sounding like it’s on its knees. It’s paired to a six-speed automatic and an e-AWD arrangement that sends electric drive to the rear axle when traction is needed, which is a clever way of getting four-wheel traction in a compact package.
For everyday driving the Avenger is amiable. Around town it can trundle in near-electric low-speed mode for quiet, easy parking and polite urban running. On B-roads it feels livelier than its size suggests: the hybrid torque fill gives confident mid-range shove and the steering is light and honest, so you can hustle it along with a grin rather than a grimace. Road noise is controlled better than you might expect, and the suspension, a setup that soaks up potholes without wallowing, keeps things composed when you’ve loaded it up for a weekend away.
If you fancy some proper muck-in, the 4xe has been given a modest off-road uplift: ground clearance is around 210mm and the fording depth is rated to about 400mm, with noticeably improved approach and departure angles compared to the front-wheel variants. That doesn’t turn it into a Wrangler, but it does make the Avenger a very capable little green-lane companion: mud tracks, shallow fords and campsite scrambles are all within its comfort zone, especially if you spec chunky tyres.
Now the practicalities - the bit that matters when your dog is dripping all over the place. The 4xe packaging does mean the boot isn’t enormous: expect roughly 260 litres with the rear seats up, which drops you into supermini-plus territory rather than estate-car numbers. Fold the seats and you get much more usable volume, enough for a couple of large kit bags, a compact tent, and a cooler, but you’ll be doing a bit of Tetris if you want a big fridge in there too. The trade-off is fair: the trade gives you AWD and off-road chops, but costs a little luggage space. Thankfully the interior treatments, wipe-clean seat materials, rubberised mats and helpful tie-down points, mean you can load up muddy gear without the five-hour scrub afterwards.
The special North Face treatment is more than just a sticker pack. It’s the details: summit-gold accents, topographic motifs on the dash, elasticated seat-back straps that look like rucksack webbing, and a small bundle of branded outdoor kit that makes the whole thing feel like it’s been curated for people who actually go outside. It’s a limited run, too, the production number has been chosen to nod to a famous mountain, which is a neat bit of theatre if you like that sort of thing. The edition does carry a premium, mind: expect a price that stacks it above the standard Avenger range, which is worth factoring in if you’re hunting value.
Interior comfort is where this little Jeep surprises. For daily use the driving position is sensible, visibility is good (a boon on narrow lanes) and the front seats are supportive enough for long days behind the wheel. Rear seat room is compact, adults can sit there for shorter runs, but it’s not a long-haul family car, and the tight cabin dimensions are the cost of the tidy footprint. The controls are a mixed bag: you get solid physical dials and switches for the key heating and climate functions, which is a blessed relief if you hate scrolling through menus for simple adjustments. Alas, some features, heated seats and certain comfort items, still hide behind the touchscreen, so you’ll sometimes have to tap rather than twist. If, like me, you dock points for shoving everything into the infotainment, the Avenger mostly does the decent thing, with a small amount of compromise.
Driving across varied surfaces is where the Avenger 4xe earns its stripes. Tarmac is its happy home: nimble, polite and economical if you’re gentle. Gravel and wet grass? The e-AWD helps keep you moving with a composed, non-dramatic shove. On steeper, looser stuff the electronics and rear motor are good at metering torque so you don’t spin your wheels into a deeper mess. Again — this is a cheeky, capable compact crossover rather than a hardcore trail rig. If your off-road idea of fun involves deep ruts, rock crawling or heavy winching, you’ll want something larger. But for the kind of mud-slogging and river-sniffing most of us do on weekend escapes, it’s brilliant.
Fuel efficiency is respectable for what you get; the hybrid arrangement tucks in reasonable consumption when you mix gentle electric-assist town running with steady cruising. Expect tidy mpg figures for a car with actual AWD capability, though real-world numbers will vary by load, tyre choice and how frequently you go full-throttle up a hill with a dog that smells of wet sheep.
Accessories fitted to the North Face edition are sincere rather than gimmicky: durable mats, branded kit (tent, bag, water bottle in many packages), and eye-catching trim that doesn’t feel cheap. You get practical additions aimed at owners who actually camp and climb, not just those who want to look outdoorsy at the supermarket.
There are negatives. The premium price for the special edition puts it up against more spacious rivals that will take more gear for less cash, and the rear seat and boot compromises are real if you regularly carry adults and a boot full of kit. Some features being buried in the infotainment frustrate - lane-assist and certain driver aids can take a few menu dives to fully disable, which is annoying when you want to shut them off quickly on twisty rural lanes. A dedicated row of physical toggles for these would be a welcome, very British plea.
So who is the Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition for? It’s for the couple or solo adventurer who wants a compact car that actually does outdoors without being theatrical about it. It’s for people who love a tidy footprint for town living but want the confidence to take a muddy side track on a whim. It’s not for families that need huge space, and it’s not for trail nuts who demand extreme clearance and low-range gearing. Buy it because you want clever AWD in a compact, charismatic package that wipes down easily and looks like it wants to get messy.
Final verdict:
A likeable, well-thought-out compact hybrid with genuine adventure credentials. It’s not perfect - there’s a size/premium compromise and a few control niggles, but it’s delightful in that way small, clever cars are: capable, characterful and surprisingly useful. For The Mud Life reader who values practicality over pretense, and who enjoys a bit of North Face-styled swagger with their green-lane antics, the Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition is a strong contender.
And hey, it gets the dog in, the tent in, and your boots hosed off without a drama. What more do you want from a small Jeep?
Website: Jeep Avenger The North Face Edition
Price: £35,725