THE storage capacity in the front of the new Jeep Avenger is enough to safely pack away 580 ping pong balls.

And if that were not enough, put the rear seats down and you can fit in 2,443 rubber ducks.

With such facts at his fingertips, Daniele Calonaci, head of design for Jeep Europe, is painting just the picture of a car he has designed to be fun, practical and stylish.

Nothing in this small SUV is superfluous. Everything has a purpose, a place, a function - like the masses of space in the front for all the rubbish we accumulate in our cars. Hyperstorage Daniele calls it.

And the huge amount of room in the extra-wide rear is because Daniele is a biker and he needs to get his gear in. Oh and there is a cargo tray so that it can be wiped down.

The Avenger comes to us in direct line from the legendary American Willys Jeep which has always been very cool - think Clint Eastwood in Kelly's Heroes.

The consequence of this is a horizontal approach to design with cues from the bulging wheel arches and bold bumpers.

These, however,are not just for show, they protect the car just as the ljghts front and rear are encased for protection, the skid plates are not painted but left in their original polymer state so scratches do not show and at night the ambient lighting shines out to let others know the door is open.

The interior is clean and roomy designed to accommodate five people and luggage - it's a bit like the Tardis really, far more spacious inside than it looks from the outside.

It comes with a 54kWh battery powering the electric motor and delivering 156hp and it has been tuned for best behaviour on rough roads.

The swathe of technology and safety systems includes blind spot monitoring, advanced emergency braking, auto-parking, a 180 degree rear camera and pedestrian and cyclist recognition.

Jeep's Uconnect services via the 10.25-inch screen, mean that you can access the Avenger remotely and this includes over-the-air updates from the mother company.

There is wireless and nav delivered by Tom Tom but the climate control buttons are sensibly off screen and just below it on the dash.

Crucially for Jeep since this is its first completely electric vehicle in the Jeep stable it boasts a range of 248 miles.

At the moment it is two wheel drive but expect a four wheel version later down the line.

However, because of its heritage it still comes with excellent capability and like all Jeeps offers normal. Eco and sport modes as well as snow, mud and sand with hill descent control.

There are seven colours - like sun, ruby, snow, volcano - and as ever, Jeep lets you customise your Avenger with a selection of decals - stripes, hood stickers, camo for the signature seven slot grille.

What is more there are still surprises Daniele and his colleagues have hidden around the car, the outline of a Jeep trekking across mountains for example or a little boy stargazing through a telsescope engraved on the corner of the windscreen.

Jeep is on a roll and sales are soaring across the globe so it is positive and optimistic about the future for the Avenger.

It will come in three trim levels with an attitude and personality to suit everyone. Prices start from £35,176 for a model in entry-level Longtitude trim and the range tops out at £39,017 for one in Summit specification.

All have the same powertrain which gives the Avenger a top speed of 93mph and a 0 to 62mph acceleration time of nine seconds.

From a fast charger the battery can be replenished to 80 per cent capacity in less than half-an-hour. A full charge at home from a 7kW wall box will take around eight hours.