2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is the brand's first six-figure luxury SUV
Packing loads of tech and luxury trappings, this three-row SUV takes Jeep to a place to a territory it's never conquered before: The Over $100,000 Price Club.
With its 2022 Grand Wagoneer, Jeep is challenging the luxury SUV establishment in a way it's never attempted before. Unveiled in production form on Thursday, this three-row hauler has the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator locked in its sights, and ambitiously, offerings from BMW, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz are in its gaze, too.
Jeep, the off-road-focused division of Stellantis (née FCA), is keen to break new ground and raise the standard of sophistication for American vehicles -- more specifically, SUVs. To do this, the Grand Wagoneer promises to set a new bar for craftsmanship while delivering a best-in-class customer experience.
Jeep is going super-premium with the Grand Wagoneer. Indeed, its cabin looks every bit as nice as what you get in other three-row luxury SUVs these days, and in some cases, it may be better. While speaking during a media backgrounder, Morrison also revealed his confidence in the Grand Wagoneer's luxury credentials. He said, "This is the best interior in the market right now," and he didn't qualify that statement with any caveats like "for an American company" or "in this vehicle's segment." He means it has the best cabin in the automotive industry, which sounds hyperbolic, and it is, though not as much as you might think.
After a very brief first look, the Grand Wagoneer appears to deliver. Along with an attractive dashboard design, it has acres of buttery-soft Nappa or even nicer Palermo leather, miles of contrast stitching and a metal gear selector. Walnut wood furnishings provide richness while the vent surrounds and some of the speaker grilles are made of aluminum. Even the engine-start button received special attention, including French stitching and carved wood or metal accents.
This vehicle's first two rows of seats offer heating and ventilation for year-round comfort. The driver and front passenger are treated to 24-way power chairs with door-mounted controls. In lieu of branded sill plates, an illuminated Grand Wagoneer placard is fitted to the sides of the front seats' lower cushions where the switches would normally go. Four-zone climate control, adjustable pedals and a retro-inspired two-spoke steering wheel are other nice touches.
Along with loads of luxury, there's no shortage of space in this SUV. Both this and the more plebian Wagoneer promise best-in-class headroom and legroom in the second- and third-row seats. They should also provide segment-leading cargo space behind the third row and have the lowest lift-over height in the large-SUV segment.
When it comes to circuits and software, the Grand Wagoner offers plenty. This upscale family-hauler can be kitted out with up to seven screens. Seven! This includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster; the 12-inch touch-enabled dashboard display, home to the vehicle's Uconnect 5 infotainment system, which supports wireless Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto; the climate controls are housed on a separate 10.3-inch screen; there's an optional 10.3-inch passenger-side dashboard display with a special coating so the driver can't see it and get distracted while, you know, driving; and the second-row can be had with up to three other screens, two 10.1-inch units for entertainment and another 10.3-inch climate-control display. Oh, and if that's not enough, a 10-inch, full-color head-up display is also offered.
This three-row Jeep SUV has an interior that's absolutely sumptuous, loaded with tech and top-shelf materials.
Beyond all that, the Grand Wagoneer comes with parking sensors and night vision, plus it can be fitted with a high-end McIntosh sound system with either 19 or 23 speakers. It will even launch with Active Driving Assist (adaptive cruise control with lane centering) but Hands-Free Driving Assist comes later this year, which should operate a lot like GM's excellent Super Cruise system. Other standard or available safety tech includes a digital rear-view mirror, traffic-sign recognition, a 360-degree camera system and all the driver aids you'd expect, things like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
There's a lot to love about the Grand Wagoneer's cabin, though you may not have the same affection for its exterior, which is nearly identical to the concept that was revealed late last year. The body is long and perhaps a skosh too tall, something that undoubtedly contributes to its spacious interior. This three-row SUV also features large, U-shaped windows that should provide excellent outward visibility, just like the original Wagoneer that went out of production in 1991. The grille is different than the standard Wagoneer's, with a unique finish and design. Also, the Wagoneer wordmark is spelled out on the grille itself rather than the hood's leading edge. Grand Wagoneers also feature black roofs for a distinctive look and roll on either 20- or 22-inch wheels.
The design of these two upscale SUVs is very similar, and further complicating identification, they're the same size. Both roll on a 123.0-inch wheelbase are 214.7 inches from bumper to bumper. This makes the Grand Wagoneer something of a 'tweener, about 5 inches longer than a standard-size Lincoln Navigator and about 7 inches shorter than the elongated Navigator L. To better compete with rivals, Jeep will offer long-wheelbase versions of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, though details about these vehicles have not been released.
Jeep's Grand Wagoneer rides atop a ladder-style frame, just like a pickup truck.
Under its chest-high hood, the Grand Wagoneer features a large-displacement V8, a 6.4-liter unit that delivers 471 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. Unlike the more mainstream Wagoneer, with its smaller 5.7-liter Hemi, this engine is not augmented by an eTorque mild-hybrid system. It is, however, bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With a standard 3.92 axle ratio this SUV should be able to accelerate to 60 mph in 6 seconds flat, a more-than-respectable performance figure.
Just like an Escalade or Navigator, the Grand Wagoneer features body-on-frame construction, where the chassis is separate from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Made of different grades of steel for added strength and reduced weight, its fully boxed frame looks absolutely massive and very similar to the Ram 1500 pickup's underpinnings, though the two structures supposedly share almost nothing. The frame's front hard points are different, the Grand Wagoneer features an independent rear suspension for an appropriately luxurious ride and it even comes with an integrated Class 4 hitch for a maximum tow rating of up to 9,850 pounds. The frame's low, flat design at the rear contributes to the Grand Wagoneer's generous interior space.
Even though it is not Trail Rated like other Jeeps, likely because it's so gargantuan, the Grand Wagoneer comes with plenty of off-road hardware. A Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system is standard, complete with a two-speed transfer case and low-range gearing. You also get Quadra-Lift air suspension, which helps provide 10 inches of ground clearance and the ability to drive through up to 2 feet of water.
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer may just be the perfect vehicle to drive to your favorite ski lodge for a weekend getaway.
In keeping with the luxury theme, Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer customers get special treatment. From dedicated sales ambassadors to complimentary (and appropriately sized) service loaners, free Wi-Fi and snacks at dealerships to 24/7 customer support and 5 years of scheduled maintenance, the benefits of ownership are undeniable.
The 2022 Grand Wagoneer will be available in four different flavors: Series I, Series II, Series III and the blacked-out Obsidian model. As for pricing, the base variant starts at $88,995 including a borderline-usurious $2,000 in destination fees, which makes it about 10 grand pricier than either an entry-level Escalade or Navigator. Go hog-wild with the options and it's possible to push one past $111,000, an undeniably princely sum, though it's not the first Jeep to cross the six-figure threshold. With options, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk zooms right past that mark, too, but it's a performance-first SUV, not a luxury-minded one like this vehicle.
You can preorder one of these gilded, three-row SUVs starting right now, though deliveries won't start until the second half of the year. The Grand Wagoneer will be assembled in Warren, Michigan, just north of Detroit alongside the standard Wagoneer and the previous-generation Ram 1500 pickup.