Return of off-road blue blood
The return of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer reignites another storied Jeep nameplate, one that pioneered the idea of a luxury SUV years before Range Rover. Earning a spot in gravel-lined driveways and old moneyed homesteads, its lack of change reflected the old money families who bought it.
The 2022 Grand Wagoneer seeks to reignite that love affair, but with a twist.
Jeep is marketing the Grand Wagoneer and its lesser cousin, the Wagoneer, as an entirely new premium sub-brand dubbed Wagoneer that allows Jeep to maintain its hard-core off-road image while offering ever-more luxurious — and profitable — SUVs. If this sounds like the Land Rover/ Range Rover playbook, you’re right. The Wagoneer starts at $57,995, the Grand Wagoneer, $86,995. Both are offered in
Series I, Series II and Series III trim.
Riding on a modified Ram 1500 body-onframe platform, the Wagoneer’s designers went for size, a key Wagoneer trait. They also enlarged the glass as much as possible while keeping the pillars as thin as possible. While the Wagoneer twins share their basic body shell, there are some exterior differences between the two, most notably the Grand Wagoneer’s black-painted roof, copper-tinted windows, chrome window trim, 22-inch wheels and unique grille design. The Wagoneer’s look is still handsome, but wears a different face and monotone paint.
At nearly 18 feet long and 7 feet high, this mobile storage shed envelopes a bountiful 179.2 cubic feet of passenger space across three rows of seats, while providing 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 94.2 cubic feet in the Grand Wagoneer. Given its opening price, it’s not surprising that leather seats are standard and are heated and ventilated. The second row can be fitted with heated seats, and Grand Wagoneers offer second-row ventilated seats and a cabin trimmed in real American walnut.
But the Grand Wagoneer’s coolest feature is its touchscreen for the front screen passenger, which can send information to the driver, if needed. It’s one of the Grand Wagoneer’s seven screens, including the instrument cluster, center infotainment screen, dual second-row screens and two climate control screens. A 10.1-inch center infotainment screen with navigation is standard in the Wagoneer; it grows to 12 inches in the Grand Wagoneer. There are also eight USB ports, an auxiliary jack, two auxiliary 12-volt power outlets and a 115volt outlet. And the optional Macintosh audio systems? They’re well worth it if you’re an audiophile.
If this all sounds very upscale, it is. In fact, this is finest interior that Chrysler’s minions have produced in decades. It’s stunningly well-executed, with a surfeit of details that delight.