Five decades ago, there was an ancient cross-country vehicle known the world over as the Jeep Wagoneer. Produced for over 28 years with numerous minor changes, it was known to be one of the longest-running vehicles in American history. Fast forward to today and the Wagoneer is back as the luxury side of Jeep. The legend returns and it's ready to redefine the SUVs of the 21st century the American way. Let's have a quick dive with the 21st-century Wagoneer, the modern take of the legendary SUV that reshaped America.
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| 2022 Jeep Wagoneer |
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| 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer |
The folks from Stellantis don't want everybody to call the Wagoneer a Jeep because the 21st-century Wagoneer is a luxury extension of the Jeep brand. Whatever the reason, despite the signature Jeep grille on the front, there are no signs of Jeep markings in it, making the Wagoneer range a separate entity or whatever the reason, much like the Mustang from Ford or the Corvette from Chevrolet.
Anyway, the 21st-century Wagoneer is offered with two different versions to choose from such as the normal Wagoneer, which is priced at 68,590 US Dollars plus additional costs, and the ultra-luxurious Grand Wagoneer, which is priced at an ultra-expensive 87,590 US Dollars plus additional costs.
Beginning with the design, the Wagoneer stays faithful to its concept form first previewed last year. For a glorified Grand Cherokee catered for the 1%, the new Wagoneer's boxy styling and rugged character show its true nature as an American-made SUV promises to make America great again, whatever the reason. The normal Wagoneer variant is good to look at because of its pioneer image surrounding it but on the ultra-expensive Grand Wagoneer, its showboating looks delivers a lasting impression while placed on a metropolitan setting. Either way, they're both byproducts of real American values.
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| 2022 Jeep Wagoneer interior |
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| 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer interior |
The interior may not be as large as a Chevrolet Suburban but the new Wagoneer is still a practical, common-sense SUV with three-row seating fit for family use.
While it boasts the best second-row and third-row legroom in its class, the results are somewhat not typical because whether if you're looking to nail its sweet spot or hitting yourself with the "out on a limo" feeling, you'd better start praying that the second-row seats are either separated so you can easily get through the third-row seating or in case the second-row seats accommodate three, pray that no child seats flooded the entire second-row or you'll be in big trouble getting through the third-row seating.
On the driver's side, the new Wagoneer's dashboard looks broadly similar to the latest Grand Cherokee but with some nice touches on it. Yes, it has a touch-screen sat-nav to play around with, but it's got two buttons mounted in it so you can easily adjust the volume or change radio stations without the hassle. One thing you'll get noticed is the rotary gear dial that is similar to what Jaguars and Land Rovers had today.
The Grand Wagoneer's interior, meanwhile, is high class indeed. Of course, it still packs three-row seating just like the normal Wagoneer but it boasts the most cargo volume behind the third row in its class, more than enough to carry either a golf bag on a trip to the country club or sensitive cargo in case of confidential missions. The best bits in the Grand Wagoneer's interior are the extensive use of handcrafted materials in the making of its seats, a classic combination of American walnut and authentic metal surfaces, and an extra touch screen above the glovebox. If you are prepared to pay a six-figure price tag for such privileges, the Grand Wagoneer's the luxury SUV that will upset the competition.
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| 2022 Jeep Wagoneer |
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| 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer |
As most people would say that the new Wagoneer runs on similar mechanicals as today's RAM 1500, you would expect that it's a tough cross-country machine built for all walks of life. Looks like they were right, almost. Because of such mechanicals, the new Wagoneer is offered as either a rear-wheel-drive or a four-wheel-drive with three different variations while the new Grand Wagoneer is offered only in the highest four-wheel-drive configuration, known as the Quadra-Trac II with rear eLSD and a 2.72:1 low-range gear ratio.
The Wagoneer is powered by a 5.7L V8 engine with eTorque that produces 392HP of power and 404lb-ft of torque. The Grand Wagoneer, meanwhile, is powered by the 6.4L V8 engine that produces 470HP of power and 455lb-ft of torque. They're both mated to an eight-speed AT. In terms of towing, the normal Wagoneer can tow up to 10,000lbs while the Grand Wagoneer, despite its powerful engine, can tow less than 10,000lbs. Pity that the lesser one has more muscle than its final form if you know what I mean.
Built for almost all walks of life, both the new Wagoneer and the new Grand Wagoneer are packed with the Selec-Terrain Traction Management System that allows the driver to choose a wide variety of settings that fit through different road conditions with the Auto mode allowing the SUV to adapt through almost everything. It even comes with the Quadra-Lift Air Suspension that can be raised or lowered depending on which road it faces.
The Grand Wagoneer can do so much more because of its active two-speed transfer case with Selec-Speed Control, giving it more capability to ascend or descend through various road elevations thanks to its hill ascent and hill descent control features. With such numerous features, it seems that the Grand Wagoneer is the better cross-country vehicle than the normal Wagoneer and looks like rivals such as the Lincoln Navigator and the Cadillac Escalade are wishing they had their mommies with them.
Both the Wagoneer and the Grand Wagoneer comes with a wide array of safety features such as the available Surround View Camera with washer, Active Lane Management System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path Detection, Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist, and many others.
It's no wonder why the new Wagoneer range from Jeep is the most expensive Jeeps you can buy because of its "American Premium" status. Made by the Americans for the 1-percent Americans who prefer free-market capitalism, this is the prime example of how American capitalism practiced, whatever the reason.
Of course, being part of a company colonized by Europeans, the 21st-century Wagoneer still embodies the same can-do American spirit.
Photo: Jeep