Jeep's Grand Wagoneer Fast Approaching
Poised deliver a super-sized sport utility vehicle to a brand that doesn’t have anything in its lineup to compete with the likes of the Chevy Suburban, Ford Expedition or their more-premium alternatives, Jeep’s returning Grand Wagoneer is probably about a year from entering production. Eager to check on Jeep’s progress, our sister site AutoGuide spoke with brand head Jim Morrison this week.
Most of the interview centered around the new Gladiator Mojave and how important it was not to taint the Jeep brand by forgetting what it’s supposed to represent — getting groovy off the pavement. Morrison also touched on the Wagoneer, however, hinting that we’ll get our first official taste very soon.
The model is expected to go on sale in 2021 (possibly early 2022), with public debuts occurring this year.
“I think one of the things we like about the Jeep brand is that we pay attention to what our customers are saying,” Morrison told AutoGuide. “They’ve said they wanted a pickup truck? We’ve given the Gladiator. They’ve said they wanted a Wrangler with a diesel? We’ve given them EcoDiesel. So obviously we pay attention to them and close attention to what our customers are looking for. It makes a lot of sense to be next out of the chute with the Grand Wagoneer, but more on that soon.”
With room for at least seven, the returning Wagoneer and uplevel Grand Wagoneer will be the largest products in Jeep’s current lineup. The manufacturer has previously confirmed the existence of hybrid variants; Morrison hinted Wagoneer will have an electrified powertrain offered as an option — probably after it has been on sale for a while and potentially using the brand’s new “4xe” badging. While this might upset purists, shared bones with the Ram 1500 means body-on-frame construction and healthy off-road chops. No reason to panic.
Most powertrains should be familiar to Ram owners. While Jeep has yet to confirm everything offered with the Wagoneer, anything that fits into the pickup should be fair game — ditto for the 48-volt, mild-hybrid system that’s available on the 3.6-liter six-cylinder and 5.7-liter V8. As with all Jeep models, accessories will carry an elevated level of importance. Expect an impressively lengthy list in the Jeep Performance Parts catalog.
[Images: Jeep]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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- Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
- MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
- 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
- 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
- CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
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Crumbling interstates are the new off-road. Bring Dwight D. Eisenhower forward in a time machine and show him around the U.S. Interstate system in 2020. Now remember that look he just gave you.
The GC is an interesting vehicle. Most crossovers are so named becasue they share components with a car. The WK2 shares parts with more car like SUV's (Durango ML), but it's RWD and has low range which kind of seems to make it an SUV in my mind. As I recall when crossovers first came out 4wheeler magazine decided a two speed transfer case might be the best dividing line to use between the two classes. That said stock to stock my guess is that a GC would follow a 4runner down most trails without issue. I know you hate the Unibody thing but I had an XJ and that thing was a beast offroad. Much better traction and suspension offroad then any other 4wd I have owned. Now which would I rather beat offroad if I were paying for repairs as a long term owner the 4runner, but that doesn't mean the GC isn't capable of going offroad