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Well, Dad is spinning in his grave again. The man loved only one car in his life — his beloved 1931 DeSoto roadster that he drove as a teenager — but he had enormous respect for the Jeep brand (generally) and the Wagoneer (specifically). He owned at least four during the 1960s and ’70s, not to mention the two-door Cherokee (SJ) that occupied my parents’ driveway during the early ’80s. I got my driver’s licence behind the wheel of the 1966 model, which was his favourite.
And while he would have been tickled pink to learn Jeep has resurrected the nameplate after a 30-year absence, he’d be beyond horrified at the price of the all-singing, all-dancing 2022 Grand Cherokee Series III parked in my drive — an uncharted-territory-for-a-Jeep $127,675.
Yes, the original Wagoneer was certainly a better riding, better equipped 4×4 than most of the day’s competition. But to Dad it was a family vehicle, a taller-riding station wagon with the additional benefit of four-wheel drive, which made it ideal for our cold Canadian winters.
Here’s the thing. When the original Wagoneer was retired back in 1991, it cost as much as a Cadillac. Back then, German automakers were still building cars, not SUVs. Neither the Lincoln Navigator nor Cadillac Escalade had made it to the drawing boards and Lexus was a new nameplate from Toyota struggling for recognition.
Clearly the full-size luxury sport-ute segment is far different these days. The competition is much stronger and far more established — in addition to the Escalade and Navigator, think Range Rover, Mercedes GLS, BMW X7, Lexus LX and others. Jeep is going to have to work hard to reconnect with upscale customers.
Still, it’s not as if Jeep is blowing smoke up its own, er, exhaust pipe. First off, the brand — now part of the Stellantis empire — is also introducing the more affordable Wagoneer ($59,995 to start), which has the GMC Yukon, Ford Expedition, et al, in its sights. Secondly, the Grand Wagoneer is offered in three increasingly opulent trim levels, designated Series I ($100,995), II ($106,995) and III ($120,995), plus a special all-black Obsidian cosmetic package ($113,995) based off the Series II.
The Grand Wagoneer rides on the Ram 1500 pickup’s body-on-frame architecture. Its exterior design is formal, rectilinear, and tastefully blinged out, with elements from the old Wagoneer such as the flat roof line and the trapezoidal wheel arches.
Peering inside, the seven-seat (eight-seat optional) Series III tester is not shy with the materials chosen throughout the cabin. Handcrafted Satin American Walnut wood in abundance. “Grand Wagoneer” inlaid in metal on the passenger side of the instrument panel. Shift knob, door speaker and vent surroundings in aluminum. Bezels in chrome. Nappa leather-trimmed seats for the Series I, softer Palermo leather-trimmed seats with quilting for the Series II and III, along with leather-wrapped instrument panel, console and door panels with accent stitching. The Grand Wagoneer might not reach the Bentley Bentayga’s hedonistic level of luxury, but it’s in the same ballpark.
As for accoutrement, the list is impressively long, starting with the 24-way power front seats, including memory settings and massage, power lumbar support, four-way powered headrests and passenger memory. Plus first- and second-row heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, memory steering column and adjustable pedals. Then there’s the four-zone HVAC system, the 10.25-inch articulating front comfort display and a 10.25-inch fixed rear comfort screen. For the audiophiles, the Series III comes with a McIntosh MX1375 Reference Entertainment system, complete with 23 tuned speakers, 24-channel 1,375-watt amplifier and dedicated amp channels to drive active speakers. The Righteous Brothers belting out Unchained Melody sent shivers up my wife’s spine.
The front-seat passenger is not neglected either, thanks to their own 10.25-inch touchscreen. Four major functions — Co-Pilot (navigation, device management), entertainment (via HDMI or rear-seat entertainment control) and Fire TV for Auto, plus the ability to view the exterior vehicle cameras — keep boredom at bay.
This is just a glimpse of the features throughout the Grand Wagoneer; the bigger question is how this posh rig drives. And the answer is, it drives BIG. The sheer size and mass of the Grand is overwhelming at first. Dimensionally, the SUV is 5.45 metres in length and 2.1 metres wide. That’s a Sasquatch-sized footprint. It isn’t as solid as the rock of Gibraltar, it is the rock of Gibraltar, the Series III weighing in at 2,912 kilograms. (For those who better understand the Imperial system, that’s 6,420 pounds.)
I never thought a 6.4-litre V8 engine, especially one putting out 471 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque, could be described as merely “adequate,” but it’s the word that comes to mind in coping with the Grand Wagoneer’s tonnage. The SUV prefers a more relaxed pace, although, when called upon with a heavy application of throttle, such as merging onto a highway, the eight-speed transmission will kick down and the V8 will respond to the need. That said, some of the upshifts under hard acceleration were clunky in nature.
As should be expected, fuel economy is not the Jeep’s forte. NRCan rates the Grand Wagoneer at 18.6 L/100 km in the city, 12.8 on the highway. In a run to and back from Niagara’s wine district, mostly highway with some back roads thrown in, I averaged 14.4 L/100 for the near 400-km trip. And premium octane is recommended when filling up. (Stellantis announced in July that it has plans to electrify every single model of the 14 brands under its purview, including Jeep.)
The Jeep’s ride is exemplary thanks to the Quadra-Lift’s four-corner air springs. More than 90 mm of lift span through five height settings ensure the Grand Wagoneer will tackle tarmac or trail with equal aplomb, leaving passengers unruffled regardless of road conditions. For those of shorter height, fear not; in Park mode the Jeep lowers 40 mm for easier entry and exit. The Series III also comes with retractable power running boards.
Speaking of passengers, the Grand Wagoneer offers what Jeep says is best-in-class overall passenger volume (5,074 litres) and the most cargo volume behind the third row (775 litres). As someone who is 6-foot-1 and leggy, I can absolutely attest to the lavish headroom and legroom in the first and second rows. Peeking back into the third row, it looked reasonably roomy as well. Getting to that third row is courtesy of the second-row-seat’s power release Tip ’n’ Slide function.
While it’s reasonable to question the timing and need of such an “extroverted” vehicle, Mike Szymkiewicz, head of product planning, notes that the combined large and premium large SUV segments grew 65 per cent in Canada between 2015 and 2019, and accounts for about 13,000 very profitable sales annually.
More anecdotally, the appearance of the Grand Cherokee at a Niagara winery generated surprising interest. One guy in a Porsche Cayenne, rolled down his window, commented very favourably on the Jeep’s looks and asked if it was available. Several others walked around it, pointing out certain details among themselves.
At the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer’s launch several months ago, Christian Meunier, Jeep Brand CEO at Stellantis, described the Wagoneer customer as “[living] life to the fullest and [enjoying] every little bit of it. When you lead such a full life you choose a vehicle with personality. That’s what Wagoneer is for.”
Like it or loathe it, there are no half measures to the Grand Wagoneer. After a three- decade absence, Jeep is again stepping up to the plate and is swinging for the fences.
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