The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is brand new for 2021 and is an impressive addition to the luxury large SUV class. It’s large and in charge—a body-on-frame SUV with a powerful engine, posh interior, tons of space and is loaded with features and tech. The one big drawback is awful gas mileage.
Base Price: $95,440
As Tested: $$102,508
Horsepower: 471
Mileage: 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway/15 mpg combined
The Grand Wagoneer competes with the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and Land Rover Range Rover. It’s the swankiest Jeep ever made. Will buyers want a Jeep that can easily cost six figures?
The 2022 Grand Wagoneer comes in four trims: Series I, series II, Obsidian and Series III. Starting prices range from $88,440 to $104,845. Every trim comes well equipped, so you don’t have to go to the higher trims to get most features. The higher trims add things like nicer leather upholstery and beefed-up audio systems.
The Grand Wagoneer is powered by a stout 6.4-liter V8 that generates 471 horsepower and pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic. The engine does a great job of propelling this more than three-ton beast, whether you’re accelerating from a stop or increasing speed to merge and pass on the freeway. There’s noticeable body lean when cornering but you’re probably not going to push this ginormous machine around tight turns. The ride is smooth and composed, even over rough roads. The Grand Wagoneer is easy to drive despite its bulk; I often forget that I was behind the wheel of a vehicle that’s nearly 18 feet long and six feet tall. Visibility is good all the way around.
The Grand Wagoneer has decent off-road chops with a number of standard features including a four-wheel-drive system with active low range and rear electronic limited slip differential, a terrain management system, and an adaptive air suspension that provides a smooth ride and up to 10 inches of ground clearance. And if you want to slog through a stream, the Grand Wagoneer can handle up to two feet of water fording.
The Grand Wagoneer also boasts best-in-class towing capability of up to 9,850 pounds. Trailer sway control is standard and a trailer brake controller is available.
Fuel efficiency is horrible, even for a large luxury SUV. EPA ratings for my 4WD tester are 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway with a combined rating of 15. I got 15 mpg during my week with a mix of city and highway driving. To make matters worse, premium gas is required.
The cabin is utterly gorgeous and is definitely the most upscale interior ever in a Jeep! The design is modern and stylish, and all materials are all top notch. There’s room for either seven or eight passengers, depending on whether you get captain’s chairs in the second row. Seats are comfortable, supportive and roomy enough for adults, even in the third row. It’s also easy to get in and out of the third row thanks to the power Tip and Slide feature.
Standard features include remote start, rearview camera, surround-view camera system, head-up display, quad-zone automatic climate control, Nappa leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, massaging front seats, heated steering wheel, heated second-row seats, reclining and power-folding third-row seats, 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, infotainment system with 12-inch touchscreen, navigation, 19-speaker McIntosh audio system, HD Radio, satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB ports, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa including Fire TV, Wi-Fi hot spot, wireless device charging, 10.25-inch display in the second-row console, tri-pane panoramic sunroof, and a rear-seat reminder.
Available features include a digital rearview mirror, Palermo leather upholstery, interactive front passenger display, 23-speaker McIntosh audio system, ventilated second-row seats, dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system, rear-seat monitoring camera, a refrigerated center console, and driver drowsiness monitoring. .
Standard driver assistance technologies include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, side distance warning, front and rear parking sensors, and parallel and perpendicular park assist.
Available driver assistance technologies include traffic sign recognition, night vision assist, and intersection assist.
The Grand Wagoneer has Jeep’s latest Uconnect 5 multimedia infotainment system. The Uconnect system has long been known as one of the best and most intuitive infotainment systems out there, and this new version is even better. There are so many features that it can be a little daunting at first but it’s easy to figure out with a little practice. The system has great looking graphics, quick response times, and can be customized to your liking.
The bottom screen is a 10.3-inch screen that controls climate. The screen is motorized; push a button and the screen flips up to allow access to a compartment that has USB ports and a spot for your phone. Problem is, the screen has to be up for you to retrieve your phone. I can’t tell you how many times I’d turn off the ignition, then realize I had to power everything up again in order to raise the screen and grab my phone. A minor annoyance for sure, but Jeep should figure out how to make it more functional.
One available feature is an interactive display for the front passenger seat which can be used four ways: co-pilot for navigation and device management; entertainment through HDMI input and the rear seat entertainment controls; Fire TV for Auto, and looking at all of the exterior vehicle cameras. The front passenger can take control of these things so the driver can focus on the road ahead!
The Grand Wagoneer has a ton of cargo space, even for a large SUV. There are 27.4 cubic feet with all three rows of seating in place, 70.9 cubes with the third row folded and 116.7 cubes with the second and third rows folded. The cabin has lots of spots to store smaller items. There’s even an optional refrigerated compartment in the center console. A hands-free power liftgate comes standard.
The good:
Stout V8 engine
Comfortable ride
Handles like a smaller vehicle
Good off-roading capability including up to 2 feet of water fording
Extremely posh interior
Tons of passenger and cargo space
Many standard and available features and tech
Excellent infotainment system
Standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
The not-so-good:
High price tag for a Jeep
Dismal fuel efficiency
Pricing info:
Specific info for my tester wasn’t available in time for this review. Starting prices range from $88,440 to $104,845, plus a $2,000 destination charge.
Bottom line:
The brand new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is an impressive blend of capable SUV, classy cruiser and all-out luxury. The question is, will buyers want an over-the-top Jeep that can easily climb into six-figure territory and only gets about 15 mpg? They might if they were already considering the well-established Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator.
