Jeep unveils the highly anticipated $ 111,000 Grand Wagoneer SUV

DETROIT – Jeep’s highly anticipated Grand Wagoneer SUV will further push the quintessential off-road brand into luxury vehicles with a fully loaded model worth over $ 111,000 when it goes on sale later this year.

The new three-row SUV will test whether Jeep can expand its product range into the lucrative luxury SUV segment and attract new customers from Cadillac, Lincoln and Land Rover, among others. Jeep has grown its regular SUVs into a full line of vehicles in recent years amid an influx of new competitors.

The Grand Wagoneer will be the premium sibling of a cheaper SUV called the Wagoneer, which starts at $ 57,995. Both vehicles are the same size, but the Grand Wagoneer – starting at $ 86,995 – has a slightly different exterior design, more powerful engine and exclusive interior features. Both vehicles will be unveiled online on Thursday.

“Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were born out of Jeep, but their character is different from the rest of the brand,” Jeep CEO Christian Meunier said at a press conference prior to the unveiling. “They are modern and forward-looking. We build on pure DNA to make these products absolutely unique.”

While the Grand Wagoneer’s exterior is unmistakably a Jeep, the SUV’s interior may look unrecognizable to current owners. It has screens up to 75 inches, including an available 10.25-inch passenger touchscreen that can stream videos and Amazon’s Fire TV and control certain functions such as navigation and outdoor cameras.

The vehicle’s interior also features high-quality materials such as satin American walnut, aluminum and nappa or Palermo leather upholstered 24-way power seats.

“You can compete with this Grand Wagoneer interior against anything on the market,” said Jim Morrison, head of Jeep’s North American operations. “I’m not just saying SUVs, you can compete with anything on the market.”

Overall, the Wagoneer has fewer standard features and premium materials compared to the Grand Wagoneer. For example, the cheaper Wagoneer has screens up to 50 inches compared to 75 inches. Some screens are smaller and do not offer touchscreens for comfort settings. Amazon Fire TV is available both as a passenger touchscreen, which is blocked from the driver’s view by a filter.

Jeep said both Wagoneer models will eventually offer a hands-free driver assistance system on “approved roads,” but a spokesman declined to provide additional details. The vehicles will be launched with a driver assistance system that can control speed, braking and the distance between other vehicles, but drivers will have to keep their hands on the wheel.

The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are expected to arrive at dealers in the second half of 2021, including a top-of-the-line Grand Wagoneer Series III starting at $ 103,995. Jeep will take $ 500 security deposit for both vehicles through Jeep’s website starting Thursday.

Jeep dealers must be certified to sell the models. Certification includes training and an unspecified investment. They must deliver on 10 “promises” for Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer owners, ranging from free Wi-Fi and car washes on service visits to a “high-tech and efficient sales and service experience”. The automaker also provides 24-hour customer support for owners.

“Customer satisfaction with both the product and the way they are handled throughout the purchasing process is paramount to the entire Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer experience,” said Meunier.

The names Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were used by Jeep for large SUVs from 1963 to 1991. The company had pledged to revive the Wagoneer name for nearly a decade as a way to better compete in the highly profitable large SUV segment.

The seven- or eight-person vehicles are largely based on a concept version of the vehicle that the company unveiled last year. The concept included similar design elements and many of the interior features and screens. Notable missing elements of the concept include an illuminated grille, an all-glass roof and a plug-in hybrid petrol-electric motor.

Jeep has announced that all of its new models will offer some form of electrification, such as the plug-in hybrid system, but executives declined to comment on the alternative powertrains for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Meunier said the brand “has a plan for electrification.”

Jeep’s new parent company, Stellantis – the product of a $ 52 billion merger between carmakers Fiat Chrysler and Groupe PSA – plans to offer a range of all-electric or hybrid vehicles through 2025.

The Wagoneer comes standard with a mild hybrid 5.7-liter V-8 with 392 horsepower and 404 foot-pounds of torque. The Grand Wagoneer comes standard with the 6.4-liter V-8 engine with 471 horsepower and 455 foot-pounds of torque. Each engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The hybrid engine features a 48-volt battery pack for better fuel economy, faster acceleration and other benefits.

Jeep has not released fuel economy estimates for the vehicles.