Yes, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is returning with high-end touches and features – but it can cost serious bank. If a three-row family hauler that’s 30-thou less is more your style, the Wagoneer more than has you covered. Here are the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer first impressions.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Review
The Return
After three decades and unending speculation, the Wagoneer family is back. The new Wagoneer seats up to eight and comes with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine that puts out 392 horses and 404 pound-feet of torque. It also has an eight-speed automatic tranny.
You can get the ride — which will run with the like of Chevy’s Tahoe and Ford’s Expedition — with rear-wheel, all-wheel, or four-wheel drive. It costs $59,995 to start, markedly less than the $88,995 base price for the fancier Grand Wagoneer. Relativity IS a thing.
Size Matters
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is a size up from the Grand Cherokee L, a three-row version of the new Grand Cherokee. It has a body-on-frame construction that enables it to tow up to 10,000 pounds with a fully integrated trailer hitch. The Wagoneer’s a big boy.
Wood-Free
There’s no wood in the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer (or the Grand Wagoneer, for that matter). While this is a departure from the originals, the new Wagoneer is reminiscent of its lineage in that it offers the same feeling of occupying a large upright vehicle with expansive window views. That’s because the ride is large and upright and has large panes.
Jeep even recreated the two-spoke steering wheel for the Wagoneer, which has a grille that’s similar to its ancestor’s plus two hooks and skid plates for off-roading. In another nod to the Wagoneer’s heritage, “EST. 1963” bookends the instrument panel.
No Roll Down Tailgate Window
Another diversion from the original is the tailgate window that doesn’t roll down or open independently. The good news is, that omission means more interior space.
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is awesomely roomy, with beaucoup headroom and sufficient cargo space. You get a huge cargo area if rear seats are folded down.
The Wagoneer comes with two standard screens, and three more are optional. And hey, if you started watching a movie at home but need to run an unexpected errand, you can pick up where you left off with the optional Amazon’s Fire TV for Auto. What’s more, the ride has an Alexa system that’s poised to play what you wish.
With the Wagoneer, you also get loads of USB ports, and the vehicle itself is a WiFi hotspot. Plus, you can use Uconnect with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If the standard Alpine system doesn’t cut it, you can always upgrade to a McIntosh sounds system.
Off-Road Style
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer offers a body-on-frame platform with an indie front and rear suspension and three transfer cases, two of which include low-range gearing. It also provides two off-road modes, a 25-degree approach angle, 24-degree departure angle, and 22-degree breakover angle. So yeah, it’s STILL a Jeep thing.
There are eight inches between the ground and the Wagoneer, owing to the vehicle’s standard steel coil spring suspension. There’s also a step to help with entering and exiting. If you need more clearance, Quadra-Lift air suspension is in the offing.
Safety
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer will come with a host of passive and active safety features such as traction control and stability control, plus eight airbags and an array of standard driver-assist features including front-collision warning with emergency front braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and more.
Jeep is currently taking orders for the Wagoneer. If 2022 Jeep Wagoneer first impressions mean anything, demand will likely be high. Get on the list today.
