2022 Jeep Wagoneer First Drive Review: In the Full-Size 3-Row SUV Game

Is the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer too fancy or pricey for your tastes? Looking for something similar but still capable, well-appointed, and, well, Jeep-y? We just drove the regular ol’ Wagoneer—as well as the Grand Wagoneer—and you can sleep soundly at night knowing it’s very nearly as grand as the bougier one further up the price ladder.

Grand Versus Not: What’s the Difference?

Visually, you’re not missing much. A premium wheel design here, some fancy LED puddle lights there. Grand Wagoneers also have a bespoke grille design, as well as standard power running boards and chrome window surrounds. Go deeper in the Grand Wagoneer’s playbook, and you’ll find chi-chi stiff like two-piece aluminum lettering with “copperchino” accents.

Big whoop. As every dateless wretch hears from their parents on prom night, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Even without a single option ticked, the Wagoneer is a well-equipped SUV; play with the configurator enough, and you can get essentially all you might need for a chunk of change less than the Grand. This model is a bit more à la carte than the Grand Wagoneer, especially with the meaningful options versus higher-end baubles like a McIntosh sound system and a console refrigerator.

Unfortunately, we’re not privy to what the entry-level $59,995 Wagoneer Series I will have in the way of features, as Jeep isn’t releasing that information until later this year, but let’s take a look at what the $69,995 mid-level Wagoneer Series II offers. Don’t tick a single box and your Wagoneer Series II still lands with good stuff like a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, tri-zone automatic climate control, Nappa leather upholstery, 12-way power front seats with heating and ventilation, a heated steering wheel, a 115-volt power outlet, a nine-speaker Alpine premium audio system, remote start, keyless entry and ignition, and wireless charging, among many other things.

It Is What’s on the Inside That Counts

Back to the Grand Wagoneer. If you make the jump, the biggest changes inside are materials and presentation. Aside from technical differences like the Grand’s standard 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster and center display compared to the 10.25-inch units on the Wagoneer, the regular SUV does not have the Grand’s Palermo leather, Alcantara headliner, leather-wrapped grab handles, accent stitching, door-mounted seat controls, metal trim finishing, and climate control display for second row, to name a few. Again, hardly dealbreakers.

One of the admittedly nice things we’d like to have on our regular Wagoneer would be the Grand Wagoneer’s legit walnut trim. It’s a choice bit of dead tree, but the faux wood trim in the regular Wagoneer is fine at worst and nice looking at best. Some of the metal trim is also replaced with metal-coated plastic, but, again, there’s nothing déclassé.

Powertrain Power Play

The most significant difference between the two models is found under their hoods. The Grand Wagoneer roars exclusively with the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V-8 and four-wheel drive, while all Wagoneers burble with a 5.7-liter naturally aspirated V-8, augmented with a mild hybrid system. The regular Waggy packs 392 hp and 404 lb-ft, sent to the rear or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Both Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are rated for a very impressive 10,000-pound maximum towing capacity.

In the real world, on actual roads, you won’t miss the extra 79 horsepower and 51 lb-ft. We promise. The Wagoneer isn’t quite as quick, but it tows the same, likely hauls a full house of passengers around with the same torquey aplomb, it makes good V-8 noises, and still guzzles gas—albeit a bit less voraciously than the 6.4-liter.

The Wagoneer we drove was a Series III, meaning it rode on the same adaptive air suspension found on the Grand Wagoneer; at this point, we can’t speak to the performance of the standard suspension. Still, we’re happy to report the Wagoneer drove with the same level of agility you’d find in a midsize three-row crossover like a Ford Explorer or Nissan Pathfinder, not a hulking, body-on-frame monster that outstretches a Chevrolet Tahoe.

Is It Worth Upgrading to Grand?

If we’re picking between a low-to-mid-grade Grand Wagoneer and a Wagoneer of our choice with some options, we’re going with a moderately upfitted Wagoneer. Unless money is truly no object, the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is a fantastic buy in its own right with an excellent powertrain, oodles of options, and nearly the same visual presence as the glitzier trim. Just make sure you don’t look too smug when someone asks you why you didn’t go Grand.

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