Jeep Wagoneer makes high-tech comeback as PHEV hybrid
Jeep has revived one of its most famous nameplates with an all new luxury SUV designed to take on Range Rover, Toyota and Lexus – and it will have a plug-in hybrid system.
About a decade in the making, the Grand Wagoneer is currently a one-off concept car but it’s one that gives a clear idea of what the production model due in 2021 will look like.
Jeep says it will also spawn a “portfolio of vehicles that redefines ‘American Premium’ and delivers a unique customer experience”.
The Wagoneer family will include a smaller Wagoneer and the flagship Grand Wagoneer, each with a major focus on luxury and technology.
Key targets include Range Rover and top-end Toyota LandCruisers, including the Lexus version known as the LX450d and LX570.
“Wagoneer is unquestionably rooted in the legendary Jeep brand and its unmatched heritage of leading capability, authenticity and freedom, and its return allows us to expand to a much more premium arena with new levels of design detail, and advanced safety and technology features,” said Jeep president Christian Meunier.
“While Jeep vehicles bring leading capability, efficiency and performance across the mainstream SUV market, Wagoneer will ultimately become a portfolio of vehicles that will once again define ‘American Premium,’ making it the standard of sophistication, authenticity and modern mobility.”
Screens over wood
Forget the wood panelling and sloppy handling that defined early Wagoneers from decades ago.
The new model is loaded with technology, including seven display screens – four in the front and three in the second of the three rows of seats. Like Ferrari, one of those display screens is reserved for the front seat passenger.
There’s also a 23-speaker sound system provided by American brand McIntosh, which once supplied premium sound systems for Subarus.
“The Grand Wagoneer Concept’s interior is spacious and features premium materials that accentuate our team’s obsession to detail and celebrates American craftsmanship,” said Fiat Chrysler Automobiles design boss Ralph Gilles.
“A full digital cockpit takes advantage of leading technologies that are beautifully presented with expansive and easy-to-use screens and limited buttons, allowing the focus to be placed on a pleasant and intuitive experience for the driver and passengers.”
The Grand Wagoneer Concept also oozes lashings of American nostalgia, including a map of Detroit built into the glass roof and American flags alongside the badging.
The two-spoke steering wheel was inspired by that of the original Wagoneer in 1962.
A modern take on the seven-slot grille and plenty of LED lights create a more modern interior, albeit with plenty of boldness Jeep is known for.
There’s also teak wood inserts in the roof rails, a detail inspired by luxury yachts.
Electric future for Jeep
Despite nods to the past there’s a clear focus on the future.
The Concept includes a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid system, although Jeep hasn’t detailed it yet, simply referring to it as a “no compromise plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrain system”.
Expect the PHEV to borrow components from the just-revealed Wrangler 4xe, which offers up to 40km of electric range.
Jeep says the push towards electrification is about making the brand a leader in “eco-friendly premium technology”, a journey that has a long way to go.
The Grand Wagoneer press kit stated: “These vehicles will be the most efficient and responsible Jeep vehicles ever, providing absolute and quiet open-air freedom while taking performance, 4×4 capability and Jeep’s fun-to-drive experience to the next level.”
Jeep claims the addition of electric motors will give the car “more capability than ever off the road”, in line with expectations that the push towards electric vehicles will make for more capable 4x4s.
Will Wagoneer come to Australia?
As for the Wagoneer’s chances of coming to Australia, Jeep is playing its cards close to its chest for now.
The only official line is that “we’re not making any comments on future product”.
For Wagoneer and/or Grand Wagoneer to be sold in Australia it would have to be produced with the steering wheel on the right.
In 2015 then Jeep boss Mike Manley said development of the Wagoneer did not include a right-hand drive version.
“It may be right-hand drive but today it’s not,” Manley said back then, adding that Australia was an important market for Jeep’s planned expansion.
Often car makers are quick to rule out any chances of a car being sold in right-hand drive markets if it hasn’t been engineered with the steering wheel on the right.
The fact Jeep is not doing that, instead providing a firm “no comment” hints that the core engineering for a right-hook model may have been built into the development program.
Late in 2019 Meunier told Australian media that the Wagoneer was “under study right now”, suggesting the crucial right-hand drive engineering work had been done.
“We need to sell a lot of cars [in Australia] and then see if the Wagoneer has potential,” he told Carsales, adding that “we should” see the Wagoneer in Australia.
Clouding the decision slightly is that Jeep is also working on another large SUV with three seats but less of a luxury focus than the Grand Wagoneer.
In line with Jeep’s promise of offering an electrified version of every model “in the next few years” the yet-to-be-named large SUV will have a plug-in hybrid system.
