2021 Jeep & Grand Wagoneer

2021 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer: Everything We Know

Jeep's bringing back its old luxury truck. Here's what we know about it.

BY CHRIS PERKINS
JEEP

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is great, but is it park-it-outside-my-Martha's-Vineyard-summer-house great? Perhaps not, which is possibly why Jeep decided to bring back its ultimate suburban status symbol, the Grand Wagoneer. Back in 2016, Jeep boss and current Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley confirmed that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer would stage a comeback. Here's what we know, and what we've heard, about the pair.


They've Been Delayed Significantly

We've had to wait very patiently for these two. Apparently, the Wagoneer revival has been on the docket since 2014, but it was delayed in 2016 as a result of FCA's need to revamp a number of plants to build more Jeep's less expensive SUVs along with in-demand RAM pickups. While FCA hasn't talked much about the luxury truck since, a slide from its Capital Markets Day presentation last summer indicates that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will arrive by 2022 at the latest.

Automotive News reports that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will arrive in 2020, while the Mopar fanatics at Allpar seem to indicate that they'll arrive this year for the 2020 model year.

So, it'll come eventually.

A Plug-In Hybrid Is a Definite

In its capital markets presentation, Jeep said that it intends to offer a plug-in hybrid variant for every vehicle it sells. That includes the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Right now, the only plug-in hybrid FCA offers is the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, which makes 260 hp from an Atkinson-cycle V6 and two electric motors. It's unclear if the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer would get a similar setup, or something totally different.


JEEP

A 717-HP Supercharged V8 (!) Is a Possibility

Last year, we uncovered a document from transmission supplier ZF that indicated a Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk with a supercharged Hellcat V8 was on its way. At one point, ZF was working on a high-torque version of its venerable automatic for the Grand Wagoneer. This transmission, code-named ZF-8HP95X, is only used in the Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Of course, this document could indicate simply that at one point, a Grand Wagoneer Hellcat was being tested with no intention of production. We can dream, though.

It Could Be Expensive

Speaking to Auto Express back in 2016—before the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were reportedly delayed—Mike Manley said the Grand Wagoneer might cost up to $140,000. That's serious coin for a Jeep.

It signals the company's ambitions to compete with SUVs like the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The two Americans in that group can get to around $100,000, while an AMG GLS63 costs around $130,000 and the Range Rover can exceed $200,000.