The Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept Is Rugged American Opulence on Four Wheels
If the real thing looks half this good, it’s going to be a stunner.
With the Jeep Grand Wagoneer's absence from the marketplace approaching three decades, folks under a certain age will likely recognize Jeep's old family hauler as the ride of choice of Breaking Bad's Skyler White. With the Grand Wagoneer's 2022 resurrection, it looks like Jeep is leaning into the SUV's recent rise in popularity because, man, this thing is fancy. Say hello to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept, a ride so swanky that if it eventually makes it into production this way, it will definitely be the most luxurious Jeep ever made.
Poised to take on upscale full-sizers like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator, the seven-seat Grand Wagoneer Concept is an impressively refined and imposing SUV that previews production versions of both the Grand Wagoneer and regular Wagoneer due out next year. The Concept features a front LED light bar that spans the width of the front end and incorporates the company's signature seven-slot grille. Other details of note include roof rails with tie-down loops made of teak wood and 24-inch aluminum wheels with some pretty intricate 3D-printed elements on the spokes.
This car's ancestors were known for rocking huge amounts of wood on their exteriors, but something tells us slapping slices of dead trees all over the outside of the Grand Wagoneer in 2020 won't have the same effect it did back in 1984.
To compensate, Jeep has stuffed this new version's interior with a whole lot of heat-treated lacewood. Sprinkled with sustainable onyx glass and raw aluminum, the Grand Wagoneer Concept's cabin—like its exterior—looks expensive and rugged. Its headliner is made of recyclable Dinamica suede while the Thrive fiber carpets come from recycled materials.
Among the responsibly plush materials are a total of seven screens, each measuring bigger than 10 inches. In front of the driver sits a fully digital instrument display while infotainment duties fall to a pair of touchscreens stacked one on top of the other à la Audi's high-end offerings. For the first time ever in an SUV, the front row passenger also gets their own touchscreen, modern Ferrari-style. Because, y'know, why not.
Moving back to the second row, a shared screen controlling the HVAC is situated in between the two captain's chairs which sit behind another pair of televisions on the back of the front-seat headrests. All in all, that's more than 75 collective inches worth of pixels. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept is American tech excess at its worst, er, best.
Speaking of which, the downright indulgent number of screens isn't the only thing that makes this car staunchly American. While the new Ford F-150 has an American flag hidden on the side of the dash as an Easter egg, this Jeep's stars and stripes can be found accompanying the "Grand Wagoneer" badging on the bottoms of both of the front doors.
Look closely and you'll also find that the full-pane glass roof features a map of Detroit. Appropriately, the production Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be built in Warren, Michigan when assembly begins in 2021 likely as a 2022 model. The two will kick off what Jeep says will eventually be an entire "portfolio" of premium Wagoneer vehicles.
The road-ready Grand Wagoneer will likely come with multiple powertrain options that remain unconfirmed but, for what it's worth, the Concept uses a plug-in hybrid system so expect a decent amount of electrification in some shape or form. Jeep has confirmed, however, that the production GW will come with three different 4x4 options and Quadra-Lift air suspension.
High five, Jeep.
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