The story
The WS is Jeep's full-size, body-on-frame, three-row SUV, revealed on March 11, 2021 as the 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and built at Warren Truck Assembly in Michigan. It borrows two of the most loved names in the family, from the SJ Wagoneer of 1963 and the original Grand Wagoneer, and aims them at the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Cadillac Escalade and the Range Rover. It launched with Hemi V8s, switched to a twin-turbo straight six, and spent its first five years arguing with itself about whether it was even a Jeep.
TEN YEARS OF 'SOON' (2011–2021)
Sergio Marchionne promised a new Grand Wagoneer at the Detroit show in January 2011, then planned on a Grand Cherokee and Durango platform. The project slipped repeatedly: a 2013 delay, a dealer preview promised for August 2015, teaser photos in October 2016 pointing at a 2019 model, and another delay in March 2017. In 2017 FCA committed $1 billion to retool Warren Truck for it, a figure that later rose to $1.5 billion. Spy photographers caught a Ram 1500-based test mule in December 2019, and COVID pushed production back again.
Jeep showed the Grand Wagoneer Concept on September 3, 2020, with no Jeep badge anywhere on it, and revealed the production trucks on March 11, 2021. Stellantis described them as a 'premium extension of the Jeep brand', with Wagoneer-certified dealers, a client-service concierge and ten written promises to every owner. Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer shared one body on a new frame that MotorTrend says is loosely based on the Ram 1500 (DT), but different enough that almost nothing is shared, and 2 inches wider than the Ram. They are built on the same Warren line as the Ram 1500 Classic.
TWO NAMES, ONE TRUCK, NO BADGE
Here is the part that confused everyone. The Wagoneer and the Grand Wagoneer are the same size. The Wagoneer (Series I, II, III and Carbide) was the mainstream model aimed at the Tahoe. The Grand Wagoneer (Series I, II, III and Obsidian) was the luxury version aimed at the Escalade and Navigator, with a two-tone black roof, fender flares, power side steps, bigger screens and, at launch, a CNBC-reported top price above $111,000. For 2023 Jeep added the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L, a foot longer on a 130-inch wheelbase. MotorTrend says buyers thought the Grand Wagoneer was a stretched Wagoneer. It wasn't: 'Grand' meant pricier, not bigger.
The branding didn't help. Wikipedia describes the launch branding as 'Wagoneer by Jeep', and the trucks wore Wagoneer badges with no Jeep logo. On February 29, 2024, Jalopnik reported that Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa had said Wagoneer would stop being a sub-brand once the electric Wagoneer S launched, and that future Wagoneers would wear Jeep badges. On October 14, 2025, Jeep revealed the facelifted 2026 Grand Wagoneer: the standalone Wagoneer nameplate was dropped, every truck became a Grand Wagoneer, Jeep badges went on front and rear, the Series trim names were replaced, and pricing started at $64,740. MotorTrend's headline that day was blunt: 'The Jeep Wagoneer Is Dead'.
FROM HEMI TO HURRICANE
The 2022 Wagoneer used the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with Stellantis's 48-volt eTorque mild-hybrid system, rated at 392 hp and 404 lb-ft on a 3.21 axle ratio. The 2022 Grand Wagoneer got the 6.4-liter Hemi with 471 hp and 455 lb-ft on a 3.92 axle. Both drove through an eight-speed ZF-designed 8HP75 automatic. For 2023 the 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo straight six arrived in the L models: 420 hp and 468 lb-ft in standard-output form, or 510 hp and 500 lb-ft as the high-output engine in the Grand Wagoneer. It was also offered as an option above the 5.7 in the regular Wagoneer.
For 2024 the V8s were dropped and every WS got a Hurricane. Jeep kept the 10,000-pound tow rating and said the six was up to 15 percent more efficient than the V8 it replaced. The high-output engine went up to 540 hp and 521 lb-ft for 2025. For 2026 only the 420-hp standard-output engine is offered, and the high-output version is on hold while Jeep readies a range-extended plug-in hybrid with a 92-kWh battery. Asked about a Hemi comeback, Jeep chief Bob Broderdorf told MotorTrend 'no announcements at this time'.
HOW BOXY, HOW OFF-ROAD, HONESTLY
Boxy, yes, in the way a filing cabinet is boxy: slab sides, an upright tailgate and a seven-slot grille stretched across 214.7 inches of body, or 226.7 inches for an L. Car and Driver says the 2026 facelift made the design squarer still, with the headlights set higher. But this is a fully independent family hauler, not a solid-axle truck. It has short- and long-arm front suspension with aluminum lower arms and a five-link independent rear on coil springs or Quadra-Lift air springs. The SJ's leaf springs and Dana 44 front axle are a world away.
Jeep never gave it a Trail Rated badge. The best setup is the Advanced All-Terrain Group, which adds a two-speed transfer case (2.64:1 low), a 3.92 axle, a rear electronic limited-slip differential, 18-inch all-terrain tires, skid plates, tow hooks and a 48:1 crawl ratio. With the air suspension in Off-Road 2 it has 10 inches of clearance, 25/24/22-degree approach, departure and breakover angles, and 24 inches of wading depth. MotorTrend ran an Advanced All-Terrain Wagoneer for 20,672 miles. Its verdict: keep it to dirt and fire roads, because the belly is too low and the flanks too exposed for anything harder, even at full height. The Grand Wagoneer is better at reaching a trailhead with a 10,000-pound camper than at driving the trail itself.
SIDEBAR · THE CONCIERGE ERA
Wagoneer Client Service, ten promises and the vanishing ambassadors
To justify Escalade money, the 2021 launch promised a buying and ownership experience separate from the Jeep showroom. Wagoneer-certified dealers would have a dedicated display and delivery area and specially trained 'Wagoneer Ambassadors'. The brand made ten promises to every owner and offered a Client Service concierge, and Stellantis's launch release listed five years of dealer maintenance, including oil changes and tire rotations.
Within three years the plan was being wound down. When Jalopnik called four 'Wagoneer Certified' dealers in Southern California in 2024, one salesman said he wasn't familiar with the program. A Jeep vice president told the outlet that the premium experience would continue under the Jeep badge.
