The 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Is Longer and Stronger, But I Miss the V8

The new Grand Wagoneer had a very big reputation to live up to when it arrived in 2021. After all, the original Wagoneer was one of the first full-size SUVs, following only the Chevrolet Suburban. Over the course of its decades-long run, that first-gen Wagoneer code-named SJ became an American icon … especially in the wood-paneled form of the original Grand Wagoneer.

The new model has held up its predecessor’s reputation, bringing traditional Jeep virtues to the full-size body-on-frame SUV class so long dominated by the Ford Expedition / Lincoln Navigator and the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban / GMC Yukon/Yukon XL / Cadillac Escalade triplets-slash-quintuplets. But for the 2024 model year, Jeep rolled out a pair of changes that are a good bit larger than a carmaker usually adds to the mix just a year or two into a model’s life: a new body style and a new engine.

The bonus body style brings an added seven inches to the wheelbase, eight inches to the overall length and — most relevant for buyers an extra 15.8 cubic feet to the interior behind the third row of seats. It’s the new engine that’s more likely to inspire curiosity amongst potential buyers, however. The latest Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have officially seen off the 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter V8s that the vehicles launched with in favor of Stellantis’s new turbocharged inline-six, known internally as “Hurricane.” Displacement may be down — at 3.0 liters, the new engine is less than half the size of the previous Grand Wagoneer motor — but power is up, with the SUV now pumping out 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque.

So do these tweaks change the Grand Wagoneer for better or worse, or do they amount to a hill of beans? I took a fresh ’24 model year version for a brief spin in and around New York City and its ‘burbs — which, adventurous image aside, is the kind of place many of its kind will live their lives — to find out.

The 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L: What We Think

The longer wheelbase brings added versatility to the Grand Wagoneer. Assuming you’re able to squeeze it into your life — your garage, your neighborhood parking spaces, your regional tunnels and underpasses — going with the expanded length version seem well worth the outlay of cash for the bonus capability it brings to an already incredibly capable vehicle.

That said, the new inline-six is less obvious in its appeal. Fuel economy would seem to be the clear reason, but it only edges up 1 mpg for city driving and 2 mpg on the highway in the EPA’s ratings. While it’s smooth, it lacks the V8’s immediacy and punch in everyday driving, at least unless you fiddle with the drive modes every time you climb inside — something many buyers would presumably be irritated about or simply forget to do.

And as a broader note about the Grand Wagoneer regardless of length: unlike the Jeep’s cross-town rivals from GM and FoMoCo, the luxury version looks just like the mainstream one, undermining its premium appeal. For the $115,000 price tag of my tester, I’d go for the Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator. The Grand Wagoneer is a good vehicle, to be sure, but by offering identical looks and a still-impressive suite of features for tens of thousands of dollars less, the regular Wagoneer feels like a better value and a better representation of the breed.

The long-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer is absolutely enormous

That much, admittedly, is pretty obvious from the first glance. If Jeep offered it in yellow, curly-haired redheaded drivers would constantly be deluged with cat calls of “Hey Miss Frizzle!” At a hair shy of 19 feet long, it’s big enough to crowd most conventional parking spaces. (Thank God for rear-view cameras.)

It’s only once you’re inside that you can really appreciate the virtues of its volume, however. I was able to fit my six-foot-four frame behind myself in all three rows, which is impressive in and of itself — but also impressive is the 44.2 cubic feet of space behind that third row, enough for a half-dozen carry-ons. That’s more than you’ll find in a Honda CR-V behind the second row, and few people accuse that car of lacking in cargo bay. Fold the second and third rows down, and there’s just about enough flat-floored room for a queen-sized mattress, making the Grand Wagoneer L one cassette toilet away from being a super-bougie camper van.

Screens abound inside the Grand Wagoneer, sometimes even to the point of redundancy.Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

Then again, comfort and room still abounds in the regular Grand Wagoneer, at least for the first couple rows of seats. If you rarely plan on popping that third row bench up and seating people in it, you’d probably be fine with the non-L version; even a family of four professional basketball players could luxuriate in there while still toting around a week or two’s worth of luggage.

But considering the extra room only adds $3,000 to the bottom line to a car that starts within spitting distance of $100K and easily goes past that mark with options and trim choices, it seems worth the extra outlay for the Grand Wagoneer L — if for no other reason than to open up the extra opportunities that could arise with the added space. (Again: air mattress.)

The front seats of the Grand Wagoneer are by far the best in the house…Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

…but the second row captain’s chairs ain’t bad, either.Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

The features continue to impress

Stellantis has put in the time in recent years when it comes to delivering luxurious interiors on its top-shelf vehicles; the last five years of top-trim Ram pickup trucks are as good of proof as you can find. For the Grand Wagoneer, Jeep pulled out all the stops, and the result impresses.

The leather thrones are supremely comfortable and covered in acres of supple hide; even if the tan coloration looks a dash cheap, the material certainly feels premium. It’s laden with tech — my tester had three touchscreens in the dash alone — but it doesn’t rub your face in it the way cars like the Escalade or Lincoln Nautilus do. And shout-out to the underrated night vision system, which proved capable of locking onto and highlighting people well beyond my vision even in the bright environs of Manhattan after dark.

The Hurricane engine is strong, but it feels ill at home in the Grand Wagoneer

Some vehicles disguise their bulk well. The Grand Wagoneer isn’t one of them.Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

My drive in the Grand Wagoneer L was the first time I’d encountered the new Hurricane motor, which is destined to replace the Hemi V8 that’s been a staple of the Stellantis lineup since the DaimlerChrysler days. Given those expectations, I came in with high hopes — and in all honesty, walked away a dash disappointed.

On paper, at least, the high-output Hurricane seems a worthy successor to the old 6.4-liter Hemi. The new motor puts out 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, 39 more ponies and 45 more torques than the V8 with 2.13 times the displacement. In my days with it, however, the Grand Wagoneer felt languid, even anemic in everyday driving.

The problem feels like one of throttle mapping more than missing power; it’s almost like the Grand Wagoneer’s eight-speed gearbox wasn’t properly recalibrated for the new engine. The throttle travel is long, and the pedal is heavy; you need a really heavy foot to get it to downshift and summon up all the ponies … at which point it often overcompensates and kicks down too aggressively, leaving you with the brief sensation of trying to corral a startled elephant.

Few vehicles will leave you feeling more safe, snug and secure on a cold, wet winter day than this beast of a bougie Jeep.Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

I did find a workaround: switching over to Sport mode. Doing so switches to more aggressive throttle and engine mapping, which helps keep the turbos spooled up and the engine closer to the meat of its ample torque curve. It honestly feels like it should be the default setting … so it’s a shame that it’s hidden away in a drive mode that most buyers will rarely or never use. Here’s hoping Jeep fixes this for future Wagoneers — and that Stellantis doesn’t let bad programming hold back what could be a great motor.