2022 Jeep Wagoneer

It can be argued that Jeep’s original 1960s Wagoneer invented the luxury SUV. However, while Jeep has been creeping steadily upmarket for many years, it’s been three decades since the brand offered anything in the large SUV segment. That all changed with the introduction of the 2022 Wagoneer, bringing back a classic badge on the largest Jeep yet. 

The only previous Jeep product with three rows of seats was the short-lived Commander, essentially a stretched version of the Grand Cherokee with a boxier body. That long-vacant slot has now been filled by the new Grand Cherokee L. The Wagoneer is something entirely different, and bigger. This time, Jeep is taking aim at the biggest SUVs on the market, namely the Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.

A true full-size body-on-frame behemoth, the Wagoneer shares some underpinnings with the Ram 1500 pickup but it is quite distinct from its distant sibling. The front end architecture is similar to the truck’s, utilizing a dual control arm suspension while the rear gets a multi-link independent layout similar to other large modern SUVs, including the Expedition, Yukon and Chevrolet’s Tahoe. Currently, the Wagoneer’s only powertrain is a 394 horsepower, 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with the Jeep’s eTorque 48V mild-hybrid system paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It’s important to draw a line between the Wagoneer reviewed here and the Grand Wagoneer, its upscale big brother. Identical in size, the Grand Wagoneer’s grille design and premium LED lighting present an elegant tone, as do its black-painted roof, chrome window trim and copper-hued tinted windows. Significantly, it also gets a larger V8, four-wheel drive and Jeep’s Quadra-Lift air suspension as standard kit, in addition to a higher grade of interior materials and features including real wood trim and a McIntosh audio system.

The Wagoneer is offered in three trim levels, Series I, II and III, although Series I won’t be available until later in the 2022 model year. For now, the most affordable offering is the Series II which starts at $70,995, including destination, for the rear-wheel drive version. But that’s only if you like white; black, red, grey or any of the three additional colors add $645 to the bottom line. Likewise, four-wheel drive (4WD) is a $3,000 upcharge. The Wagoneer is significantly more expensive than its competition, but it feels more premium inside.

Unlike the big SUVs from GM and Ford, the Wagoneer only comes in one length—falling neatly between the competition’s standard and stretched offerings—though Jeep has hinted at long-wheelbase versions in the future. Where the Wagoneer outdoes its competition is in width. At 83.6-inches, not including the mirrors, it’s nearly four inches wider than the Expedition and three inches broader than a Tahoe. That may not seem like much, but the Wagoneer feels like it is filling every lane and takes more care to keep away from curbs, Jersey barriers and other vehicles.

Performance: 15/15 

Despite the Wagoneer’s elephantine 6,190-pound curb weight, the V8 moves this machine with plenty of authority and feels almost nimble through curves with excellent body motion control. Its impressive 10,000-pound tow rating (with tow package, standard towing is 8,790 pounds) also owes at least partial credit to the V8’s 394-horsepower and 404 pound-feet of torque. However, it does take a substantial amount of energy to move more than three tons which means the Wagoneer has a prodigious thirst for gasoline. 

Though really large SUVs can be ungainly off-road, the Wagoneer handles the great wide open very well. It doesn’t quite match the Chevrolet Tahoe Z71’s approach angles but comes close on break-over and departure angle stats. There are three available 4WD systems, terrain management settings, up to a 48:1 crawl ratio and 24 inches of water fording ability. Its width is a hindrance on tight trails, but for what it is, the Wagoneer is as capable as you’d expect a Jeep to be.

Fuel Economy: 8/15

The Jeep Wagoneer is EPA-rated for 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined; the all-wheel drive version drops slightly to 15, 20 and 17 mpg, respectively. Despite being equipped with a 48V mild-hybrid system, the 5.7-liter V8 is thirsty, and the Wagoneer fell short of the EPA mileage estimates in our hands. On a 600-mile all-highway round trip to Indianapolis, the Wagoneer only achieved 17.5 mpg, falling shy of 20 mpg EPA rating and barely topping the 17 mpg combined rating.

The lack of a diesel engine option definitely hurts. The Chevrolet Suburban and its GMC Yukon near-twin are EPA-rated for up to 27 mpg on the highway when equipped with the 3.0-liter diesel. A plug-in hybrid variant of the Wagoneer is expected to be added later in 2022. 

Safety and Driver Assistance Tech: 12/15

The Wagoneer hasn’t been independently crash-tested yet. Still, it offers a full suite of standard driver-assist features (some optional on the soon-to-be-released Wagoneer Series I), including adaptive cruise with braking, forward collision warning with automatic braking, lane keep assist, blind-spot warning, plus an available digital camera mirror which aids visibility to the rear. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) did give the Full Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus a superior rating for forward crash warning and avoidance. Still, the standard halogen headlamps only managed a “poor” rating, while the optional HID headlamps earned a “fair” rating. 

Comfort & Room: 15/15

The Series II comes with standard tri-zone automatic climate control, heated and cooled perforated Nappa leather front seats (12-way adjustable driver’s seat) and a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel. Heated second-row seats are also available. Everything about the cabin of the Wagoneer feels more like a Cadillac than a Chevrolet. The seats are broad and comfortable, and despite not offering a massage capability in the Series II, provide long-term comfort.

Interestingly, the Wagoneer’s 40.9 inches of leg room and 66.1 inches of shoulder room in front feel massive, although the Cadillac Escalade’s 44.5- and 65.5-inch measurements provide a bit more legroom and almost as much shoulder room. Chalk it up to the Wagoneer’s enormous width and glass area. Access to the third row is relatively easy and adults can sit there comfortably, with a couple of inches more legroom than in the Jeep’s GM competitors.

Infotainment: 13/15

The standard 10.25-inch instrument panel has a clean design and bold graphics, and the Uconnect 5 is simple to use with a clean interface and responsive 10.1-inch touchscreen display. Two 12-volt and a single 110-volt A/C power outlet are standard, and Alpine supplies a nine-speaker audio system with a subwoofer.

Anything as large as the Wagoneer is bound to have lots of space for people and their stuff, but this one also has up to eight USB ports (11 with the rear-seat entertainment group) for charging devices. Optional is the dedicated front passenger interactive display ($1,395) screen above the glove compartment that allows access to Radio, Rear Seat Entertainment, HDMI, and Navigation functions. It even lets the passenger plot a navigational course while in motion, then send it to the center screen so the driver can view it.  

Cargo Space and Room: 13/15

Numbers rarely tell the whole story, but they back up our feeling about the Wagoneer’s roominess. Its 179.2 cubic feet of total interior passenger volume trumps the Escalade’s 168.4 cubic feet and edges the Ford Expedition and Expedition Max, which measure in at 171.9 and 172 cubes.

The Wagoneer offers 27.4 cubic-feet of cargo area behind the third row, 70.8 behind the second row and 116.7 with all the seats folded. Those big numbers compare to 25.5 cubic-feet behind the third row in the Tahoe and Yukon, which offer 72.6 cubic-feet with the third-row folded and a class-leading 122.9 overall. Ford’s Expedition offers up to 20.9, 63.6 and 104.6 cubic-feet, respectively. 

Style and Design: 8/10

The Wagoneer debuts an updated Jeep design language that’s recognizably premium but not overtly ostentatious. One element that is curiously missing from the Wagoneer is overt Jeep badging. In an attempt to set up Wagoneer as a sub-brand, the Jeep name appears only on the headlight and tail lamp clusters, while “Wagoneer” is emblazoned on front edge of the hood, on the front doors and the tailgate.

The designers have thankfully avoided an oversized grille, the classic seven-slot grille now appearing short and wide. The greenhouse is more upright and corners more abrupt than those of the Grand Cherokee, echoing the themes of the original Wagoneer. The even more premium Grand Wagoneer is available with a contrasting black roof, but that isn’t available on the standard version. A sole point of contention is the “kicked up” lower trailing corner of the rear window and the lower bodyline that runs a different angle; likely dictated by structural concerns, it looks far less obvious with darker paint colors. 

Is the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer Worth It? Which Wagoneer is the Best Value?

While it is possible to order the series I Wagoneer for $60,995, including the $2,000 destination fee, it comes with base 18-inch wheels and requires additional packages to get the most desirable driver assistance and luxury items. The Series II starts at $69,640 but includes 20-inch wheels, Nappa leather seating, adaptive cruise control, lane control assist, wireless charging and enhanced interior trim. It’s an easy way to get these and additional key options without poring over the order sheet. Remember, Jeep sees the Wagoneer, even in its base Series I form, as a premium vehicle from the get-go and prices it accordingly. (Four-wheel drive is a $3,000 upcharge for all three trims.) 

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer? 

Data may vary since the Jeep Wagoneer is an all-new model for 2022, but initial research indicates its insurance costs will fall in line with the lower trims of the Suburban and Expedition. According to our research, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of approximately $1,806 for the series I trim up to $1920 for the Series III trim iht four-wheel drive though this averages all 50 states. That compares to about $1850 for the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe. Visit our car insurance calculator to get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses.