Jeep Wagoneer
Full-size luxury SUV · 1963–1991, 2022–present. 43,125 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
It was designed by Brooks Stevens, a Milwaukee industrial designer hired as a consultant by Willys, which Kaiser had owned since 1953. His prototype, called the Malibu, existed by 1959, and the project cost $20 million. The 2021 comeback was led by Christian Meunier, then Jeep brand CEO, and chief engineer Mike Uhlmeyer, with Tim Anness as director of exterior design and Chris Benjamin as chief interior designer.
Kaiser Jeep built it at its Toledo, Ohio, factory, and it was also assembled in Argentina, Egypt and Iran. The Grand Wagoneer was built at Toledo's Stickney plant until the summer of 1991. Today the Grand Wagoneer is built at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan, and the electric Wagoneer S in Toluca, Mexico.
It debuted on November 14, 1962, as a 1963 model. The original Grand Wagoneer went out of production in 1991. Thirty years later, on March 11, 2021, Jeep revealed the new 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, which began shipping to dealers on September 25, 2021. The electric Wagoneer S entered production in late 2024.
The exact origin of the name remains unconfirmed in the consulted sources;; what they do document is that the Wagoneer replaced Willys' utility wagons. "Grand" arrived in 1984, when AMC moved the Wagoneer name to a compact model and the big one carried on as the Grand Wagoneer. Since the 2026 model year, the whole full-size line has been called the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
By the late 1950s, the Willys station wagon was aging and rivals were taking its market. Jeep wanted a 4x4 with the styling and comfort of a passenger car, and marketed it to what the company called "the horsey set": well-off weekend farmers. In 2021 the goal was different: to expand strongly into the large and premium SUV segments, against rivals such as the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 11963–1983 · SJ
The first 4x4 with luxury-car manners
Photo: JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States · CC BY 2.0 What changed. It replaced Willys' utility wagons with passenger-car styling and was the first Jeep whose design departed completely from its flat-fender siblings. It was about 183.6 inches long on a 110-inch wheelbase and started at $2,546 as a two-door 4x2. In 1965 came the Super Wagoneer, with a 327-cubic-inch, 270 hp V8, standard air conditioning and power tailgate window for $5,943, almost double the base model. By 1979 the Limited cost $12,485.
The innovation. Jeep credits it with several firsts: the first automatic transmission in a 4x4, the first overhead-cam six-cylinder truck engine (the 230-cubic-inch, 140 hp Tornado) and the first 4x4 with independent front suspension. In 1973 it added Quadra-Trac, the first automatic full-time four-wheel-drive system.
If you buy one usedCampaign 87V178 covers certain 1970–1983 Wagoneers and 1984–1988 Grand Wagoneers with a key-operated tailgate window that may keep closing when the key does not return to Off. Its approximately 180,000-vehicle total also includes Cherokee; it is not a Wagoneer-only count. Campaign 72V202 covers 5,029 certain 1971–1972 Wagoneers whose right-rear brake line may rub against the shock-absorber cover and wear through. Inspect rust under the wood trim and around fenders, wheel arches and rocker panels. For older vehicles with short VINs, request historical manufacturer/dealer campaign and repair records as well as the applicable VIN inquiry. - Gen. 21984–1991 · SJ
Grand Wagoneer, the gold standard
Photo: English: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, a photo credit would be appreciated if this image is used anywhere other th · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. In 1984 AMC moved the Wagoneer name to a new compact model, and the big one carried on as the Grand Wagoneer, with the same body but more standard luxury: leather upholstery, air conditioning, an AM/FM/CB radio, added sound insulation and wood-grain exterior trim. It cost $19,306 in 1984 and $26,395 in 1989. A 4.2-liter six was also offered during this phase. The 1987 brochure advertises a standard V8; a contemporary test specifies 144 hp for the 1990 model’s 5.9-liter V8. Confirm each vehicle’s engine from its original documentation. Chrysler bought AMC on August 5, 1987, and kept building it in Toledo.
The innovation. Its idea was full luxury as standard in a real 4x4: Stellantis says it marked the beginning of the luxury SUV, with an unheard-of combination of standard features and the segment's highest towing rating. Oddly enough, it was also one of the last vehicles sold in North America with a carburetor.
If you buy one usedThe 1991 Grand Wagoneer was available with a Final Edition dashboard badge. Inspect the floor under the carpet, fuel-tank area, chassis and front fenders for corrosion; also check carburetor operation, oil leaks, window tracks and electrical switches. Campaign 87V178 concerns the tailgate window on certain 1984–1988 Grand Wagoneers. Campaign 85V140 concerns contaminated brake fluid in certain 1986 vehicles; its 230-vehicle campaign total includes Grand Wagoneer, J10 and J20. Confirm the exact vehicle and completed repairs from manufacturer/dealer records. - Gen. 32022–present · WS
The return of an American icon
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 What changed. It returned after 30 years as a body-on-frame full-size SUV with three rows and up to eight seats, built in Warren, Michigan, after a $1.5 billion investment. For 2022 the Wagoneer used a 5.7-liter V8 with a 48-volt eTorque mild-hybrid system (392 hp) and the Grand Wagoneer a 6.4-liter V8 (471 hp), with maximum towing of 10,000 pounds for Wagoneer and 9,850 for Grand Wagoneer when properly equipped. They started at $57,995 and $86,995. The longer L versions, 12 inches longer, arrived for 2023, and for 2025 Jeep cut prices by as much as $7,000.
The innovation. The 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six was already offered as a 510 hp option on a limited run of 2022 Grand Wagoneers. For 2023, the L models used 420 hp in Wagoneer L and 510 hp in Grand Wagoneer L. Its cylinder bores use a plasma-sprayed coating instead of liners, plus 5,075 psi direct injection; Stellantis says it is up to 15 percent more efficient than larger engines. For 2025 the high-output version rose to 540 hp.
If you buy one usedThe 2022 family was not exclusively V8: EPA records include a 2022 Grand Wagoneer 4WD with the 3.0-liter turbo six-cylinder, alongside its V8 variant; the base 2022 Wagoneer used a 5.7-liter V8. Selected campaigns include 21V873 (restraint-controller software, certain 2022 vehicles), 23V716 (third-row belt access, 2022–2024) and 24V199 (steering-column module welds that may prevent driver-airbag deployment, 2023–2024). Campaign 26V413 concerns the gear indicator on certain 2023 Wagoneers and 2024 Wagoneer L vehicles. Campaign 26V584 concerns roof-crossbar pivot bolts: Wagoneer 2022–2025, Grand Wagoneer 2022–2026, Wagoneer L 2023–2025 and Grand Wagoneer L 2023–2026. Check the exact VIN and repair records. - Gen. 42024–present
Wagoneer S: Jeep's first global EV
Photo: Elise240SX · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It is not an electric version of the big Wagoneer but a separate, electric-only, aerodynamic SUV built in Toluca, Mexico. The Launch Edition was announced with 600 hp, 617 lb-ft of torque and 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Jeep.com lists a manufacturer-estimated range of up to 294 miles on the Launch Edition and a starting price of $65,200 for the 2025 model.
The innovation. A reimagined, LED-lit seven-slot grille, exclusive in its class, on a body shaped for aerodynamic efficiency. It has standard 4xe all-wheel capability and, according to Jeep, charges from 20 to 80 percent in 23 minutes on a Level 3 fast charger.
If you buy one usedFor the electric Wagoneer S, selected campaigns include 25V574 (incorrectly installed spring and loss of Park/rollaway risk, certain 2024–2025 vehicles), 26V262 (instrument-display software, 2024–2025), 25V174 (inaccessible vertical headlight adjustment, 2024–2025) and 25V575 (incorrect instrument-panel cross-car beam, 2025). Campaign 26V141 concerns a liftgate-hinge cover that may detach on certain 2024–2026 vehicles. Campaign 26V059 concerns an improperly designed trailer tow module on certain 2024–2026 vehicles: trailer lamps and trailer braking may fail. Check the exact VIN and evidence of completed repairs.
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