In the US, SUVs with three rows of seats and six or more seats are unavailable, but Jeep is strikingly lacking in that area. That will change in September, when we get to see the new (Grand) Wagoneer!
Jeep takes the word ‘teaser’ very literally and sends the attached photos out into the world without any kind of accompanying text, or even a hashtag. Yet it is immediately clear that this is the Wagoneer, because all you have to do is combine the letters ‘WAG’ of one of the photos with the ‘EER’ of the other. It is also a suitable name for a large Jeep, which ten years after the disappearance of the Commander has to fill a large, seven-person gap in the range.
What we get to see looks chic. There is a lot of chrome, a thin, classic typeface is used and the interior appears to be filled with high-quality stitching and beautiful, matte and natural-looking wood. The main exterior plate shows a part of the grille, which in good Jeep tradition will be composed of seven vertical elements.
Grand
The photos seem to breathe a certain retro atmosphere. It remains to be seen to what extent that corresponds with reality, but it fits the picture. The original Jeep Wagoneer appeared in 1963 and can be described as one of the very first SUVs. In any case, the car combined off-road qualities with a lot of luxury and is branded on our retina as a tough car, covered with chrome and wood. This SJ model has been sold under the names Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.
From 1983 on, the ‘regular’ Wagoneer was a variant of the smaller Cherokee (XJ), so the need for the addition ‘Grand’ arose. Incidentally, it was done in the 80s to distinguish it from the Jeep Wagoneer based on the smaller Cherokee of the XJ batch. Incidentally, that car replaced a Cherokee that shared its carriage with the old Wagoneer, to complicate the story even more.
The (Grand) Wagoneer had a long and eventful career and was definitively replaced poas in 1991 by the Grand Cherokee, which was really a bit smaller. The Grand Cherokee is still there, but it lacks a third row of seats. Whether Jeep chooses Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer or both for the new Wagoneer will soon become clear. One thing we know for sure: the unveiling is scheduled for September 3.