With the addition of the extended-length "L" versions of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, Jeep gains full-size SUV models that can go toe-to-toe with the largest and most-capable offerings in the segment. Spanning nearly 19 feet bumper to bumper, the jumbo Jeeps have the passenger room, cargo space, and towing ability to easily accommodate up to eight adults, all their luggage and sports equipment, and trailer toys approaching 10,000 pounds to vacation spots.
The more luxurious of the two, the Grand Wagoneer L, competes with the Cadillac Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon XL Denali, and the Lincoln Navigator L.
Why do the L version? According to Jeep marketing VP Tavon Brooks, research indicates that 30 percent of buyers in the segment regularly use the third row and need more cargo space.
To create the L version of the Grand Wagoneer, engineers added 12 inches of length overall, 7 inches to the wheelbase, and 5 inches aft of the rear wheels. All of the body structure and sheet metal from the C pillars rearward are new.
The Grand Wagoneer L has 15.8 cubic feet more cargo space in the way back than the standard-wheelbase version. At 44.2 cubic feet, the cargo space behind the Grand Wagoneer L's third row is best in class, topping the published capacities of its General Motors competitors by nearly 3 cubic feet and the Navigator L by almost 10.
The 2023 model year marks a rarity in today's increasingly electrified automotive scene—an all-new internal-combustion engine family. A twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine replaces the long-running 5.7- and 6.4-liter Hemi V8s in the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L. In the Wagoneer L, the 3.0-liter engine makes 420 horsepower. A high-output version of that engine producing 510 hp powers the Grand Wagoneer L. Equipped with the 510-hp twin-turbo inline-6 and the heavy-duty towing package, the new Grand Wagoneer L can trailer loads up to 9,750 pounds—at least 1,000 pounds more than that published by the competition.
Including the $2,000 destination charge, Jeep prices the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L lineup as follows:
For comparison, the Grand Wagoneer L is about $3,000 more expensive than the equivalent trims of the standard-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer model.
I recently had a chance to spend a couple of days driving the Grand Wagoneer L Series III on- and off-road in the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains in Montana's high country. Equipped with optional Silver Zynith premium paint, rear-seat entertainment with Amazon Fire TV, and 22-inch machined alloy wheels with black noise pockets, the total came to $117,235, including destination.
Photo: Ron Sessions
With a seven-bar grille, upright slab sides, and rectangular wheel openings, the Grand Wagoneer L's Jeep family lineage is on full display. Even though the Grand Wagoneer L shares the same sheet metal as the Wagoneer L, designers gave the two distinctive LED lighting, fascias, bumpers, brightwork, and versions of that seven-bar grille to set them apart. Both look squarish and somewhat minivan-like, especially from the rear, with large windows and roof pillars that also afford good outward visibility.
It's a hike up into the cabin of the Grand Wagoneer L, but one made easy with that model's standard power-deployable running boards. Once inside, there isn't a bad seat in the house. The front buckets are generously proportioned and in the Grand Wagoneer L Series III are 24-way power-adjustable with heat, ventilation, quilted leather coverings, and memory and massage functions, all cheered by a 3-panel panoramic sunroof. While the base Wagoneer L makes do with a 60/40 split-folding bench seat, the Grand Wagoneer L Series III second row comes with individually adjustable captain's chairs with heat and ventilation. They also recline, fold nearly flat, slide fore and aft, and tilt forward to facilitate third-row access that is made easier in the long-wheelbase L due to wider rear door openings. The third row is a 60/40 split bench that also reclines and has a power-folding feature.
Jeep designers went to great lengths to make the Grand Wagoneer L more luxurious than the already lux Wagoneer L. Upgrades include a unique instrument panel, pictograph-style electronic climate controls, Mercedes-style door-mounted seat-adjustment controls, larger driver and infotainment displays, bespoke knurling on switchgear, and a generous helping of leather-wrapped surfaces and real aluminum and wood trim.
Storage space is abundant—in the wide center console, doors, and seat pockets. The L version of the Grand Wagoneer adds a pair of third-row hidden storage compartments for stashing small items such as a camera, tablet, or purse.
Cargo space is vast and best-in-segment with 44.2 cubic feet behind the third row, and segment-competitive with other jumbo lux SUVs at 88.8 cubic feet with the third row folded and 112.9 cubic feet with both the second-and third-row seatbacks folded. A 4x8 sheet of paneling will slide right in, facilitated by a conveniently low rear liftover height.
Photo: Ron Sessions
As the flagship and most expensive offering in the Jeep lineup, the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L comes well-equipped with the brand's best infotainment system and the latest in safety and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Elements of the multimedia system include:
The Grand Wagoneer L gets the larger of two available Uconnect 5 touchscreens. Operation of the 12-inch screen is user-friendly and intuitive via easy-to-find-and-select touchscreen tiles, steering-wheel buttons, and voice control. There are simple analog rotary volume and tuning knobs at the lower corners of the screen. You can pair two phones simultaneously if, for example, you want one for audio streaming and the other for voice calls and texts.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto reduce cable clutter. A 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot allows for the connection of up to eight wireless devices.
The Grand Wagoneer L Series III comes standard with a front passenger display. As I was driving solo, I was unable to try out this feature. Still, the 10.25-inch touchscreen takes the front passenger from captive status to one that enables watching Amazon Fire TV, viewing personal content streamed from a tablet or phone, and aiding the driver with navigation.
Standard Alexa capability allows users to lock and unlock vehicle doors and start or stop the engine from home. Inside the Grand Wagoneer L, one can ask Alexa to select a radio station or other audio source, get directions, or adjust the interior temperature. After making a wrong turn and finding myself miles from a scheduled mid-day stop, I used the system to find and get voice guidance to the next point-of-interest location.
The Grand Wagoneer L Series III gets the top-of-the-line 1,375-watt, 23-speaker McIntosh MX1375 premium audio system, filling every nook and cranny of the SUV's cavernous interior with concert-hall-worthy sound. Frankly, I could do without the simulated vintage analog tuner twin needle displays, which lose their novelty quickly, but those don't take away from the satisfyingly immersive audio experience.
Being a luxury SUV, you can option the Grand Wagoneer L with a $2,195 second-row entertainment system with a pair of 10.1-inch flat screens on the back of the front seatbacks. This system includes Fire TV for Auto skills, allowing rear-seat passengers to choose from thousands of selections and enjoy unique content separately on each screen using headphones, or both rear screens using the Wagoneer's audio speakers. Also, passengers can view their content from a tablet using the included HDMI ports. Amazon Kids+ programming is included as well.
Also aboard the Grand Wagoneer L Series III test vehicle was a color, 10-inch head-up display, configurable in three different ways to include the status of driver-assistance systems, road speed, turn-by-turn navigation, speed limit signs, and more.
In addition to eight airbags, electronic stability control, and trailer sway control, standard elements of the Grand Wagoneer L's safety and driver-assistive systems and features include:
Jeep also equipped the Grand Wagoneer L Series III test vehicle with the following:
The nice thing about driving a big SUV in Big Sky Country is it feels like it's sized just right for the task at hand. That said, the Grand Wagoneer L's standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems and the surround-view camera are big plusses when driving in the inevitable traffic or maneuvering a jumbo-sized SUV in a parking lot. Another big help is the digital rearview camera mirror, standard in the Grand Wagoneer L Series III, which gives the driver a clear view of what's behind even when the big SUV is loaded up with people and cargo.
One potentially lifesaving feature I could not check out during my daytime drives in the Grand Wagoneer L Series III is night vision. It uses a heat signature to spot pedestrians and animals that might not be visible to the human eye in low-light conditions.
Photo: Ron Sessions
A new 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine mated to a ZF 8-speed step-shift automatic transmission powers both the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L. While the new engine makes 420 hp and 468 pound-feet of torque in the Wagoneer L, a high-output version that's standard in the Grand Wagoneer L produces 510 hp and 500 pound-feet of torque. The new engine is notably smooth and torque-rich, quiet in normal operation, and pleasantly responsive throughout the speed range. Jeep's best Quadra-Drive II 4WD system with a limited-slip rear axle and hill-descent control is standard.
EPA fuel-economy ratings for the new 510-hp, twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine are 14 mpg city/19 mpg highway/16 mpg combined—a slight improvement over the Grand Wagoneer's previous 471-hp, 6.4-liter Hemi V8. Parent automaker Stellantis hasn't announced anything, but a version or two of this new twin-turbo 6-cylinder could also find its way into the Ram 1500 pickup. Jeep increased the size of the Grand Wagoneer's fuel tank by 4 gallons—to 30 for the L version, which can significantly boost the cruising range.
It's sometimes cliché to say a vehicle drives smaller than it looks, but despite the Grand Wagoneer L's near 3-1/2-ton curb weight, the jumbo Jeep has smooth moves on the tarmac. Part of that is built in with a nicely balanced distribution of that weight approaching 50 percent front/50 percent rear. According to Jeep, engineers recalibrated the electric-boosted rack-and-pinion steering for improved road feel, resulting in a just-right linear response and weighting setup.
The Grand Wagoneer L Series III rolls with standard 22-inch aluminum wheels and all-independent Quadra-lift air suspension adapted from the Ram 1500 pickup. The air suspension has a load-leveling function that keeps the rear end from sagging under heavy loads. It also features semi-active damping, which Jeep says helps filter out untoward road impacts over potholes and broken pavement while delivering excellent vertical body control.
The air suspension automatically lowers 0.6 inches at speed and in Sport mode for improved aerodynamics and stability. You can also raise it an additional inch or two from its standard 8-inch ride height for water fording or added ground clearance off-pavement.
The brake response was also crisp and reassuring from speed, courtesy of an electronic brake booster that delivers a quick top-of-pedal response and hefty 4-wheel disc brakes with rotors approaching 15 inches in diameter.
Living large, the stretched Jeep Grand Wagoneer L now has the passenger and cargo space and towing to compete in the large premium SUV space. The Grand Wagoneer L also pushes Jeep's upscale sub-brand into six-digit price territory with leather-lined luxury and the latest infotainment and driving-assistance tech.
It's a solid effort, but the question is, will buyers attuned to plus-size offerings from established luxury brands aspire to one that once scurried G.I.s from foxhole to foxhole in World War II? The answer to that question may become more evident when the production version of the Wagoneer S battery-electric makes its debut in the not-too-distant future.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
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