CAUGHT: 2022 Jeep® Grand Wagoneer – Our Best Look Yet!

The Jeep® brand is gearing up for one of its biggest launches in decades with the introduction of the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. While there will be a Wagoneer variant, the Grand Wagoneer will serve as the ultra-premium and leading-edge offering of a new Wagoneer sub-brand. That is right, the Wagoneer sub-brand will become a portfolio of vehicles that redefines “American Premium and delivers a unique customer experience” as the Jeep brand explained with the unveiling of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept late last year.

Thanks to our keen-eyed spy photographers, we are getting our best look yet of the all-new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. We are also learning more about some of the new technologies debuting in the new Grand Wagoneer lineup, thanks to the recent introduction of the all-new fifth-generation 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L and the Grand Wagoneer Concept.

While the standard Wagoneer models will be more value-based and focus on the core Jeep principles, the Grand Wagoneer sets itself apart with more technology and features than any Jeep ever before.

Looking at the front end of the new Grand Wagoneer, we see that the new premium Jeep will feature a full LED Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), including twin bi-functional projector headlamps, fog lamps, and tail lamps. Like the Ram 1500 Limited, the system will point the headlamps in the planned direction the vehicle is traveling using steering wheel input to point light around turns, driveways, and parking lots.

We can also see the new Night Vision camera located next to the front parking sensors on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Shown off for the first time on the Grand Cherokee L, the new Night Vision system uses thermographic technology to augment the reach of the vehicle’s headlamps. Infrared sensors search for the heat signatures of pedestrians and animals in the road ahead. On the Grand Cherokee L, the system could search distances up to 219 yards (200 meters). When an object is located, an alert with its position relative to the vehicle is outlined in the instrument cluster directly in front of the driver.

Grand Wagoneer will also adopt several new technologies found on the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L as well. Technologies like the Hands-free Active Driving Assist, Head-up Display (HUD), Intersection Collision Assist, Drowsy Driver Detection, Digital Rearview Camera, Traffic Sign Recognition, Surround-View Camera, and Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist.

With Hands-free Active Driving Assist, the Grand Wagoneer will offer hands-free Level 2 (L2) automated driving at all speeds and lane centering on approved roadways for even greater driving convenience. The system also will predictively slow the vehicle down in tight curves and automatically resume control after the driver overrides and verifies that he or she is paying attention to the road.

The recently launched HUD system on the Ram 1500, will also make it over to the all-new Grand Wagoneer as well. The system provides the driver with up to five different information elements, including Active Lane Management, adaptive cruise control, turn-by-turn navigation, current speed, current gear, and speed limit.

The new Digital Rearview Camera replaces the conventional rearview mirror with a 9.2-inch-wide Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that shows a real-time video from a rear-facing camera. Unlike a conventional rearview mirror, the new digital camera system offers a view that is unobstructed by the D-pillars or rear seats. When not in use as a display, the screen reverts back to a reflective mirror. This system has been introduced on Ram 1500, Ram Heavy Duty, Ram ProMaster, and Jeep Grand Cherokee L thus far. Expect it to become available on all future vehicles in the core Mopar lineup.

The updated Surround-View Camera system offers 360-degree, bird’s-eye views of the vehicle and its surroundings, enhanced by dynamic gridlines displayed on a 10.1-inch digital touchscreen. With front and rear lens washers, the system is enhanced by ParkSense front park assist, which helps the driver orient the vehicle.

While the Grand Wagoneer is based on the Ram 1500 architecture, the Grand Wagoneer will also adopt the Ram 1500’s Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist, which uses ultrasonic sensors to guide the driver into parking space using directions given on the infotainment screen.

Unlike anything else in the Stellantis vehicle portfolio, the Grand Wagoneer will feature the most infotainment screen space with multiple Uconnect 5 touchscreens throughout the vehicle. There will be a new 12.1-inch horizontal screen that will be located in the center of the instrument panel. Below that will be a 10.25-inch horizontal comfort display touchscreen to adjust the four-zone climate control and seat controls including massage features, a 12.3-inch driver information display will be located behind the steering wheel and fully-customizable to the driver’s preferences, and for the first time another 10.25-inch passenger screen just like the concept vehicle allowing the front passenger with touchscreen controls.

For second-row passengers, there will be a 10.1-inch comfort display housed between the captain’s chairs. There will also be 10.1-inch entertainment touchscreens located in the back of the front-row seats for the second-row passengers to enjoy as well.

Originally shown in a conceptual form on the Grand Wagoneer Concept, Jeep paired with American premium home audio brand McIntosh to create a unique experience for audiophiles. The McIntosh pairing was confirmed with the debut of the Grand Cherokee L, which offers a premium 950-watt, 19-speaker McIntosh audio system. For Grand Wagoneer, McIntosh should be offering a 1,000-watt audio system featuring 23 speakers and a 24-channel amplifier. The system should be an audiophile’s dream.

Grand Wagoneer models will feature a standard power third-row passenger seating. While the Grand Wagoneer offers the third-row, a long-wheelbase (LWB) model will be coming in late 2022 as a 2023 model according to our sources. It is expected that just like the smaller Grand Cherokee L three-row offering, we expect that model to feature the new “L” badge and moniker. 

Under the hood is where the Grand Wagoneer really shines. While there will be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) variant offered in late 2022, the Grand Wagoneer will start off with both the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V8 or 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with the eTorque mild-hybrid system.

The eTorque system combines a belt-drive motor generator unit with a 48-volt battery pack to enable start/stop function, short-term torque assist, and brake energy regeneration. Both variants should match the Ram 1500’s output of 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque, with the eTorque version adds up to 130 lb.-ft. of additional torque at launch.

But the real breaking news is the addition of the all-new GME-T6 (Global Medium Engine – Turbocharged 6-Cylinder) engine. The all-new inline-six-cylinder engine is the future of rear-wheel-drive (RWD) based powertrains for Ram and Jeep vehicles. The GME-T6 H.O. (High-Output) engine will deliver somewhere around 525 horsepower according to our sources. It will mark the first time that this all-new engine is used in any Stellantis application and will be available later this year, a few months after the initial launch of the Grand Wagoneer.

All three powertrains will feature ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmissions. The Ram 1500 is already known for its class-leading smooth shifting operation because of the performance of the 8-speed automatic. Currently, Ram uses more than 40 individual shift maps to optimize shift changes and points for fuel economy, performance, and drivability. We expect the same for the all-new Grand Wagoneer.

From the side, all of the Grand Wagoneer test vehicles we have seen so far are wearing the same Goodyear Eagle RS-A 285/45R22XL All-Season Tires as the Ram 1500 featuring optional 22-inch wheels. If you look closely enough at the undercarriage of the vehicle, you will also see the brackets for the power running boards that will fold up under the vehicle as well. This allows the Grand Wagoneer to maintain a clean profile under operation and while offering comfortable access to the vehicle when it has stopped.

Of course, the new Grand Wagoneer will be offering an exclusive Selec-Terrain^® Traction Management System with five drive modes, Quadra-Drive^® II 4×4 system with active two-speed transfer case, and Quadra-Lift^® Air suspension that will help to take the Grand Wagoneer to places where most SUVs can only dream of.

Looking at the rear of the vehicle, we can see that the Grand Wagoneer will receive more detailed taillights with clear lenses, unlike the red units found on Wagoneer models that we have seen. Dual exhausts stick out below the rear bumper, unlike the Grand Cherokee L which has its dual exhaust stick through bezels in the rear bumper. We expect that a foot-activated liftgate also will be offered on the premium model.

Even though the Grand Wagoneer is based on the Ram 1500 architecture, the Grand Wagoneer will feature its own unique independent-rear-suspension (IRS). The IRS system will feature progressive coil springs offering best-in-class ride without taking away from its capability.

When it comes to price, we still don’t have any official or leaked details on price yet. While the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon Denali, and Lincoln Navigator premium offerings can easily hit over the $100,000 mark, we can expect the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer to do the same. There is no doubt that the Grand Wagoneer will surely be something special for not only the Jeep brand’s portfolio, but for the luxury market as well.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will begin rolling off the Warren Truck Assembly Plant (WTAP) line this summer. With the first models expected to arrive in showrooms in the early third-quarter.

So what do you think about the all-new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer? What features are you most looking forward to? Let us know, in our dedicated WagoneerForums.org owner’s forums.