It took much longer than it should’ve but Jeep has finally entered the battle of the behemoths, and the off-road brand went big with the Wagoneer.
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe strike right at the heart of the full-size SUV market with large footprints, hulking exteriors, and cavernous interiors fit for a large family.
With a TCC Rating of 7.2 out of 10 the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer edges the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe’s rating of 6.8, and there’s some good reasons. But there are exceptions and caveats to everything in life, especially in regards to three-row people haulers.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
Despite the latest generation Tahoe being larger than ever, the Wagoneer’s even bigger. At 214.7 inches long the Wagoneer’s 4.0 inches longer than the Chevy. It doesn’t seem like much, but it makes a difference in a parking lot.
While each of these SUVs are slab sided, the Tahoe’s front end is more blunt and upright giving it a somewhat taller and more ridiculous stature. The Wagoneer’s front feels like an overgrown Grand Cherokee which translates to it looking less like a truck.
2022 Chevrolet Tahoe
Inside the Tahoe’s nice, but the Wagoneer’s nicer. The Wagoneer’s dashboard sits lower while the front seating position is higher than in the Chevy. This provides better forward visibility than found in the Tahoe, and lends it a more open and airy feeling thanks to the large, square windows. The materials in the Jeep are a cut above the Chevy’s pay grade with nicer plastics, real metal, more soft-touch bits, and a less truck-like front center console.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
Jeep gives the Wagoneer more and larger screens as standard equipment, including a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 10.1-inch touchscreen. While the Tahoe can be had with a 10.2-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster in LT and above trim, base models make do with analog gauges and an 8.0-inch touchscreen. Jeep’s infotainment system also feels more advanced with the ability to pin apps to a slide-down drawer at the top of the screen for quick access along with multiple user profiles.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
While the Jeep has seating for up to seven or eight passengers (depending on whether it has rear-seat captain’s chairs), the Tahoe surprisingly can house up to nine people. Though, most Tahoes will only have seats for seven or eight, as only the base model features an optional $250 front bench seat that splits three ways. The Tahoe’s spacious with 34.9 inches of leg room in the third row and 25.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind it. But the Wagoneer’s even more spacious and capable with 36.6 inches of leg room in the third row and the ability to haul 27.4 cubic feet of all the things behind the third row.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
Powertrains are where these two people haulers diverge, for now. The Tahoe can be had with a not-so-efficient 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8, a thirstier but more powerful 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8, or a torque-filled, fuel sipping 277-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel-6 with 460 lb-ft of torque. Each hooks up to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The turbodiesel is buttery smooth, as are the V-8s. The Wagoneer currently has one engine option: a thirsty 391-hp 5.7-liter V-8 that is aided by a 48-volt mild hybrid system providing another 130 lb-ft of torque during takeoff. It all hooks to an 8-speed automatic transmission. A turbocharged inline-6 is waiting in the wings for the Wagoneer and should improve fuel economy and performance. Both models come with rear-wheel drive as standard, but most models have four-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case. Tahoes can be equipped to tow up to 8,400 lb, but the Wagoneer can tug up to an astonishing 10,000 lb.
Both feature independent rear suspension systems and can be equipped with an air suspension along with adaptive dampers. The Tahoe remains flatter around corners and features a firmer ride than the Wagoneer’s softer setup, but the Wagoneer does a better job of smothering the road and pounding out road imperfections.
No one will consider either of these mammouths efficient, because that would be silly. But the Tahoe’s capable of swilling far less fuel with its available turbodiesel, which carries impressive EPA fuel economy ratings of 20 mpg city, 26 highway, and 22 combined with four-wheel drive. It’s downhill from there with the gas-powered V-8s in the Tahoe. Four-wheel-drive Wagoneers check in at 15 mpg city, 20 highway, and 17 combined.
When it comes to hauling the family safety shouldn’t be an option, and both models come standard with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, and rear parking sensors. Both can be optioned with surround-view camera systems while the Wagoneer can even be equipped with a night vision system.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4
The Chevy costs significantly less at $51,845 than the base Wagoneer at $60,995, but the Wagoneer comes with niceties such as leather seating, a digital gauge cluster, and heated and cooled front seats. Optioning a Tahoe to match the equipment on a base Wagoneer nearly removes the price disparity.
There’s no real question as to why the Wagoneer outranks the Tahoe with a nicer interior, more advanced technology, more towing capacity, and a more spacious interior for a similar price. It’s the option I would put in our garage. The exception comes into play for those that need the best possible fuel economy or seating for up to nine passengers, as the Tahoe will be the better, and only, option.
Keyword: 2022 Jeep Wagoneer vs. 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe: Compare SUVs