It should be much smaller, a fair bit cheaper and very fancy.
StellantisJeep revived the Grand Wagoneer nameplate last year with an opulent and titanic luxury barge to battle with SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade. The Grand Wagoneer had a conspicuous lack of Jeep branding. And part of the reason is that Jeep may be giving Wagoneer the Bronco sub-brand treatment with a new Wagoneer lineup of vehicles.
According to Mopar Insiders, we may see a new and much smaller Wagoneer SUV arrive in either 2024 or 2025. The report does not have any firm details yet. But the SUV will likely be based on the next-generation Cherokee crossover and run on the new STLA Large platform. Mopar Insiders expects it to be either fully electric or a hybrid and come with standard all-wheel drive. They aren’t sure whether it will be a two-row or three-row SUV.
A baby Wagoneer would be a solid idea. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are huge SUVs. We have no doubt there are buyers out there who are intrigued by the super-lux Wagoneer branding but would want it in a smaller package.
There’s no point in offering a Wagoneer version of the Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee already offers robust branding and sells in large numbers at a high-profit margin. And trying to out-lux the already plush Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve with its McIntosh sound system would be a fool’s errand.
Basing the smaller Wagoneer on the Cherokee would be a better call. Compact crossovers are what a strong plurality of buyers want. The Cherokee — by being that size rather than its compelling capability — is typically one of Jeep’s best-selling vehicles. A Wagoneer-branded rival for crossovers like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 with a stunning interior could do quite well for itself.
A Cherokee-based Wagoneer would also align with historical precedent. Jeep had the Grand Wagoneer through the early 1990s. But they also had a Wagoneer version of the iconic XJ Cherokee.
Keyword: Jeep May Build a New Super-Lux Baby Wagoneer SUV