If you’ve purchased a vehicle in the past year and want to share your experiences with Driving.ca readers, we want to hear from you! Send us a note telling us a bit about the vehicle you bought to [email protected] and you might be covered in an upcoming Owner Review.
Better late than never. Chris Braun says it took Jeep long enough to come up with a real people hauler, something with three rows of seats that could compete with the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and the Lincoln Navigator. The Calgary driver Braun figures the new-for-2022 Jeep Wagoneer, “Lands them squarely in the middle of that market – an upscale vehicle that can be stuffed full of people and soccer or hockey gear or skis and poles to head to the mountains. It’s ideal.”
Clockwise from driver’s seat: Chris at the wheel, Cathy in the passenger seat, daughters Taylor and Jordan, Chris’ mother Yvonne Bran, daughter Danika and Chris’ father Ardean Braun. CREDIT: Cathy Braun
Braun is aware, however, that this isn’t the first Wagoneer. Jeep was an early progenitor of the now ubiquitous SUV-style of people hauler when it first introduced the Wagoneer back in 1963. At the time, the Wagoneer was essentially an oversized station wagon on a four-wheel drive platform. It wasn’t meant to be a serious off-road contender, though. Instead, it was engineered for better on-pavement manners, while still being capable in tough driving situations. Various Wagoneer vehicles were sold until 1991, when it was dropped from production. Fast forward to the early 2010s, and Jeep was making noise about returning the Wagoneer to market. But that didn’t happen until 2021, when the latest generation Wagoneer was announced for the 2022 model year. Based on a Ram 1500 truck chassis, the Wagoneer is powered by a 5.7-litre V8 engine with the mild hybrid eTorque system connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This powerplant makes 392 horsepower and 404 lbs.-ft of torque. The Wagoneer comes in four trims, from Series II to top of the line Series III Carbide.
As driven, Braun’s Wagoneer Series II was fitted with standard equipment such as active lane management, adaptive cruise control, park-sense assist, hands-free power liftgate and, of course, all the power and heated ancillaries one would expect. His Wagoneer was finished in the $695 velvet red pearl paint and was also equipped with the $4,695 convenience group (this added Quadra-Lift air suspension, among many other features) and the $3,995 premium group (three panel sunroof and 22-inch alloy wheels). To drive this rig off the lot, it would have cost Braun just a bit more than $93,000 including freight and PDI but before taxes. There is also a Grand Wagoneer available in four different trims, and it features a 6.4 L engine under the hood.
“My test Wagoneer, even though it was the Series II and really considered entry level, was well equipped with everything I think you’d want,” Braun says. “And, in the velvet red pearl paint, it looks nice and classy.” He admits the Wagoneer does have a boxy exterior appearance, “but that’s just the nature of the vehicle that it is. The polished emblems help break up what seems like miles of paint, and there’s the familiar Jeep seven-slot grille up front.”
Braun says getting into the Wagoneer was like “stepping into the lap of luxury. There’s leather everywhere and it’s filled with expensive looking and feeling materials. “Everything was power operated, and it was easy to get comfortable in it. I spent about five minutes setting up the basics on the infotainment system and all the driver assist options – they’re all there on the touchscreen and once I got everything set I never really had to delve back in.”
Chris at the wheel. Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
Interior fit and finish was quality, he says, noting no panels were misaligned and everything was tucked in where it was supposed to be. After some time on the roads – Braun set off for Invermere, B.C., just hours after picking up the test vehicle and spent plenty of time on the Trans-Canada Highway as well as Highways 93 and 95 – he didn’t hear any rattles or buzzing, and adds the vehicle was “very well insulated and isolated from road noise.”
And the power? “It’s the tried and true 5.7-L Hemi with the 8-speed automatic,” he says. “I drove it in the city and on the highway, and never once was I wanting more power – it has enough to do anything you’d need that Jeep to do. There’s plenty of power for passing, and there’s lots of visibility.”
While Braun says some larger SUVs can feel top heavy, the Wagoneer felt well-planted. It’s obviously not a sports car, he adds, and says it was designed with a job to do, and that’s carrying people and cargo. “I really liked the active suspension system, because depending on the speed you were going it decided what height the vehicle should travel at – on the highway, it lowers it down and lessens the drag,” he says. “The steering was very well connected and communicated everything back to the driver and the vehicle never wandered.”
Including himself, Braun loaded the Wagoneer with seven family members – and mentions that a couple of them are six-feet tall. “There was lots of room for people and cargo, and absolutely no complaints about headroom,” he notes. Turning back the keys, Braun figures Jeep “has done a good job with the Wagoneer, and it gives the automaker a piece of the luxury hauler market they couldn’t really cash in on before.
“If you need to haul people, or cargo, or both, it’s got decent fuel economy (see Driver’s Journal for more on that) and it’s got the ability to cover a lot of miles without any fuss. The capabilities are endless with the Wagoneer.”
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II Photo by Cathy Braun
DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day 1
Sync up phone, controls all easy to familiarize with. Large infotainment screen in centre of dash and fully configurable digital dash as well. Tons of hidden compartments in dash and centre console. Looks very expensive and luxurious (which it truly is on both accounts). Equipped with trailer hitch (window sticker didn’t show one) – perfect. Install bike rack. Road trip tomorrow.
Day 2
Early morning drive to Invermere. Family is already on vacation, otherwise this would be perfect for hauling them all in comfort and style. Very smooth down the highway, cruise control keeps speed up and over mountain passes. Arrive fresh and relaxed. Automatic suspension is compliant yet sporty at the same time – doesn’t lean over in the curves a lot, 22-inch wheel package is surprisingly supple and not harsh. Hook up to and launch boat, Wagoneer handles it easily. Air suspension helps level out the tongue weight automatically. Mirrors with convex section are great for towing and seeing what’s behind the towed trailer. Easily retrieved the boat up the gravel launch after a day on the water. Spent time reviewing all of the driver assist items – technology for days. Of note, this is only the “Series II” Wagoneer – there are apparently another $30K of options that can be added and I’m struggling to find out what it’s missing. It already has full leather, heated/cooled seats, etc. This trim level is truly pampering enough for $93K as equipped.
Day 3
Lots of compliments on the colour. Takes on different shades from cherry red in the sun to almost a black plum color in the shade. Load six of us in and head to Radium.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II. CREDIT: Cathy Braun Photo by Cathy Braun
Day 4
Road trip to Golden with seven of us. Tilt and slide adjustments for second row makes it easy to find a comfortable position for all. Head-up display very cool with road, speed limit and current velocity displayed magically at the end of the hood. Noticed some inaccurate readings for speed limits. Comfortable and solid/secure in the blinding rain. Great big windows for enjoying the mountain views. Third row sunroof a neat feature.
Day 5
Did some backroad forestry type road driving — played with air suspension and tried out the various off-road settings. Off-Road 2 (highest air suspension setting) only good up to 30 km/h, Off-Road 1 up to 60 km/h. I won’t take this down the usual “Jeep” off-road trails – running boards would be the limiting factor as approach/departure angles are quite good once suspension is on highest setting. This Wagoneer would be great for the winter ski family – tons of space, clearance and capability.
Day 6
Wash and detail the Jeep. Another boat day. Return to Calgary loaded with bikes for the season. Late night trip with just me. Great headlights for the dark (auto dim high beams too). Really nice interior touches such as backlighting and accent lighting on floors, under the dash and on door panels.
Day 7
Commute to work. Quite manoeuvrable for its size, it’s really surprising. Blind spot, lane keep, etc., all make it feel very nimble in traffic. In my mind, very good competition for the Lincoln, Denali, Tahoe, Suburban and Navigator crowd. For my family of five, we rarely travel together in one vehicle anymore, but this would’ve been perfect for us as a family growing up. Tons of room, features, capabilities. Time to give up the keys – fill it up one last time. Mileage tally for the week – 1,284km accumulated, averaging 13.1L/100km. That’s pretty respectable in my mind given the mix of daily commute, highway driving and even towing the boat around for two of those days.
Keyword: Reader Review: 2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II