Posted on 09/04/2020 7:15:14 AM PDT by Red Badger
Key Points:
Fiat Chrysler’s long-awaited Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV will top $100,000 when it arrives in showrooms next year.
The only other Jeep to top six figures is the brand’s current Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a high-performance version of the SUV with Fiat Chrysler’s Hellcat V8 engine.
The company debuted a concept version of the Grand Wagoneer as a preview of the upcoming luxury SUV on Thursday.
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DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler’s long-awaited Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV will top $100,000 – likely making it the brand’s highest priced vehicle as it attempts to compete against the Cadillac Escalade, Land Rover Range Rover and others.
The new large SUV will be the stablemate of another model called the Wagoneer, which will start at about $60,000 when the vehicles go on sale next year, according to Christian Meunier, global president of Jeep. The six-figure price tag for the Grand Wagoneer will be for a fully loaded model, he said.
“It’s clearly the return of a premium American icon,” Meunier said during a media event ahead of Thursday’s unveiling of a concept version of the resurrected SUVs. “Wagoneer will expand to become a portfolio of vehicles that will redefine American premium while delivering a unique customer experience.”
The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer names were previously used by Jeep for large SUVs from 1963 until 1991. The company had promised to resurrect the Wagoneer name for nearly a decade as a way to better compete in the highly profitable large SUV segment.
The SUVs will be offered in two lengths and compete in the mainstream and luxury SUV segments, Meunier said. It’s a similar strategy to how General Motors, the industry leader in large SUVs, sells its vehicles across the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands.
The only other Jeep to top $100,000 is the current Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a low volume, high-performance version of the SUV with Fiat Chrysler’s Hellcat V8 engine.
It’s unclear whether the Grand Wagoneer will be a separate model or a high-end version of the Wagoneer, which was discontinued in 1983. The company declined to provide additional details about how the vehicles will be positioned. It’s possible the Grand Wagoneer will be a premium version of the Wagoneer, as GM’s Denali trim is for its GMC brand.
“We see significant opportunity for Wagoneer as a premium extension of the Jeep brand,” said Trevor Dorchies, a Fiat Chrysler spokesman. “Jeep is unquestionably the foundation of Wagoneer, but Wagoneer will go beyond that into more premium segments.”
The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be produced at the automaker’s Warren Truck plant in suburban Detroit. Grand Wagoneer concept
The Grand Wagoneer concept represents the future design and technology of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs. Concept vehicles often also set a new design direction for the brand overall.
Meunier said “a lot of things” on the concept will make it into the production versions of the vehicles next year. The three-row concept pays tribute to its heritage while featuring modern designs as well as new technologies and displays on the vehicle’s interior.
“We strived for a level of premium executive that we’ve never done as a company,” said Ralph Gilles, head of design for Fiat Chrysler.
On the exterior, the SUV has large windows that form a greenhouse around the vehicle, which was a distinguishable feature of the original Grand Wagoneer. It also includes classic Jeep design elements with modern twists, including the brand’s traditional seven-slotted grille with lights in between the slots as well as a headlight-to-headlight light bar above them.
The seven-passenger concept vehicle is powered by a plug-in hybrid electric system, a nod to the brand’s plans to electrify every Jeep nameplate by 2022. Meunier declined to comment if such a powertrain would be available on the vehicles next year. Tech-savvy, teak wood interior
Unlike the original Grand Wagoneer, wood paneling – a well-known characteristic of the former SUV – is not featured on the sides of the concept. However, Fiat Chrysler designers did include teak wood in the vehicle’s headlights, roof tie downs and interior, which resembles a digital cockpit more than a traditional Jeep.
On the inside of the vehicle, wood is included on the doors, dash and center control panel. The front interior of the vehicle includes four screens, including a first-ever 10.25-inch passenger screen in an SUV, according to Fiat Chrysler.
The passenger screen features privacy film as to not distract the driver, officials said.
As a nod to its manufacturing home and the brand’s headquarters, the Grand Wagoneer concept’s full-pane glass roof features a map of Detroit and the surrounding area.
For audio, the Grand Wagoneer concept’s McIntosh audio system features 23 custom-designed speakers connected to a 24-channel amplifier.
Wrangler 4xe
Jeep also unveiled a new plug-in hybrid electric version Thursday of its flagship Wrangler SUV.
The hybrid still has an electric powertrain in addition to a traditional internal combustion engine. It is the first of its kind for Jeep in the U.S. The vehicle will feature a “4xe” badge, a play on Jeep’s reputation as a 4x4 off-road brand.
The 2021 Wrangler 4xe is capable of nearly 400 miles on a single charge and tank, including up to 25 miles of pure-electric driving, according to officials. When not in electric mode, the vehicle is powered by 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
It is expected to begin production at a plant in Toledo, Ohio, in December, followed by availability in U.S. showrooms shortly after that as well as Europe and China by early 2021.
What a pain to get to the actual video! Two freakin ads! And the Jeep video is an ad. Two ads before an ad!
It will never be one of these....................
Rather than dump $100K on this new one I would rather buy a restored one. https://www.jeepheritage.com/
We bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2015 and sold it within months. It sucked.
and a FREE piece of electrical tape to cover it up!............
Gawd, I hope not!
When it comes to reliability, it appears that not much has actually changed for Land Rover. 2019 scores from ReliabilityIndex indicate that the manufacturer is still close to the bottom when compared to other carmakers. Land Rover earned a score of 308, which means it placed 36 in a list of 40 brands. Though Maserati is in clear last place with a score 774, this is not an impressive score for a popular manufacturer.
Me likey!
And be worth $30,000 after four years. Pass.
Nice. Thanks for the link. At first I thought it might be that place in Kerrville. But it wasn’t. There’s a dealer in Kerrville that sells grand Waggoneers exclusively. I love driving by his place.
Fiat Chrysler’s long-awaited Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV will top $100,000.............................. In repairs? “Its a Fix It Again Tony”.
That’s not a Harbor Freight Badlands winch!
Nice.
I was at an estate auction a while back and there was a Range Rover that was there to be sold.
Having some time to kill, I got in and sat in the driver’s seat. Looking around, I saw a bunch of paper in the door pocket. I pulled it out, and here it was a thick stack of receipts for repairs on that POS.
It was shocking to see how much some sucker paid to keep it on the road.
I’ve never had a winch so I don’t know if that’s good or bad!..............
My 2013 Grand Cherokee is the LAST Jeep I buy. It's been a steaming pile of crap the last few years. New heads needed at 60,000 (Fiat Chrysler wouldn't cover it ..) then the gas tank issue and electrical system issues (which were covered) and now the hood paint is peeling because the a&&holes used aluminum hoods and failed to prime it properly. $970 to get it redone and Chrysler refused to cover it.
I'm done with Jeep. My 2003 GMC Envoy Denali has been far more reliable than my Jeep, it hasn't blown its heads, the paint is still like new and I've been able to do any needed repairs (coil packs, tune-ups, brakes) myself.
As much as I hate GM, my Envoy Denali has *never* let me down. Can't say the same for this POS Grand Cherokee.
Talk about bait and switch...
$100k for a car with such poor wiring it can turn into an immovable brick at 80 mph without warning. I’ll pass.
Fiat always made attractive, overpriced cars. Keeping them running is the issue.
Fix it again, Tony.
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