Jeep’s playing the long game with its Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer PR efforts, which comes as something of an annoyance, given the length of time it took Jeep to pull the trigger on this blindingly obvious product idea.
On Friday, the off-road brand upped its teasing, providing us with images of real Grand Wagoneer real estate.
The glittering grille seen above seems to be a retro flourish, even though it isn’t really. The original Grand Wagoneer didn’t adopt the seven-slot grille of lesser Jeeps, but this one sure does. And look closer — there’s seven slots contained within seven larger, chrome-lined slots. Jeep loves to count.
The full image can be seen here:
Now, the image provided doesn’t tell us if this is the Wagoneer (making this the left side of the grille, or a Grand Wagoneer (making this the center-right portion), but why show off the lesser of the two? A past tease, of sorts, had Jeep defining the word “grand” and leaving no doubt as to what product it was actually referring to.
Sadly, we can’t peer through those slots to see what heart beats within. The two Ram-based, body-on-frame SUVs are expected to field a variety of powerplants, from V8s to plug-in hybrids. Both start production in Michigan in the second quarter of 2021.
The second image sparked initial head-scratching, but it appears to be a rumored rotary gearshift reflected in the console surface. This type of shifter, with looks classy but isn’t nearly as satisfying to use as a traditional lever-style shifter, adds additional glitz to the full-sizer’s cabin.
Expected to crest the six-figure mark in its most decked-out form, the Grand Wagoneer will go to battle with Lincoln’s Navigator and a brand-new Cadillac Escalade, while the Wagoneer will court lower-end full-size SUV shoppers. We’ll have to wait for confirmation that one of the differences between Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer is wheelbase; one assumes so, given that both Lincoln and Cadillac offer their luxo barges in two lengths.
[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
This kind of crap is annoying – just show the damn car, you obviously have it designed already.
Thank you, this kind of teasing doesn’t work for me :(
If I put out a fancy unidentifiable pic of my car would the headline read “unknown car company releases tantalizing pics of future model”
It’s called marketing…relax.
They can’t show it because they haven’t made any yet. The pictures are likely a mockup or concept style example that might have noticeable differences from the production version.
Second quarter means they MAY start building them for sale in June, with the first models reaching dealers in August. If they reveal everything now, it’ll be stale by the time they’re on the lots.
These models should have been in showrooms a couple years ago, but there was the search for a partner, the death of Sergio, the union bribery investigation, the merger negotiations with PSA, and GM’s lawsuit to contend with.
Add the Fiat management’s tradition of being late for everything, and it’s understandable they’re not already on the road. Not good corporate practice, but understandable.
Cue the Xzibit memes.
I know of several people waiting in line to plunk down cash for these. Positioned against the Tahoe->Suburban->Escalade, these are going to do well.
I suspect that here in the US they’re going to first eat Range Rover’s lunch before taking a good chunk out of Ford and GM sales.
Hopefully. But then I thought the Commander was going to sell big and it didn’t…
I test drove a Commander when it first came out, I laughed, the salesman apologized, I got in my Grand Cherokee and left
Lie2me, you aren’t wrong. One of my employees received a new Commander from the dealer when her Pontiac was in for service. She knows nothing of cars…seriously. She knows how to start and drive them and that’s it. When I asked her what she thought of the Commander, without hesitation…”It’s a piece of junk.” No explanation, just over and over…what a piece of junk.
My now retired co-worker went from a Wrangler Safari to a new Commander. He drove that thing for years, piling on a bunch of mileage. The few times I rode in it I thought it was “okay”.
He is a deep Jeep diehard though.
What makes the Commander “junk” compared to the WK Grand Cherokee? Isn’t it basically just the GC with boxy sheetmetal and a slight stretch for a the 3rd row jump seat?
I guess you can say that both the Commander *and* Grand Cherokee are junk, but that’s kind of a different argument.
The Commander shared underpinnings with the WK1, which shares very little with the WK2 in current production.
The current 3-row Grand Cherokee (Durango) has proven itself to be a much more competent vehicle than the Commander, though without any off-road chops to speak of. Rumor has it there will be a proper 3-row Grand Cherokee in 2021 which will be a spiritual successor to the Commander, and hopefully does much better.
“What makes the Commander “junk” compared to the WK Grand Cherokee? ”
It was tinny, loud, uncomfortable, expensive with an overall very cheap feel to it. My WJ Grand Cherokee drove and felt like a fine luxury car in comparison
“It was tinny, loud, uncomfortable, expensive with an overall very cheap feel to it.”
In comparison to the WK1?
I’m not saying the Commander was good but it seems like it gets called out a lot while the GC from the same years is basically the same vehicle and gets a pass from most people.
To be fair, the market for big SUVs went right down the crapper after the Commander came out.
I do see a fair number of them still trolling around, though, so they can’t be THAT bad.
I’ve had about three driving experiences with the Commander, each a few years apart. The first one was when they were still current, the last one about six years ago.
In every instance, I came to the same conclusion: poorly made, lousy interiors, underpowered, thirsty, and with absolutely no reason to exist.
Very glad that driving the Commander completely killed any urge to trade in one of my XJs for one.
I remember that turd. Somehow it was bigger than my Grand Cherokee, yet had less usable space on the inside.
It also had a terrible ride.
Thankfully Jeep had the sense to kill that stupid vehicle.
I heard that the Commander was what German engineers thought Americans wanted in a SUV. Boy, were they wrong
I once had the opportunity to pose a question to someone in high level product planning / brand management at Jeep, which was why they thought the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer would succeed where the Commander had failed. The short summary / BS-filtered version of his answer was “This time we’re actually trying.”
Meh. Somebody tell Jeep to just get it over with already.
Somebody tell Steve the made up word “meh” has been banned.
From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
meh as an interjection:
used to express indifference or mild disappointment
meh as an adjective:
1 : not impressive : SO-SO
a meh documentary
2 : APATHETIC, INDIFFERENT
the movie left me feeling meh
Worlds first 7×7, if you know what I mean?
OCD Moment:
Those aren’t seven slots, they are seven raised chrome bars. That leaves *six* slots (the gaps) in between.
[Oh, and I’m pretty sure Jeep delayed the introduction of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer out of deference to Rick Wagoner. Do you see any of Ford’s competitors introducing a “Grand Hacket” in 2021? No you do not.]
How could they make such an egregious error!?
They who they which they?
I suspect this picture is of the Grand Wagoneer, not the Wagoneer, due to the spacing of the letters. When 3 letters fit over the top of 2 grill slots, the name wouldn’t stretch all the way across the front of the vehicle. With the word Grand in front, it would.
Interesting. I’m intrigued by that grill shape.
Everything so far just seems tacky looking.
Not a single image gives off the vibe of the original, a vehicle which has a look that screams “country gentleman” the way an old Land Rover does.
Closest thing to that now is an XC90 – particularly the first gen models.
I hate it already.
I don’t think this will make any difference to Range Rover sales at all. Firstly the types that buy Range Rovers value it’s restrained European looks and the fact its far too over engineered for its own good.. Secondly a Range Rover has great entry and departure angles for proper off-roading. This is an Estate SUV.
The Wagoneer however will face a two proved assault from the Defender 130 Luxury model and the all new Range Rover. Ultimately neither company will lose sales to each other I suspect. Lincoln and Cadillac will.