2023 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer Review

The Jeep Wagoneer offers three (well, four, technically) different powertrains, each paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base Wagoneer’s sole engine offering (and exclusive to it) is a 5.7-liter V8 providing 392 horsepower and 404 pound-feet of torque. Its eTorque mild-hybrid system features a belt-driven generator and a small lithium-ion battery (charged via regenerative braking) and can add a brief boost of 130 lb-ft. It also enables engine shut-off when decelerating. In two-wheel-drive models, it’s rated at 16 miles per gallon in the city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined. With four-wheel drive, that drops to 15/20/17 mpg.

Standard in the Wagoneer Series II, Carbide and Series III, and Wagoneer L, is the “Hurricane” 3.0-liter twin-turbocharger inline-six, offering 420 hp and 468 lb-ft of torque. It gets 17/24/20 in 4×2 models, and 16/23/19 in 4×4. This is the only engine in the Wagoneer that provides good fuel economy for the segment. 

The standard engine in the Grand Wagoneer (and available as a no-cost option on the Grand Wagoneer Obsidian models) is a 6.4-liter V8, good for 471 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. This is the least economical of the lineup, rated at 13/18/15 mpg, and will cost you hundreds more to fill up per year than a Navigator. 

But there’s also an upgraded version of the 3.0-liter Hurricane, called the Hurricane 510, in the Grand Wagoneer Series II and Series III, as well as the Grand Wagoneer L, tuned to 510 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. That gets 14/20/17 mpg in the standard-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer, or 14/19/16 in the L. You’ll get much better fuel economy and pay far less money on gas every year with a Lincoln Navigator. 

Jeep recommends using mid-grade (89 octane) gasoline in both the 5.7-liter V8 and standard 3.0-liter I6, but says regular gas is “acceptable.” Premium fuel (91 octane) is required in the 510-hp version of the Hurricane I6, and recommended in the 6.4-liter V8.

This big Jeep moves down the road like a vast ocean liner, for better and for worse. You’re always aware of its huge proportions and gargantuan weight, while the air suspension that’s standard on the Grand and optional on Wagoneer allows a fair bit of lateral rocking while making turns. One of our drivers actually clonked his head against the B pillar while turning into a parking lot. That doesn’t happen in the more sure-footed Escalade. At the same time, an ocean liner is an awfully comfortable, quiet and luxurious way to travel. The ride is exceptional, and there’s a resolute sense of stability when cruising down the highway (pun not intended).

It’s quiet, it’s comfortable and it’s (dare we say it?) almost fun to hustle. The steering is accurate and has a bit of feel to it. The GM SUVs are better in these areas, but the Jeeps are close. The Jeep is also impressively put together, with very few of the wiggles and jitters of body-on-frame SUVs. The additional length of the L models doesn’t really affect the driving experience much. It does make it a little trickier to maneuver at low speeds, with a wider turning circle and simply more vehicle to manage, but otherwise, it drives just like a regular Wagoneer

As for the experience off-road, the Wagoneer is not Trail Rated, so don’t expect it to venture to the same places a Grand Cherokee can. Its size and lack of axle articulation hold it back. It still offers as much as 10 inches of grand clearance and a low-range transfer case, though.

We haven’t had the chance to test the Wagoneer’s base 5.7-liter V8 on the road yet, but considering its power output and 6,000-pound curb weight, it seems like a fair bet that acceleration will likely only be on par with GM’s 5.3-liter V8. The Grand Wagoneer’s 6.4-liter V8 delivers smooth, quiet and effortless acceleration without the sort of go-fast noises this same engine makes in other Jeep and Dodge applications. It also swills gas like, well, an ocean liner. 

The new Hurricane inline-six options are definitely the engines to get. Throttle response is admittedly a tad less sharp than the 6.4 V8, but only a tad. And what you trade in a bit of throttle response, you get back in much more low-down torque. You don’t have to work this engine very hard to get moving. The turbos spool quickly and power comes on smoothly. The Hurricane 510 version obviously feels gutsier when hammering it, but it’s a bit academic. Yes, it feels faster, but the regular Hurricane feels far from underpowered, and the gap isn’t great enough that we’d go the Grand route based on engine performance alone, especially considering the standard Hurricane’s greatly superior fuel economy.

What other Jeep Wagoneer reviews can I read?

The Wagoneer suite, as one would expect from a lineup starting at around $60,000 and offering models at more than double that, offers a vast selection of available features to choose from if you’ve got the credit to cover it. It’s fairly well equipped from the get-go, with the base Wagoneer getting heated and ventilated leather-trimmed seats, Alpine audio, 10.25-inch Uconnect display with navigation, power folding mirrors and remote start, among other things. Moving up to the Grand Wagoneer offers a leap in quality and standard equipment, as well as price, with a standard air suspension, 12.3-inch display, McIntosh audio system, better leather, heated second-row captain’s chairs and more. Regardless of what luxury touches you add, we like the turbocharged I6 engines, so our shopping would put the Wagoneer Series II as our starting point.

The base Wagoneer 4×2 starts at $60,995, including the hefty $2,000 destination fee. Adding four-wheel drive in most trims tacks another $3,000 to the price across the lineup, while picking the L version adds another $4,000. The luxurious Grand Wagoneer starts at $90,640, but includes four-wheel drive as standard. Adding the L to the Grand Wagoneer also adds $4,000 across trims. To give you a sense of the full price range, the most expensive model, the Grand Wagoneer Series III Obsidian, costs $114,635 before options, but there aren’t many options not included at that point.

Every 2023 Wagoneer comes standard with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems, trailer sway control, and front and rear parking sensors. Stop-and-go adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are available on the base Wagoneer and Wagoneer L, but standard in all other trims. A 360-degree parking camera is standard on the Grand and optional on Wagoneer.

Neither NHTSA nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have crash tested the Wagoneer at the time of this writing.

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