So, this is happening now, after a long delay. Any thoughts?
The old one;
I've never even been in an old one, though I know they sold them for like 50 years.
I don't have a strong opinion on it and am not in the market for this type of vehicle, but I am curious if others think it will do well. Anything with a Jeep name on it seems to get the price/volume they want for it, but this is pretty expensive and as the linked article details there are a lot of 'luxury SUV' options today.
The old one;
I've never even been in an old one, though I know they sold them for like 50 years.
Quote:
But by Grand Wagoneer's demise in 1991 the SUV market had changed. Competition came from all directions, on the domestic side as the Suburban became ever-more luxurious, and from Europe in the form of the Range Rover and (gray market) Mercedes G-Wagen. Fast forward to the present day, and the competition is even more intense. Just about every upmarket brand fields a full-size luxury SUV, whether of crossover or truck origins.
That hibernation from 1991-2022 is an issue for the Grand Wagoneer. Jimmy Dallas and Carol are dead or have moved on to one of the multitude of other prestige luxury SUVs. Domestic, European, Japanese, take your pick! People under the age of 35 or so who aren't interested in car history don't know what the Grand Wagoneer name means. Resurrecting the brand is handy for luxury SUV purposes, but they waited too long to do it. I won't harp on that point any further, I'll just say that Chrysler/FCA/Daimler/Stellantis has dropped the SUV ball since 1994 when the new Ram 1500 lacked an SUV sibling. They continue to drop this ball today.
The Grand Wagoneer is also too expensive. And I mean that given its branding, lack of prestige recognition amongst consumers, and frankly its dealership network. As Tim cited in his review, the Grand has a base price of $86,995 and climbs to $106,000 for a fully-loaded Series III example after destination charge. That's full-lux pricing, in a league with the likes of Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX, and it's more expensive than all trims of Lincoln Navigator. What's the driving force behind this price? It's based on a Ram truck platform (and that's fine) and shares a Ram V8 (also fine). But Grand Wagoneer simply does not have the name recognition Jeep thinks it does. And when luxury customers walk into a Jeep showroom and talk to Chad Foursquare and are offered a small bottle of Aquafina, they're not going to feel very luxurious.
I think Jeep is painting itself into the corner of model differentiation issues. There are now two Grand Cherokees (standard and L) on a unibody platform like always, and two Wagoneers (regular and Grand) based on the Ram 1500. To most observers, these all look the same, and they're all "Jeep SUVs," except the Wagoneers cost $35,000-$65,000 more than Cherokees that look the same and are roughly the same size. "Ah, but the Wagoneers are trucks and have nicer interiors," you'll say. Worth that sort of price jump though?
The new Grand Wagoneer needed wood slabs on the sides if it was going to pull off the distinct image of the old Grand Wagoneer. The styling cues are a bit too literal where they shouldn't be (pillars, all the chrome trim) for Jeep not to take it all the way and slap some wood on the side. The Grand Wagoneer would've been in a class of its own at that point. Big, bold, and very American. They brought back an icon (too late) and then sorta half-assed it. Choosing white as its PR color of choice was also a mistake because it looks like a big floppy van-like whale. I'd never think it was truck-based, but rather a Grand Cherokee L-XL setup.
I don't have a strong opinion on it and am not in the market for this type of vehicle, but I am curious if others think it will do well. Anything with a Jeep name on it seems to get the price/volume they want for it, but this is pretty expensive and as the linked article details there are a lot of 'luxury SUV' options today.
