Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept Close-up
Jeep recently revealed its new Grand Wagoneer Concept, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the first people outside of FCA to see the vehicle up close and personal. The concept was one of several Jeeps on hand during a private event held by the company at the elegant Danada House in the woods of Naperville, Illinois.
The most obvious thing about the Grand Wagoneer is just how large the vehicle is in the flesh. It’s every bit as big as a Chevy Suburban or GMC Tahoe – possibly the extended-length versions. This full-size SUV has enough room to comfortably seat adults in all three of its rows and is basically a luxury living room on wheels.
Premium leather abounds, combined with elegant hand-crafted woods, and real metal accents. There are screens everywhere, including a 12.3″ digital instrument panel, a 12.1″ center touchscreen, a 10.25″ passenger-side touchscreen, and a duo of screens for second-row passengers as well. While I’m sure there are heated seats available, the images of a cozy fireplace helped to keep the cabin feeling warm and cozy too.
A massive single-pane panoramic roof brings an ample dose of light into the cabin, though this particular example is embellished with a map of downtown Detroit. It’s a cool design touch, but not something I think would show up on the production version. A high-end McIntosh audio system is ready to pump out studio-quality sound as well.
Exterior details include beautifully-faceted headlights with wooden bezels, and the ability to pan their beams up to 180º to help see into corners as you turn the wheel. LED taillights and wide, horizontal brake lights create a truly distinctive rear end.
The huge SUV rides on proportionally massive 24″ obsidian-finished aluminum wheels. These look amazing, though I’m betting the production model gets smaller rims since massive wheels have always been a design trick in concept vehicles. Packing features like Jeep’s Select-Terrain traction management system, Quadra Drive II 4×4, and a two-speed transfer case, there’s no way anyone is taking this off-road with those wheels and low-profile Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires either.
One thing that was pointed out by another journalist while checking out the Grand Wagoneer Concept is that there’s not the slightest bit of Jeep branding anywhere on the vehicle. Could Jeep be spinning off the Wagoneer brand into a luxury spin-off like Genesis? I think it’s more likely to become a sub-brand as GMC does with Denali. That’s my bet.
Jeep has already confirmed that the Grand Wagoneer will go into production in 2021 as a 2022 model, so it’s only a matter of time before we find out what features make it into the version you can actually buy.
