Jeep’s Wagoneer S EV – ONE FOR THE MALL…NOT MOAB

Jeep’s Wagoneer S EV

ONE FOR THE MALL…NOT MOAB

Branding is a carefully concocted ‘thing’. Obviously, you could write (or read) a book on branding successes, while probably filling an entire library on those branding failures. The preservation of brands over long periods of time becomes notably difficult, especially when those brands are under the stewardship of execs with little or no connection with those companies and their histories. And that’s where we find Jeep and its recently introduced – and some would suggest belatedly introduced – Wagoneer S Limited 4xe. It ain’t cheep – and the more skeptical would wonder if it’s even a Jeep.

Planned at about the time everyone and anyone was hellbent on having an electrified showroom, Jeep’s first EV takes the name of the company’s body-on-frame Wagoneer, adds the ‘S’ and underpins its roughly midsize dimensions – 192 inches of overall length on a wheelbase of 113 inches – with a unibody platform. I’ve not bought into the Wagoneer and the more upscale Grand Wagoneer as Jeeps, and beyond its faux grille I’m not sure where I see ‘Jeep’ in this Wagoneer S.

With that, the architecture is attractive in a benign sort of way. In what is most typical of today’s crossover architecture, its conventionally upright and doesn’t pretend to be a lifted wagon, as we’ve recently seen in Honda’s Prologue or Acura’s ZDX. And in our test vehicle’s Silver clearcoat it projects an upscale vibe fully appropriate to a $72K window sticker. But for Jeep enthusiasts paying attention to approach angles, the front overhang of the Wagoneer S is unnecessarily long; unlike Subaru’s Outback there’s not four turbocharged cylinders hanging in front of the SUV’s transaxle, handing the design team an excuse. And that faux Jeep-like grille is – in this view – the design equivalent of jumping the shark.

Inside, what Jeep describes as Neo Ultra seating is easy to access and supportive while seated. In black the interior has a decidedly Germanic vibe, and gives the impression of holding up to whatever you and the kids might throw at it. And with those kids, know you’ll find 31 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat and 61 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. It’ll swallow your road bike easily, and might even handle a twin mattress. If you and the spouse don’t want to go to bed angry…maybe one of you goes to bed in the Jeep! 

In front of the driver is some 45 inches of display, with 12 inches devoted to instrumentation, 10 inches given to the passenger screen, 10 inches of head-up display and (thankfully) 10 inches devoted to climate control. It’s a mouthful, but all of it is fairly intuitive – and the separate climate control panel is a complete win.

Both iterations of the Wagoneer S – our test Limited and more upscale Launch edition – harness a front and rear motor. In the Limited the total output is 500 horsepower, while the Launch delivers a combined 600 horsepower. You, of course, will buy what you want to buy, but I found the Limited’s 500 horses more than adequate. The EPA gives a range estimate of 294 miles, but on our Level 2 charger we were only able to see 250. That’s certainly won’t inhibit a daily commute, but might be worrisome if heading from Highland Park to the Hill Country. 

On the road we found the comfort level of the Wagoneer S quite high, and didn’t experience any of the choppy ride the staff at Car and Driver encountered. And like virtually all EVs I’ve tested, the platform’s serenity is almost profound. Electrified platforms essentially take the grind out of the daily grind, and regardless of price point they provide both a physical and mental level of luxury that is almost priceless. Obviously, as a consumer I’d prefer paying $50K for that serenity than $70K, but then, leasing a Wagoneer S – with its predictable incentives – might be a way to get your Jeep somewhat cheeper.

As owners of Jeeps since 1987, my wife and I have rarely ventured beyond a gravel driveway. But tied into each and every purchase, from that first ’87 Cherokee to our current ’23 Grand Cherokee plug-in, is the promise of venturing beyond the confines of the urban/suburban scrum. An all-electric platform doesn’t deliver on that promise, making me think this should have been a Chrysler or Durango EV.

But then, we now have Scarlett Johansson as a Marvel action hero…and that seems to be working.