- Jeep’s first U.S.-market battery-electric automobile carries a 303-mile vary ranking and a $71,995 sticker value
- It is the quickest Jeep in historical past—higher than a Hemi Hellcat
- It is a Mannequin Y and Lyriq rival for certain—however is it a Jeep?
The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S is now arriving at dealerships—and it’s about time, if not overdue. The big five-seat electrical crossover SUV sits squarely within the premium finish of the EV market, and the Launch Version we examined stickers at $72,000 together with the necessary vacation spot payment. Considered one of two variations is EPA-rated at a mixed 303 miles of vary; that was the one we drove.
Solely about 4,000 model-year 2024 variations had been constructed, all with the high-spec Launch Version trim. Particulars on the 2025 Wagoneer S lineup will come “very quickly,” execs stated, possible at February’s Chicago auto present. They could embrace each an offroad-focused Trailhawk mannequin and cheaper variations,
Total, we discovered the electrical Wagoneer to be a reliable, nice, comparatively fast SUV. If we got here away with a query, it was over the automobile’s basic identification: What precisely makes this a Jeep?
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
About time, if not overdue
Stellantis, the smallest of Detroit’s resident automakers, has by no means had a quantity electrical automobile to promote. (Two generations of the undeniably “cute” however low-range, subcompact Fiat 500e simply don’t reduce it.) Now it does.
The electrical Wagoneer S is one in every of two EVs from the previous Chrysler that launch inside weeks of one another. The second is the polarizing Dodge Charger Daytona, the electrical efficiency automobile with the audio-enhanced vroom-vroom noises. It’s meant to introduce EV efficiency to the Hemi crowd—which can effectively show to be a tall order.
As a premium electrical five-seat SUV, the Wagoneer S must be a neater promote. It sits in a phase that already consists of the home Cadillac Lyriq and Tesla Mannequin Y, plus imports together with the Audi Q6 e-tron, BMW iX, and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, with extra on the way in which.
In late January, we drove a Wagoneer S roughly 100 miles in and across the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad, California—with temperate climate and the state’s sturdy adoption of EVs making it the perfect setting by which to check a brand new electrical automobile.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
2024 Wagoneer S: An anodyne EV SUV form
From the entrance, the standard Jeep seven-slot grille has morphed into seven fins on a blanking plate with LED accent lights that illuminate the design. It’s, designers stated, a “assured face” regardless of the numerous bevel from the hood floor right down to these fins. The aspect profile is satisfactorily Jeepish, and it has the attribute steel lettering spelling out the mannequin title standing proud on the decrease entrance doorways.
It’s on the rear the place the Jeep identification will get misplaced. There’s a “4xe” badge, identical to all these plug-in hybrids Jeep has bought, and slim, full-width LED taillights. The very steeply raked rear window is cleverly disguised by a big basket-handle roof spoiler whose vertical aspect helps give the Wagoneer S a sq., SUV aspect profile. You solely see the large hole between that raked rear glass and the spoiler from sure angles. It’s all about aerodynamics: the quoted drag coefficient of 0.29 makes the Wagoneer S the slipperiest Jeep ever bought.
However we noticed nothing on the rear that positively stated Jeep. In reality, coming as much as a black SUV forward at a stoplight, we pegged it as both a Kia or the brand new Honda Prologue—till we realized it was one other Wagoneer S. That’s not nice model ID. The Launch Editions characteristic a regular glass roof, all-black paint and trim above the beltline, and black alloy 20-inch wheels.
Inside, it’s the identical story. The supplies, distinction stitching, and a number of shows say “premium SUV,” nevertheless it’s not clear to us they actually say “Jeep.” Consumers would be the choose of that. One small contact of butch was a starburst sample on the matte black plastic that now appears to be supplanting the hackneyed shiny piano-black trim in automobile interiors.
These shows embrace a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch heart touchscreen show, a 10-inch head-up show for the motive force, a ten.3-inch touchscreen on the proper of the sprint for the entrance passenger, and a closing 10.3-inch show for the HVAC controls. The management and infotainment software program labored high quality, although it appeared sluggish to load occasionally.
En route, it was good to have the ability to re-aim the vents (we’re lookin’ at you, Rivian), although a number of the controls (e.g. window switches, lock buttons) appeared oddly small for a Jeep. Components bin, maybe? We favored the elective purple upholstery, which together with the glass roof brightened the inside significantly.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Quickest, most wind-cheating Jeep ever
Superlatives all the time excite automobile entrepreneurs, so proper up entrance we discovered the Wagoneer S is not only essentially the most aerodynamic but in addition the quickest Jeep ever, with its pair of 250-kw (335-hp) motors delivering a 0-to-60-mph acceleration time of three.4 seconds. That’s one-tenth of a second sooner than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, with its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine producing 707 horsepower.
The 100.5-kwh (gross capability) battery makes use of nickel-manganese-cobalt cells imported by Samsung SDI till a brand new Stellantis-Samsung joint-venture cell plant in Kokomo, Indiana, comes on-line early in 2027. The Wagoneer S pack makes use of 400-volt structure and doesn’t have the flexibility to cost at 800 volts as do most Hyundai and Kia EVs. Degree 2 charging time from 5-80% is quoted at virtually seven hours, and Jeep says the Wagoneer S can fast-charge from 20-80% in 23 minutes (beneath preferrred circumstances, after all).
The headline vary ranking for the Wagoneer S is 303 miles, and our take a look at automobile rode on the Falken tires that gave that larger 303-mile ranking. We didn’t drive a Wagoneer S on the Pirellis that, because the EPA website exhibits, busts the ranking down greater than 10 p.c—to 270 miles. The take a look at automobile, nevertheless, began off displaying simply 258 miles at 95% battery capability. It possible mirrored aggressive driving by Jeep earlier than we acquired it, because the vary algorithm calculates on the final 50 miles of driving. Our drive wasn’t lengthy sufficient to conclude a lot on effectivity; we’d guess 2.5 mi/kwh.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Predictably heavy, suitably fast
Behind the wheel and on the street, a curb weight approaching 3 tons (5,667 kilos) was evident, however we discovered the ability beneficiant and totally appropriate for brief bursts of quick acceleration on, say, uphill on-ramps. The Wagoneer S is predominantly rear-wheel drive, with the “Automated” driving mode biased 40:60 entrance to rear. The “Sport” mode ups that to twenty:80 to the rear.
We began our drive in “Eco” mode, which is 100% rear-wheel drive until the entrance motor is required to keep up traction. Eco required extra pedal effort to maintain up with visitors, however possible could be appropriate for a lot of drivers. The low-speed pedestrian alert noise, by the way in which, is a pleasantly meditative hum.
Jeep’s regenerative braking wasn’t totally to our liking: it was virtually unnoticeable within the decrease setting, however too abrupt within the excessive setting. For the report, most regen produces 0.2 to 0.3g, whereas the minimal is barely 0.04 to 0.08g—a reasonably wide selection. Maybe Jeep’s drivetrain-software engineers can drive a number of EVs from extra skilled makers to really feel how they spherical the sides of their algorithms.
Whereas not essentially the most capacious five-seat utility automobile in the marketplace, the electrical Wagoneer S had appropriate house for 4 adults to journey in consolation and 5 if required. Even the entrance seats had a barely knees-up place at its lowest setting, reflecting the thick battery beneath the ground and a roofline lowered to scale back drag.
It’s price noting that each our take a look at vehicles had slight judders throughout particular low-speed maneuvers. The primary one was recognized as a malfunctioning front-axle disconnect, and we swapped right into a second automobile midway by means of. That one behaved flawlessly till the very finish, when reversing produced a minor judder. We didn’t hear the decision on that one.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Focusing on whom, precisely?
Jeep’s new chief, senior vice chairman Bob Broderdorf, stated the model will goal three teams of potential patrons for the Wagoneer S. First are homeowners of 4xe plug-in hybrid variations of the Wrangler (since 2021) and the Grand Cherokee (since 2022). That’s believable, besides (a) plug-in hybrids are onerous to clarify to customers; and (b) it’s totally unclear whether or not many, some, and even any of these homeowners ever plug of their PHEVs—as a result of Jeep refuses to launch knowledge on their plugging-in habits. Depend that group a “possibly.”
The second group is diehards in “the Jeep house,” the true 4×4 crowd who prize Jeeps for his or her go-anywhere, climb-anything qualities. Assume “Path Rated,” breakover angles, Rubicon Path, and many others. Will the Wagoneer S do off-roading? It didn’t come up within the media briefing—and its 6.4 inches of floor clearance will maintain it away from the sorts of rock-climbing the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe (at 10.9 inches) can do. Certain, Jeep aired a Wagoneer S advert with the road, “Lovely issues can nonetheless get soiled”—however there, “soiled” appears to imply damp and a bit muddy.
To win over Jeep-space patrons, execs strongly hinted they are going to add a manufacturing model of the Wagoneer S Trailhawk Idea it unveiled the identical day because the manufacturing automobile. The Trailhawk rides on rugged 31.5-inch all-terrain tires, incorporates a larger floor clearance, and provides a driver-selectable digital rear-axle locker and a brand new Rock driving mode.
Lastly, Jeep intends to focus on patrons of home EVs in the identical phase. Its Wagoneer full-size SUV (the gasoline one) has drawn patrons from Ford and GM rivals, so Jeep feels it may well poach some Chevrolet Blazer EV or Cadillac Lyriq or maybe Tesla Mannequin Y or Rivian R1S homeowners. These now driving Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz rivals? We’re not so certain.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Luxurious + Jeep … all-electric, or ‘multi-energy’?
Jeep execs hinted the Trailhawk would present up as a part of the Wagoneer S vary in the end, together with much less dear variations (very possible a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model with a better vary ranking). Presuming a Trailhawk seems, we’ll wait to see what its off-road capabilities are and the way the additional gear and journey top have an effect on rated vary.
The electrical Wagoneer S is constructed on the STLA Giant unibody “multi-energy” platform that additionally underpins the electrical Charger Daytona. We already know the Charger will likely be supplied with a gasoline inline-6 powertrain together with its battery-electric Daytona model.
Jeep execs declined to discuss any future variations of the Wagoneer S—however whether or not or not the corporate sells appropriate numbers of the electrical Wagoneer S, a plug-in hybrid gasoline model seems possible within the lineup inside a couple of years.
In the meantime, Jeep lastly has a good, 303-mile battery-electric SUV entry. Now all it has to do is promote it.
Stellantis supplied airfare, lodging, and meals to allow Inexperienced Automobile Stories to deliver you this first-person drive report.
