2024 Jeep Wagoneer S EV compares to Grand Cherokee, tops 300 miles

May 31, 2024

28 4 minutes read

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Jeep’s first electric vehicle for North America may have been teased for several years, but now it’s been revealed in production form—and with a fall 2024 arrival date, it’s just around the corner.

The Wagoneer S is only offered as a battery electric model, with 600 hp and 617 lb-ft of torque, combined, and a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds. It provides a multi-mode traction management system, with Auto, Sport, Eco, Snow, and Sand modes. Jeep says that EPA range will top 300 miles but it’s not official yet.

Built on Stellantis’ STLA Large platform, the Wagoneer S uses new modular electric drive modules that combine the motor, gearset, and power electronics into a single compact unit. While the company hasn’t confirmed when, it hints that a range-extended version of the Wagoneer S is on the way, borrowing some of the know-how from the plug-in Ram 1500 Ramcharger.

Jeep Wagoneer S Trailhawk concept

As Jeep puts it, it’s transformed the role of the traditional seven-slot grille from breathing to seeing, with line-of-sight lighting and a hood contoured for aerodynamics. Likewise, pocket door handles, integrated fins, and underbody shielding all help smooth the flow of air, while a rear spoiler helps pull air underneath at the rear of the roofline, setting the coefficient of drag at an excellent 0.294—15% better than the average SUV—without the need for a teardrop shape.

Packaging inside the Wagoneer S looks like a mixed bag. The Wagoneer S is about the same size as the Grand Cherokee or Toyota Highlander on the outside, at around 192 inches long, and it rides on a 113.0-inch wheelbase. Jeep points to 99.5 cubic feet of interior volume as being about 15 cubic feet more than a Grand Cherokee—though no roomier than the VW ID.4 or Nissan Ariya by the numbers. Cargo space is 30.6 cubic feet behind the rear seats, or 61.0 cubic feet when they’re folded down to a flat space.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer S

Ground clearance is just 6.4 inches—a couple of inches less than most off-road-capable SUVs, but that means entry is easy, as is liftover height to the cargo floor. In the back seat, this 6-foot-6 correspondent had loads of legroom but headroom felt tight due to the dual-pane sunroof overhead,

Although other design themes are surely on the way, the Launch Edition goes with 20-inch gloss-black wheels and gloss-black and neutral gray exterior details. There’s no chrome outside, and Jeep has done away with piano-black trim inside, subbing in a new cross-patterned metallic finish and ceramic-coated aluminum trims that are, according to design boss Ralph Gilles, “maybe the opposite of wood.” You won’t find leather in the Wagoneer S either; Jeep is instead offering a so-called Cabo vinyl with anti-microbial coating, used for seas, steering wheel, and more, that’s made from recycled materials.

STLA Large platform

The Wagoneer S includes a 100-kwh battery pack set up at 400 volts. With a DC fast-charging peak in the vicinity of 200 kw, it can get from 20-80% in 23 minutes, Jeep says. All Wagoneer S Launch Editions include either a 48-amp (11.5-kw) home AC charger or Free2Move Charge public charging credits.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer S

The Wagoneer will get regular updates over the air, and Jeep says that future features for automated driving, performance, and more may be rolled out to vehicles.

That’s set to change, though. Up close and in person, one of the striking aspects of the Wagoneer S is that the hood hasn’t been shortened and the footwell space hasn’t been pushed out, as it has in some EVs. That’s because Jeep has plans to put an engine under the hood. As an official curtly put it, there’s no model with a range-extended powertrain. Yet.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer S

With its front passenger screen included, the Wagoneer S boasts a total of 45 inches of screen space. The gauge cluster itself, one of those screen spaces, has a layout that’s been revised and decluttered for simplicity—a “detox approach” according to Gilles.

The infotainment system itself is a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless device charging is included. The Launch Edition also includes 1,200-watt McIntosh audio with 19 speakers and a 12-inch subwoofer.

So far, Jeep has only detailed the Wagoneer S Launch Edition. That will make its debut in fall of 2024 at a price of $71,995 including destination. Other versions of the Wagoneer S will arrive for the 2025 model year and provide a lower-priced entry point for the lineup as well as, perhaps, some space to top the lineup with more luxury or off-road-focused features.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer S Concept

At the end of Jeep’s reveal of the Wagoneer S it included a preview of the form that will likely take. The Wagoneer S Trailhawk Concept, as Jeep puts it, “tells the tale of an SUV that is designed to drive and thrive on dusty trails and rocky terrain.” Versus the Wagoneer S, the Trailhawk concept rides higher and includes a Rock mode, and it includes heavy-duty tow hooks, 31.5-inch all-terrain tires, and an electronic rear locker.

Heated and ventilated seats are upholstered in Mantis Green perforated synthetic material, while the instrument panel gets “a unique meteorite-inspired genuine stone veneer.” Also of note is an octagonal steering wheel with a tactical-inspired grip at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions.

Jeep Wagoneer S Trailhawk concept

Jeep will also be taking its EVs into tougher off-road territory. The Wagoneer S will be joined by the Recon, a fully electric “brother” to the Wrangler, next year, and then in 2026 Jeep plans to introduce a new “electrified” midsize model that could replace the Cherokee. It says that by the end of 2025 it will offer “multi-energy options” across its whole lineup.

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May 31, 2024

28 4 minutes read