Jeep Grand Wagoneer Series III is a Luxury Land Ship

Leather Appointed Land Ship

A full-size SUV can be a refreshing experience after testing a fleet of sub-compact, compact, mid-size and slightly larger than mid-size but not quite full-size crossovers. My sepia-filtered childhood memories consist of mammoth-sized, gas-guzzling SUVs taking up space in the carpool lanes of post-Y2K era America. Today’s full-size family trucksters are sleeker, quieter and quicker thanks to the magic of turbochargers and transmission providing more gears than a competition mountain bike. Among the elite selection of leather-appointed land ships is the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Series III.

More specifically, the crest-topping Grand Wagoneer Series III Obsidian. This ultra-lux 4WD comes with three rows, four-wheel-drive, a six-figure price tag and up to seven digital screens. Jeep pulled out all the stops and threw in the kitchen sink for this flagship SUV. So much so that you don’t see the word “Jeep.”

Unlike the Grand Cherokee, which comes loaded with Easter egg shrines to its Willys World War liberating heritage, the Wagoneer pays tribute to the original Grand Wagoneer from 1963. These Easter eggs include a retro-inspired two-spoke steering wheel and an “EST. 1963” inscription on the edge of the dashboard when you open the door.

Interior

I applaud Jeep for providing two color options for the Grand Wagoneer at no extra cost besides traditional ebony. The Tupelo (tan) upholstery emphasizes the grandness of the SUV’s name by saturating the spacious cabin in color. There’s also a Blue Agave interior color option. You’ll also notice the number of digital screens that break up the leather and genuine walnut or aluminum trim.

Jeep claims this SUV has 75 inches worth of digital screens if optioned with the second-row entertainment package ($2,595), which adds two 10-inch monitors for passengers to hook up gaming consoles or stream content. Other interior goodies include a ventilated center console cubby to keep juice pouches chilled on the road. You can even have a safe beneath the center console to store valuables.

The best way to test a vehicle like this is to fill it with people and hit the road. Thankfully, there was no shortage of friends and family members looking for a ride in the Grand Wagoneer. Two young adults in the third row, plugged in with USB ports, a young mom and her two-year-old daughter reclined just-so in the second-row captain’s chairs with the father riding shotgun and yours truly behind the wheel.

The interior’s first-class amenities and lavish seats cast a spell on my passengers. In the time it took to pass a handful of mile markers, the gentle sway of the SUV’s adjustable air spring suspension had rocked everyone to sleep, forcing me to turn up the volume on the 23-speaker McIntosh audio system to drown out their snoring.

Performance

For 2024, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer (and Wagoneer) drops the 6.4L Hemi V8 for a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six. Dubbed the Hurricane, this six-banger is the new standard engine for the luxury SUV. The Grand Wagoneer-spec 3.0L Hurricane produces an impressive 510 horsepower and 500 pounds of torque in its top-tier specs.

The standard Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system is managed through an 8-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, this premium-fuel-recommended six-cylinder engine has an appetite of eight with an average fuel economy rating of 17 mph, with 14 in the city and 20 highway. I averaged 16 mpg but managed to squeeze over 380 actual miles before refueling.

Off-road hardware includes a two-speed transfer case with selectable low-range, hill-descent control and an electronic rear locking differential. You can raise the SUV’s ride height by up to 3.6 inches (or lower it by half an inch) for a maximum ground clearance of 10 inches. Additionally, Jeep claims the Grand Wagoneer can wade through two feet of water. Furthermore, it boasts a max towing rating of 9,860 pounds.

The Grand Wagoneer shares chassis DNA with the Ram 1500 but doesn’t drive like a truck. On the road, it glides over the pavement like a sailboat catching a breeze in a calm sea. The fast-responding Hurricane engine puts over 500 ponies at the front of this stagecoach. Poke the throttle and the burly SUV moves like a grizzly bear. Off-road, I worried its long wheelbase would feel awkward and oversized when the road turned into terrain. However, it handles and tackles a trail like a Jeep should with vigor and ease.

The 2024 Grand Wagoneer starts at the $94,000 benchmark, so be prepared to see six-figure MSRPs. However, Jeep also offers the Wagoneer at a reasonable-by-comparison $63,000 price range. The main differences between the two variants are engine output and interior amenities. Regardless of trim level, this SUV provides a graceful ride with performance worthy of its iconic nameplate.

Engine: Twin-turbocharged 3.0L Inline Six

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

0 to 60: 4.7 seconds

Starting Price: $92,540 (Grand Wagoneer)

Price as Shown: $119,380 (Series III Obsidian)