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2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian Review: Presence in Spades

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian | Photo: D.Heyman
  • EPA Category: Full-size SUV
  • Price: 116720 $ - 134220 $
  • Consumption: 17,4 - 17,4 L/100km
  • Warranty: 3 years / 60000 km

strong / weak points

  • Tons of space
  • Well-equipped interior with exquisite detailing
  • Imposing looks

  • Pricey and thirsty and thirsty at the pump
  • No more V8 is a shame
  • Some styling issues
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Dan Heyman
This version of this Jeep SUV is a statement maker, no question.

•    Auto123 reviews the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian.

The more we see old nameplates being resurrected in the automotive world – Bronco, Hummer, Eclipse (sort of) – the more it seems that there are two distinct ways of going about it.

If you’re going to bring a name back – as Chevrolet did with the Camaro in 2010, for example – the car to which it’s mounted has to bear some resemblance to its forebears.

Or, you can do as Mitsubishi did with the Eclipse Cross (and to a lesser degree, as GMC is doing with the Hummer EV) and deliver an entirely new product with nothing at all in common with the old one other than the logo on the grille.

But actually, there’s a third way you can do this. For instance, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer L you see here.

On the surface, it’s very much like the original 60s-80s Wagoneer. There’s the name, there’s the fact that it remains a luxury vehicle, and there’s the abundance of tech.

On the surface, that is. Below all that is a level of automobile that takes anything even remotely related to “Jeep” and blows it completely off the map in many ways – just not the important ways.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, front
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, front | Photo: D.Heyman

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L - What’s new?

For 2024, the Series II trim can only be had with the Obsidian package, which adds a number of stylistic touches to differentiate it from other models in the lineup. It also gets the Hurricane twin-turbo engine as its only choice; the Hemi V8 has been dropped for 2024.

Design of the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L – 7.0/10

While the standard Grand Wagoneer gets finished in more chrome than the Google store, the Obsidian is the opposite. Pretty much everything that’s chrome in the standard car - the cubic grille, individual window surrounds, lower splitter, roof rails and taillight surround - gets blacked out, adding a massively imposing aura. My tester was finished in black, but you can get it in the same array of reds, whites, silvers and blues that the standard model gets.

Things start to head south a little when you consider the proportions. There’s far too much rear overhang (this is the longer “L” model, which adds an additional 305 mm in length that isn’t all that well hidden). And while the vehicle looks a little long, its wheels seem too small. They measure 22 inches and look really good in the dark gunmetal finish on my tester, but when you have smaller SUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse running 23-inch wheels, you can understand how these - that come only in one size -- get a little lost among all that bodywork. The taillight lenses also look a little too skinny.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, interior
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, interior | Photo: D.Heyman
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, second-row seats
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, second-row seats | Photo: D.Heyman

The interior
Inside, you see the reason for the price tag. There’s gorgeous diamond-print leather seating with contrast-colour piping, but the real star here is the black surfacing. They’ve really taken that Obsidian label to the nth degree as the whole top half of the cabin is draped in superb mix of leather and carbon. There’s also a healthy dose of piano black and while I don’t love that on areas frequented by greasy fingers, I don’t mind it in less trafficky areas.

Want to check on the kids, but don’t want to crane your neck? Never fear, because the FamCam rear seat display (borrowed from the Chrysler Pacifica) lets you do that by tapping the central display. You can set the FamCam and a number of other features and apps to sit right there on your favourites screen, which comes on as soon as you start the engine.

All the passengers who rode in the third row said it was way roomier than they would have imagined, so all the extras back there, including a separate sunroof, aren’t just window dressing. The third row’s meant to be used because remember, the Grand Wagoneer is Chevrolet Suburban-sized.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, third-row seats
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, third-row seats | Photo: D.Heyman

Even though you can’t pass through the two second row seats to get to the third row due to the massive console, you can access it even with child’s seats installed because the second row both tilts and slides with the press of a button.

There is a storage bin there, as well as under the transmission tunnel, in the front seat armrest (where it’s cooled) and in between the rear seats.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, multimedia screen
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, multimedia screen | Photo: D.Heyman
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, climate control screen
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, climate control screen | Photo: D.Heyman

Technology in the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian – 9.0/10

With our tester’s rear seat entertainment package, there’s a total of almost 45 inches of displays – and that’s not including the secondary display below the main unit for your climate controls or the digital rear-view mirror. It does include a 10.25-inch screen in front of the passenger that can be set to display the navigation menu so the passenger can set the destination even while the vehicle is moving.

The aforementioned digital climate display folds elegantly away to reveal a wireless charger, three USB-A ports, three USB-C ports and an HDMI port. There’s also a USB port in the centre armrest, two each of the A and C variety in the second row (where captain’s chairs are standard, and a bench is optional) and two more of each in the third row.

Oh, and the sound system. The McIntosh unit has a total of 23 speakers sprinkled throughout the cabin, plus a 12-inch subwoofer. This baby sounds the business, and it looks good too, thanks to some nifty tweeters at the base of the windscreen.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, three-quarters rear
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, three-quarters rear | Photo: D.Heyman

Powertrain of the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L – 8.0/10

As when the Grand Wagoneer first arrived, there is one choice across all four trims of the model. Although now there isn’t a Hemi V8, but a 3.0L inline-6 dubbed “Hurricane”. It’s good for 510 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, unleashed to the wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. That’s actually more power and torque than the old V8.

All that power and all those features can be had for less than what it would cost to get in a BMW X7 or Mercedes GLS.

Of course, with a vehicle weighing about 2,800 kg, the engine has a lot of work to do, but it does it with panache and more than a hint of a growl. You won’t get AMG GLS 63 levels of acceleration but you will get almost 4,500 kg of tow capacity and that will likely be what most Grand Wagoneer buyers are after.

Plus, it’s more than enough acceleration for highway passing, confident freeway entries and comfortable cruising.

You will pay for it at the pump, however; Wagoneer claims 14.3L/100 km in the combined cycle and 16.3 in the city, but our time spent both in town and on the highway had the computers pinging over 17.0L per. Yes. She is a thirsty gal.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, three-quarters front
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, three-quarters front | Photo: D.Heyman

Driving the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian – 7.5/10

The powertrain is a strong one but the ride is the real highlight.

The Wagoneer L comes standard with adaptive air-ride suspension, which reads the road and adjusts accordingly. The effects are best illustrated when travelling over speed bumps; in all honesty, you can barely tell you’re doing so.

There are a few shortfalls. The windows are cut nice and low so shorter passengers can easily see out of them, but the wing mirrors and A and B pillars are quite large, leaving blind spots that definitely took some getting used to. But since the Grand’s corners are so nice and squared off, and since the wheels are pushed nicely to all four corners, it actually drives much smaller than it is and looks.

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, wheel
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, wheel | Photo: D.Heyman

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer pricing in Canada

  • - 2024 Grand Wagoneer Series II Obsidian: $116,720
  • - 2024 Grand Wagoneer Series III: $130,720
  • - 2024 Grand Wagoneer Series III Obsidian: $130,720
  • - 2024 Grand Wagoneer L Series II Obsidian: $120,220
  • - 2024 Grand Wagoneer L Series III Obsidian: $134,220

Some of your questions about the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian

Is there still a “non Grand” Wagoneer?
There is. The Wagoneer models get the same engine as the Grand models, but make less power and torque. They also get slightly less sophisticated suspension and interior features such as the passenger display.

What if I want to move more people in my Grand Wagoneer L?
No problem – the Grand Wagoneer L can also be hand with a second-row bench seat and the ability to accommodate eight occupants.

Are there any other engine choices on the horizon?
Right now, there have been no announced plans as to another engine choice for the Grand Wagoneer L. As Jeep and parent company Stellantis move towards more electrification, however, that might change. And let’s not forget the full-electric - but smaller - Wagoneer S is also on the way. Could there perhaps be some tech shared there?

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, in profile
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, in profile | Photo: D.Heyman

The final word
There’s a heck of a lot of elements of the Wagoneer Grand Wagoneer that can be considered top-drawer features for the segment. Judging by our drive and also by the response from those around us, it would behoove buyers in the segment to give it a chance.  

Competitors of the 2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian

– Audi Q7
– BMW X7
– Cadillac Escalade ESV
– Infiniti QX80
- Lincoln Navigator Reserve L
– Mercedes-Benz GLS 580

2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, rear
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian, rear | Photo: D.Heyman
Dan Heyman
Dan Heyman
Automotive expert
  • Over 12 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 70 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 150 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists