That the iconic Jeep Grand Wagoneer is making a return is no longer any kind of secret; its relaunch is now scheduled for 2020. But we learned this week that a luxury edition will be produced as well. Speaking with Top Gear at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, Jeep boss Mike Manley announced that the company intends to develop a “Super Premium” version, another sign that things are hopping over at FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) HQ.
The new premium model will evidently be designed to go head-to-head with the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, GMC Yukon Denali, not to mention German heavyweights like Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and the Q7 from Audi.
Explained Manley in a conversation with Top Gear on the floor of the Geneva show, the "Grand Wagoneer will be super premium. We've been working on it for several years. It has a long gestation period, and will be clearly positioned significantly above Grand Cherokee.”
It’s of course far too early to know many details of the model that will be produced and the price tag that will come with it, but we expect that it will be priced somewhere between $75,000 and $100,000 CDN. The Grand Cherokee, in comparison, carries a base price of $44,895, while its costliest variant, the SRT, sells for $75,845. It’s true that that model’s Trackhawk edition checks in at over $110,000, but that model is a category all of its own.
The Grand Wagoneer will rest on the same platform as the just-launched 2019 RAM 1500 pickup. The original plan was for the reborn Jeep to borrow the one-piece structure of the Grand Cherokee, but a decision was made halfway through the development process to switch to the RAM’s ladder frame – which explains the new, later 2020 launch date.
Mike Manley added in his talk with Top Gear that Jeep was looking at ways to facilitate the electrification of its fleet. On that front, however, no mention of the Grand Wagoneer was made.
We won’t have to wait much longer to get more detailed info regarding Jeep’s electrification strategy: the FCA division is scheduled to produce a five-year plan this coming June 1st.
