The big Jeep we could possibly do with is not coming.

GIVEN it’s being engineered in left-hand drive and so excluded for our consideration, everything to do with the latest, just-revealed Jeep Wagoneer is something of a semantic.

Yet Jeep fans here irked that the giant one is not coming might find it interesting nonetheless that the one name that means everything to them isn’t attached to this gargantuan luxury V8 wilderness wagon. Yup, no Jeep badges.

So why is this Jeep not … well, a Jeep? Simple reason, says Christian Meunier, the brand’s chief executive officer. “The Grand Wagoneer name and design make it obviously Jeep.”

Well, yeah, that’s true in places where Wagoneers have history – so, basically, North America. (And even there some might not know it, since these models last came out in return of iconic nameplates not seen since 1993). Won’t it seem a touch pompous in spots where it doesn’t; in short, the rest of the world. 

Knowing the biggest Jeep around will only stay on its home turf is a shame. This model formats as a seven-seater, whereas Grand Cherokee that has also been revealed in new ‘L’ form, and is coming here, does not. It’s remaining a five-chair car.

Despite restricting the availability to home turf, Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, has grand plans, beyond making Wagoneer a sub-brand.

They’re also talking about it being a rival for Land Rover and Range Rover product, which obviously might be of interest since it’s stuff we are all well acquainted with, given that it primarily is built in ‘correct-hand’ (sorry, right-hand) drive.

In that respect, it seems the Americans are talking about their seven-seater model being more akin in terms of plushness and affluence than anything else. Meunier:  "We call it the premium extension of Jeep."

It’s a bit different in respect to core capability. As we all know, all large Land/Range Rovers are equipped to go almost everything - even if few really get asked to.

Jeep also has lots of off-road cred as well, of course, so would you put a Wagoneer on the same trails? Er, maybe not. 

Yes, the models are four-wheel-drive – there are three systems depending on the grade being bought into.

Wagoneers and Grand Wagoneers have two off-road drive modes, can ford up to 70 centimetres of water, and offer approach, departure, and breakover angles of 25, 24, and 22 degrees, respectively.

As positive as that sounds, the full-size Jeep nonetheless has not earned the ‘Trail Rated’ stamp of Rubicon-clearing approval. To earn this citation, a Jeep is tested off-road to prove it meets five criteria: traction, water fording, manoeuvrability, articulation, and ground clearance. The word is that they fell down on the manoeuvrability.

Comments Jim Morrison, vice president Jeep Brand North America: "These have off-road packages for 10.0 inches (25cm) of ground clearance, skid plates, tow hooks, off-road all-terrain tires and are very capable but they are not a trail-size vehicle, so we haven't Trail Rated these vehicles.”

Dimensionally, the Wagoneers measure 5453mm long, 2388mm wide and 1920mm high, and sit on a 3124mm wheelbase (borrowed from the RAM 1500).  That makes them half a metre longer than our home market biggy, the LandCruiser 200 Series.

The expansive dimensions allow heaps of interior room, obviously. The third row of seats are large enough to house big adults, with 990mm of potential headroom and 930mm of legroom. Boot space sits at 773 litres in both models with all three rows in place. 

Powering the Wagoneer is a 5.7-litre naturally-aspirated, mild-hybridised Hemi petrol V8 shared with the Ram 1500 in the US, sending 292kW and 548Nm to the road through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Air suspension is standard, which can raise or lower the ride height to improve ingress and egress, streamline aerodynamics at high speed, or optimise its off-roading capabilities. There's also autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic parking, traffic-sign recognition and driver fatigue monitoring.

A 10.1-inch infotainment screen and a 10.3-inch instrument cluster is standard on the Wagoneer, with another, lower 10.3-inch screen available on higher grades to control air conditioning and other features.

 The Grand Wagoneer scores 12.0-inch infotainment and 12.3-inch instrument displays as standard, with a 10.3-inch 'co-pilot' screen in front of the passenger available on higher grades, which allows them to control music and navigation settings, and smartphone-like functions including answering emails, playing videos and accessing social media.

A pair of 10.1-inch screens available for outboard second-row passengers – with movie and TV streaming, thanks to Amazon Fire TV integration – with vehicles with second-row 'captain's chairs' (standard in the Grand Wagoneer) offering another 10.3-inch screen in the back of the centre console.

Nappa leather is standard on all Wagoneer models and the entry-level Grand Wagoneer (badged Series I), with 'Series II' and 'Series III' Grand Wagoneers upgrading to plusher Palermo leather.