The one ‘everyone knows’ is only for the US

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.

New Grand Cherokee purely petrol

Gone are the days of the diesel-powered big Jeep wagon.

 PURELY petrol power, ultimately with hybrid assistance – but no diesel. 

That’s the drivetrain story for the next generation of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee.

 The brand’s global boss has related this to media in Australia during a briefing in which Christian Meunier also said the new model will be in this neighbourhood around August.

 It’s initially in the seven-seat Grand Cherokee L format that the brand unveiled on January 7 but followed in time by a smaller version replicating the current five-chair formula.

The only engine that will avail for some time is the carryover 3.6-litre 'Pentastar' petrol V6, which in US-spec guise is good for 216kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

A plug-in hybrid Grand Cherokee '4xe' offering a boost of torque via electric assistance is due in 2022, although details of that driveline are yet to be confirmed by Jeep.

And rumours persist that Jeep will still format future product in V8 petrol SRT form. 

But the days of drawing from the dark side of the forecourt are over.

The current 3.0-litre diesel V6, sourced from VM Motori and making 184kW/ 570Nm, won’t continue on – a blow, undoubtedly, to NZ customers, who heavily favoured it unless they were buying into the SRT formula.

Meunier told Aussie media Jeep is hellbent on becoming a market leader in electrified SUVs – a comment that very much suggests that where Grand Cherokee is going, all other products that presently offer with diesel might also be expected to follow.

 He asserts customers will love having a Grand Cherokee without compression ignition, saying the incoming engines will continue the tradition of providing plenty of power and that the hybrid will be good at towing.

“Towing is core to Jeep, so we wouldn’t compromise on it; we’ve tested Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4XE. Towing is at least as good as with an ICE engine,” Australian website Practical Motoring reports him as saying. 

He enforces electrification is not just about lowering emissions.  

“With electrification on products like Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, we’re able to deliver more capability off-road, more fun to drive, strong towing capacity, strong torque, and eco-friendly technology. So we believe that’s the perfect world for Jeep. 

“To also be able to drive on electric-only for commuting is hell of an experience and we strongly believe in it. So we’re very, very committed to electrification.” 

Jeep is not alone in placing hybrid, and specifically plug-in hybrid tech, to the large SUV and off-road segments. Range Rover has had a PHEV model in the market for more than a year. Also, the replacement for Toyota’s venerable Land Cruiser 200 Series is dropping V8 turbodiesel oomph for petrol V6 and petrol V6 hybrid drivetrains.  

The Jeep announcement ends a week that began with the official completion of the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA, into a 14-brand Stellantis supergroup.

The repercussion, if any, on distributor agreements in New Zealand for the Stellantis brands that come here has not been explained.

Ateco Group - which represents Jeep, Chrysler, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and RAM – and Autodistributors NZ (which has Peugeot, DS and Citroen) – have been silent on the matter.

Gen five Jeep Grand Cherokee revealed

New ‘L’ model is the first to offer third row seating.

SEATING for six or seven passengers across three rows, at least two powertrain options, three different drive systems, air suspension and loads of new technology.

Those are among highlights of a Jeep that has been the longest-time coming, a new Grand Cherokee. 

The fifth generation car, called the Grand Cherokee L, has been revealed today in the United States, with comment about New Zealand market provision and launch timing yet to come from distributor Ateco, though on that front talk is that Australia will see it around August-September. By that time, Fiat Chrysler will have been subsumed into a new marriage, with Peugeot parent PSA, under the Stellantis brand name. 

Codenamed 'WL75', the Grand Cherokee L is expected to be sold alongside the current five-seater WK2 Grand Cherokee that has been on sale here since 2011.

Remarkably, the WK2 is expected to slog on for another two years, according to overseas’ reports, before it also switches to the L’s all-new unibody platform.

However, in the interim, it’s likely Jeep will also produce the properly new model in a five-seat format. That edition is expected to go into production before the end of 2021, offering first in North America, which will also be the first candidate for a plug-in hybrid variant.

Jeep and parent Fiat Chrysler are emphasising that the information availed internationally today is specific to North America; more information about international plans will be delivered in due course.

Americans see the Grand Cherokee L in Laredo, Limited, Overland and Summit trims, the latter also reaching to a extra-spiffy Summit Reserve package that puts it on super-sized 21 inch rims (Overland and Summit are on 20s, the others on 18s) and adds glam trimmings Jeep admits are as unsited to off-roading as those big hoops.

The general shape has been inspired by the Grand Wagoneer luxury SUV, revealed late last year in concept form.

Powertrain options for the American market initially restrict to the 216kW/350Nm 3.6-litre 'Pentastar' V6 and 266kW/530Nm 5.7-litre Hemi V8 petrol engines.

The new platform is said to be stronger and lighter than the fourth-generation WK2 Grand Cherokee, with more than 60 percent of the body comprising high-strength steel.

Off-road hardware comes in three varieties, ranging from a single-speed transfer case up to a 2.72:1 low-range reduction and rear electronic limited-slip differential.

There is more off-road ground clearance and water fording capability compared with previous generations, and Jeep’s own ‘Quadra-lift' air suspension is touted to return, joined by adaptive dampers to improve on-road and off-road dynamics.

The Quadra-lift system will also improve off-road ground clearance through an adjustable ride height, with up to 277mm in its highest mode.

A 36mm wider wheel track will improve the stance of the Grand Cherokee L, as well as benefitting off-road stability.

Grand Cherokee L safety technologies include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera and a 360-degree camera.

The model has a digital rear view mirror, 10.25-inch digital instrument display, 10-inch infotainment display, heads-up display and up to twelve USB-A and USB-C power outlets.

 The 10-inch screen runs FCA's Android Automotive-based Uconnect 5 infotainment system, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 19-speaker sound system.