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Jeep wants the Grand Wagoneer to be America’s Range Rover

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Jeep Wagoneer
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Jeep is moving forward with the development of a luxurious, range-topping SUV aimed squarely at Land Rover’s Range Rover. Recently approved for production, the long-rumored model will revive the storied Grand Wagoneer nameplate that has laid dormant for a quarter of a century.

Some sources believe the Grand Wagoneer will share its basic platform and many mechanical components with the new Maserati Levante. The specifications sheet will include six and eight cylinder engines powered by either gasoline or diesel, and rear- or all-wheel drive. The Grand Wagoneer will be bigger than the Levante in all directions, and it will boast a rugged design that will borrow a handful of styling cues from the original model (pictured).

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Other sources claim the Grand Wagoneer — and the less-posh Wagoneer — will ride on the same platform as the next-generation Grand Cherokee. Of course, both sides could be correct, and the next-gen Grand Cherokee could get the Levante’s bones.

Regardless of what’s under the skin, Jeep executives openly admit they’re gunning for the Range Rover and the Porsche Cayenne, two of the most popular models in the booming super-SUV segment. The company has never ventured this far up on the market, but CEO Mike Manley is confident Jeep can pull it off with aplomb.

“I don’t think there’s a maximum price ceiling per se for Jeep. If you look at the upper end of the segment in the U.S., for me, the Grand Wagoneer done well can compete all the way through this segment,” he affirmed in an interview with British magazine Auto Express on the sidelines of last week’s Paris Auto Show.

Manley stopped short of revealing how much the Grand Wagoneer will cost, but he pointed out it could spawn more upscale variants priced between $130,000 and $140,000. That’s a big leap up for Jeep; currently, the most expensive member of its lineup is the tire-smoking Grand Cherokee SRT, which stickers for $65,695.

Built on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is expected to land in showrooms in 2019 at the very earliest.

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Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
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