Used 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

The Grand Wagoneer is a super-sized, uber-luxurious SUV that goes toe to toe with established premium 3-row SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Every Grand Wagoneer is equipped with air suspension, 4-wheel drive, and rich interiors boasting lots of Nappa leather. While the entry model is powered by an old-school 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 471 horsepower, the vast majority of 2023 Grand Wagoneers get an excellent new twin-turbo 6-cylinder engine that produces a stout 510 horsepower and gets better fuel economy than the V8.

The more affordable and less grand Wagoneer and extended-length Wagoneer L are reviewed separately.

KBB drove the new Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L in Montana. Both configurations featured the new high-output Hurricane 6-cylinder.

First impression: The high-output Hurricane 6-cylinder rocks. Although it has only 3.0 liters of displacement, this silky smooth 510-horsepower engine moves this new 6,600-pound SUV with relaxed confidence. Boost from the twin turbos arrives quickly, giving this aluminum-black engine the feel of a large V8. It makes passing on the highway easy, aided by an 8-speed automatic that downshifts quickly and decisively.

The standard air suspension also shines. It delivers a firm but family-pleasing ride on the highway while maintaining good chassis composure on twisty mountain roads. It can raise the Grand Wagoneer for an extra two inches of ground clearance, or it can lower it by 1.6 inches for easier ingress/egress when parked. The maximum water fording depth of the 2023 Grand Wagoneer, for the record, is 24 inches.

Besides its excellent power, impressive driving manners, and richly crafted interior with a 12-inch infotainment screen, what we find most impressive about the new Grand Wagoneer is just how quiet it is inside. This makes Grand Wagoneer a great place to enjoy the standard stereo: a 19-speaker McIntosh system complemented by wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, multiple USB ports, and Amazon Alexa.

Although there are several driving modes (Auto, Snow, Sand/Mud, Rock, Sport, and Eco), the Grand Wagoneer works just fine in Auto mode, the engine and transmission responding with well-tuned finesse that will help you, say, keep sleeping babies asleep.

On our home turf in California we look forward to sampling the Grand Wagoneer’s Active Driving Assist, a self-driving system that adds some steering correction to the adaptive cruise control.

There already was enough passenger space in the un-stretched Grand Wagoneer for 6-footers to sit happily in the third row, even with two more 6-footers in the first and second rows. This rearmost section of the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L also brings two 1.8-liter stowage spaces for things like phones and other paraphernalia.

In the Grand Wagoneer L, the second row has a pair of captain’s chairs as standard, putting the occupant count at seven. A 3-person center bench is optional. However, we like the captain’s chairs for their added comfort and easing access to the third-row seat.

Legroom in the first, second, and third rows is identical to that of the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L: a respective 40.9, 42.7, and 36.6 inches.

The Grand Wagoneer provides 27.4 cubic feet of cargo room behind its third-row seat, 70.9 cubic feet with that seat folded, and 116.7 cubic feet with both rows of rear seats lowered. For comparison, a GMC Yukon is similarly roomy, coming in at 25.5, 72.6, and 122.9 cubic feet respectively.

Cargo volume expands dramatically in the Grand Wagoneer L. There’s 44.2 cubic feet behind its third row, 88.8 cubic feet behind its second row, and 130.9 with both rows folded. For comparison, a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV is similar, offering 41.5, 94.1, and 142.8 cubic feet, respectively. In daily life, it’s the volume behind the third row that we consider most important.

While Nappa leather upholstery graces the entry-level Grand Wagoneers, an even higher-grade Palermo leather is used in the upper trims. It’s beautifully complemented by metal and wood trim.

The front seats of the Grand Wagoneer L are 24-way power-adjustable, with memory, massage, power lumbar support and four-way powered headrests. Passenger memory seats are also standard on Grand Wagoneer L.

Both Grand Wagoneer configurations have a 12.3-inch digital driver information display in their dash, plus a horizontal 12-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 10.25-inch lower screen for things like temperature settings.

Yet another screen is available for the front passenger. Because it’s not viewable by the driver, it can be used by the front passenger to watch movies or even help the driver with vehicle navigation. Also available: a 10.25-inch display screen between the second-row captain’s chairs.

The Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L are handsome if a bit understated. In fact, they look quite alike, the latter having noticeably longer back doors and much more rear overhang.

Further differentiating the Grand Wagoneer models from the standard Wagoneers are a standard 2-tone black roof, a distinctive hood, fender flares, and premium LED lighting, plus the 20- or 22-inch aluminum wheels (the standard Wagoneer wears 18-inch alloy wheels).

An Obsidian model, based on the Series II or III Grand Wagoneer models, is distinguished by two-tone exterior paint, a body-color roof, and polished 22-inch black wheels.

User profiles
The Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L allow up to five personalized user profiles. Preset preferences in seat position, cabin temperature, and audio choices are then presented automatically.

Amazon Alexa compatibility
As well as including wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, this infotainment system has Amazon Alexa compatibility with Amazon Fire TV, allowing occupants to enjoy hundreds of TV shows and movies. The 2023 Grand Wagoneer L also offers up to 11 USB ports.

Rear seat camera
The Grand Wagoneer front passenger can keep an eye on the rest of the cabin using a personal screen. But there’s also a zoom function for each specific seat, with memory settings for the most-watched positions. This is available in the upper trim levels.

McIntosh audio systems
Checking out the prices of highly desirable McIntosh home audio components usually results in deep gulps. But the new Grand Wagoneer has systems from this American company as standard. At the entry-level is a 19-speaker/950-watt setup. The higher trims have a 23-speaker/1,375-watt configuration.

ParkSense Active Park Assist
This is a self-parking system for parallel and perpendicular spaces. With a full complement of passengers and an extra-long body to deal with, this may well be the ideal optional feature.

Center-row captain’s chairs
A 60/40 center bench seat comes standard on the Grand Wagoneer. The Grand Wagoneer L gets center-row captain’s chairs, which drops the seating capacity to seven but ups the luxurious ambience while giving middle-row passengers some extra personal space.

The Series I Grand Wagoneer is powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 471 horsepower. It’s good for towing but not very fuel-efficient.

All other 2023 Grand Wagoneers and Grand Wagoneer Ls are powered by a high-output version of the new 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-6 used in the standard Wagoneer.

Inherently smooth, this Hurricane inline-6 produces 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, which gets routed to all four wheels via a 8-speed automatic transmission.

While the inline-6 has fuel-saving stop/start technology and gets better fuel economy than the 6.4-liter V8, it’s not as fuel-efficient as you might expect. Also, it requires premium gasoline.

Note: The Grand Wagoneer L tank holds four more gallons of fuel than the standard Grand Wagoneer’s. This 30.5-gallon fuel tank can mean about 80 extra miles of range.

Maximum towing ability with the 6.4-liter V8 is 9,850 pounds. With the high-output twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6, it’s 9,800 pounds.

The max towing capacity of the 2023 Chevy Suburban, for comparison, is 8,300 pounds.

6.4-liter V8
471 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
455 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/18 mpg

3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-6
510 horsepower @ 5,700 rpm
500 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/20 mpg (GW), 14/19 (GWL)

High-output Hurricane engine

The high-output 3.0-liter engine in the 2023 Grand Wagoneer has the same displacement as the standard Hurricane twin-turbo 3.0-liter in the standard Wagoneer, but it puts out 90 more horsepower. How’s that accomplished?

Quick answer: It has larger turbos and more peak boost. The standard-output Hurricane has 22 psi of boost, whereas the HO model has 26.

What’s more, the HO engine is built to handle the extra stress, thanks to larger intercoolers, a larger oil cooler and forged aluminum pistons.

Although it may seem strange for a company to be introducing a brand-new internal combustion engine in this era of coming electrification, we expect to see these new Hurricane engines in other applications soon, most likely in Ram pickups.