Jeep is kicking the doors of the EV party down by finally fully detailing its first all-electric offering, the extremely quick and confusingly named 2024 Wagoneer S. Jeep’s first EV to reach dealers comes packed with a whole lot of impressive numbers: 600 horsepower, 617 pound-feet of torque, 300 miles of range, 6,700 pound of girth, a 3.4-second 0-to-60 time and a starting price tag of nearly $72,000.
Even though it’s an EV, Jeep still wants the Wagoneer S to behave like a Jeep off-road. That’s why it’ll come with standard all-wheel drive and Jeep’s Selec-Terrain transaction management system with five drive modes, including Snow and Sand, so you can get your Wagoneer S dirty. It’s also got enough juice to tow a 3,400-pound trailer if you’re into that sort of thing.
The Wagoneer S rides on Stellantis’ STLA Large platform, so it also has all of the regular EV stuff you’d expect from a modern luxury electric crossover. Jeep says its 400-volt, 100-kWh battery pack can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in just 23 minutes if you’re using DC fast charging, and every Launch Edition truck will get a free 48-amp Level 2 home charger or public charging credit. Not too shabby.
On the outside the Wagoneer S certainly looks like a Jeep, just sleeker. It’s still got the classic seven-slot grille that’s been synonymous with Jeeps for decades, but it doesn’t serve the same function anymore. Since there’s no need for a grille on an electric car, Jeep decided to use it for accent lighting. It’s the trendy thing to do after all, and I think it looks quite nice — better than glowing emblems do, anyway. There are satin black and aluminum accents, and the wheels are a mere 20 inches.
The Wagoneer S makes use of flush-mounted door handles and a more aerodynamic shape to improve efficiency, including a sloping roofline with a behemoth cantilever rear spoiler positioned above the sloped rear glass. Jeep says the Wagoneer S has a fairly good 0.29 coefficient of drag. All in all, it’s a really nice piece of design that, while not revolutionary, does bring the Jeep brand rather seamlessly into the electric age. That is to say, it looks exactly like what you’d think an electric Jeep crossover would look like.
The interior is much of the same story. It looks like every other modern Jeep interior, with a lot of screens — four, to be specific. There’s one for the gauge cluster, two stacked in the center console, and one in front of the passenger. In total, Jeep says there are more than 45 inches of screens, and that doesn’t include the heads-up display or rearview mirror camera. The two-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel is weirder than what other Jeeps have, too.
Other than a whole lot of piano black plastic, there looks to be a fairly good mixture of materials and surfaces that makes the interior of the Wagoneer S feel like something that should cost over $70,000. Jeep says that recycled materials are “consciously integrated” into the crossover’s interior, and the seats, console, doors and instrument panel surfaces are all covered in a non-leather synthetic material.
Jeep is also foregoing regular door poppers on the interior — like so many other EVs, the Wagoneer S will make do with thumb buttons to open the doors. Additionally, like most expensive luxury SUVs, it’ll come with a smattering of ambient lighting with 64 colors to choose from, bathing the five-passenger Wagoneer S in whatever color you can come up with.
Similar to other high-end Jeeps, the Wagoneer S comes with a McIntosh stereo system, and this application has 1,200 watts, 19 speakers and a 12-inch subwoofer behind it. That’s a powerful lil’ guy. It’ll come as standard with everything you’d expect from a luxury vehicle like a surround-view camera, a suite of driver-assistance systems, blind-spot monitoring, a panoramic sunroof, 12-way power seats, heated and ventilated seats at all four corners, and Jeep’s Uconnect infotainment system.
So, the 2024 Wagoneer S sounds like a fairly compelling package on paper. Folks love a Jeep, so this seems like the natural next step for the brand. I’ve just got one problem with it, though: the name. I don’t understand why it’s called the Wagoneer S, and that’s mostly down to the size. The truck is 192.4 inches long, which is actually 1.1 inches shorter than the two-row Grand Cherokee. It’s a monstrous 22.3 inches shorter than the shortest Wagoneer. I don’t get it. The only thing I can think of is Jeep feels the “Wagoneer” name carries more sauce than “Grand Cherokee.” Apparently, the public chose the name, but I don’t believe it.
Regardless, the name notwithstanding, the Wagoneer S looks to be a really solid entrant into the midsize electric crossover world. We’ve just got to hit the trails to see if this Jeep can actually live up to its name. Jeep says the 2024 Wagoneer S Launch Edition should be hitting dealer lots in the U.S. and Canada this year, and it’s going to start at $71,995 including destination.
