When you think Jeep, you probably think of a boxy, military-looking thing that can cross almost any terrain and win a war against the Germans. But the company has also made things like the Grand Wagoneer since the 1980s, and that is very much a practical, premium, full sized SUV rather than something you’ll be keen to take the doors off.
The 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer has undergone a significant mid-cycle refresh, which includes a streamlining of the vehicle’s trim titles. Now instead of numbers like I, II, and III you have trim names like the Grand Wagoneer (base model), Upland (the off-roading one), Limited Altitude (mid-tier), and Summit Reserve (the fancy one).
As for what’s changed on the vehicle itself, the exterior has received an aesthetic tweak bringing it closer to the Wagoneer S in some ways and dumping the chrome for more sustainable materials. The infotainment system has also received an overhaul, with passengers getting their own screen to play with.
I recently got to spend some time in the 2026 Grand Wagoneer (specifically the Summit Reserve trim) on a trip to Texas. If you’re considering buying one, here’s what you may need to know.
The Hurricane V6 has all the power you need
Okay, let’s start with the fun part. Jeep claims the Grand Wagoneer will go from 0-60 in under 5.5 seconds thanks to the 420 horsepower and 620 lb-ft of torque provided by the twin-turbo Hurricane V6 under the hood.
In my experience, it was a little more sluggish than that. Admittedly 0-60 times do vary with things like location, elevation, and weight playing a part. The vehicle in question had a co-driver in it, which ups the weight by a significant 200 lbs or so. I wasn’t sitting there with a stopwatch either, it just didn’t feel like a sub 8-second vehicle.
But that didn’t really matter. Acceleration felt smooth and I didn’t feel that V6 struggling to provide power at any point. More importantly, that 40-60 mph band you tend to hit when merging onto a highway was where the Grand Wagoneer seemed to excel.
The transmission was also pretty smooth, which was somewhat a relief. I’ve often been handed a sheet with some very impressive engine specs on it, only to have the experience ruined by a gearbox that had no idea what it was supposed to be doing. The Grand Wagoneer’s transmission was responsive, whether I was driving aggressively or just coasting along at varying speeds. This is even more important, as the vehicle lacks a “manual” option. So you’re basically stuck with whatever the transmission chooses to do.
Things did get a little punchier in “Sport” mode, as you may expect. But again, don’t expect a track day car here. Jeep has kept it all pretty sensible from the feel of things.
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer offers best-in-class cargo space
While time is always somewhat limited on a first-drive event, it is good to get behind the front row and experience things from a passenger’s perspective. Oddly enough, the further back you go the more impressive the Grand Wagoneer gets.
Though you can opt for a second-row center console, if you leave that out then Jeep provides what might be the biggest gap between a set of captain’s chairs I’ve ever seen. While none of the vehicles on the first drive had this option, apparently you can get a second-row bench seat instead of the captain’s chairs, which ups the vehicle’s capacity from seven to eight. If you do go for a bench seat, you’ll be pleased to know a full-sized human will comfortably fit in that gap.
Then we have the third row, a space full-sized humans (at least ones with legs) tend to have a bad time. Again, this wasn’t an issue on the Grand Wagoneer. My trousers have a 32-inch inside leg, and I was quite comfortable when I took a short trip in the back row of the vehicle.
That last part in particular left me feeling like I was going to pop the split gate and be greeted by about a foot and a half of storage space. Usually, even on “extended” SUVs, there’s a trade off to be made. You get a hefty amount of cargo space, or a third-row fit for human habitation. You can’t have both.
Except on the Jeep. Stellantis’ engineers seem to have weaved some Dr Who level magic and added a ton of space where there really shouldn’t be any. I’d go as far as to say that you could nudge the third row forward a few inches (admittedly ruining it in the process) and cram a fourth row in there if you really wanted to turn this SUV into a stubby little bus of some kind.
What’s more unbelievable is, it doesn’t feel that large or wide when you’re driving it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big vehicle, but it doesn’t have that driving a school bus feel you get from a QX80, or Ford Expedition.
If you’re interested in raw numbers, the standard and extended (LT) versions of the Grand Wagoneer offer 27.4 and 27.9 cubic feet behind the third row respectively. Pop that third row down and the difference between the two starts to emerge with the standard packing 70.8 cubic feet and the LT offering 85.0 cubic feet. That difference is maintained when the second row drops with the vehicle offering 94.2 to 116.7 cubic feet of maximum cargo space.
GALLERY
· 8 photos
View all
+3
+1
Towing seems pretty effortless
One of the big boasts around the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is its towing capacity. At 10,000 lbs it sits in that weird spot between what you tend to get from a full-sized SUV (about 6,000 lbs) and pushing into commercial truck territory (15,000 lbs). I would argue that 6,000 lbs is about what most people need in terms of raw capacity. But the fact remains that more tends to be better when you’re pulling anything.
Okay, so you will be able to pull a larger or heftier trailer or boat. But even if you’re still yanking something sub-5000 lbs around then your engine isn’t working as hard. Which is better for it in the long run. It seems to help you out in terms of fuel economy too. Admittedly the towing loop this was tested on was only around 20 minutes long, but the trip computer seemed to suggest that we’d only lose around 70 to 100 miles on a full tank of gas. Which isn’t awful when you consider the (admittedly 27-gallon) tank gets around 570 unloaded.
The 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer has some mild off-roading chops
I’m going to start by saying this is absolutely not a Gladiator or Wrangler. It lacks the sort of ground clearance, wheel travel, and tools you need for extreme off-roading. And adding them wouldn’t make a ton of sense given that it’s a premium-to-luxury SUV and not the kind of thing people buy to go crawling around in Moab. Technical challenges aside, making an extreme off-roader out of this would add a ton of expense to provide features 99.9% of owners will never use.
So what can it do? Well, I took it down some dirt and gravel trails, through a few fields, and the ground clearance coupled with the drive modes (Off-Road 2 + Mud and Snow to be specific) were enough to get me through. Even when I accidentally ran it through a very deep and muddy rut.
The surround cameras are handy in theory, though mine seemed to turn themselves off a lot and only pop back on when I was half way through an obstacle. Overall, this will do the job if you live rurally or in an area with adverse weather conditions.
Jeep has maintained a premium focus, though interiors do vary
The following is a bit of an unforgivable sentence for a professional writer, but it’s the best way to describe this. I initially felt a bit “meh” about the Grand Wagoneer’s interior. The wood didn’t really stand out, and the dash was just a bunch of hard, piano-black plastic blending in with the rest of the dash. The leather felt like it was high quality, but overall I wouldn’t be ecstatic about spending the next five years commuting in the particular SUV I was testing.
Then I sat down for the slide show. First drive events are a bit like time share meetings, you’re expected to nibble at some food while you sit through a presentation on the vehicle and other things. Though unlike timeshare meetings, the vehicle-based presentations aren’t a scam nor a total waste of time.
This one was particularly handy as it included photos of other interiors including one with some rather spiffy looking wood panels. Unfortunately, said panels weren’t present on anything in this particular test fleet, though I did get to see another interior option up close.
The Grand Wagoneer EREV I took a closer look at included a frankly beautiful red leather interior. It wasn’t the sort of thing you’d expect from a Jeep, but it is the sort of space I would be happy to inhabit for a few hours a day.
It’s the same case for any vehicle really, the interior options will be a little hit or miss. But you should know that the Grand Wagoneer can be absolutely exceptional on the inside.
As for the close up details, the gear selector dial is a solid piece of metal and very pleasant to interact with. The HVAC system along with key vehicle controls like ESC/ESP and parking sensors also have physical buttons, which again is a big plus. These buttons are made from that smudge prone and somewhat unpleasant to touch piano black plastic, but it’s still better than a touchscreen.
The infotainment system is “functional”
Many OEMs are going all out on infotainment these days. This can involve big screens, dash-length displays, and various other twists meant to bring your daily driver closer to a living room type space than a functional vehicle.
Jeep isn’t doing this. Instead, it has a pretty straightforward driver’s display, a 12-inch central touchscreen and an additional 10.25-inch passenger display. Said passenger display is more of a co-pilot feature than anything else. It allows whoever is sitting beside the driver to select songs, adjust the navigation, or see what’s going on with the vehicle cameras without reaching across to the central display. Oddly enough, it’s a feature that the Jeep shares with a couple of Ferraris.
There is an argument that dash-length displays are the future, but I’ve talked to plenty of people that absolutely hate them. And it must be said that Jeep has at least put some effort into integrating the touchscreen, rather than just opting for the standard “iPad pinned to the dash” approach.
Android Auto and Apple Car Play both work well and wirelessly. The real standout feature of the infotainment system is the exceptional McIntosh speakers dotted throughout the cab. Now you can give yourself hearing damage while enjoying perfectly clear audio. There are even a couple of speakers in the liftgate, which should serve you well if you intend to take your Jeep tailgating. Though it must be said that the OEM hasn’t gone full Toyota Party Mode here.
The Grand Wagoneer is a solid choice in both the premium and luxury SUV spaces
With a starting MSRP just north of $63,000 and top end options that push into six figures, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is really trying to take on both the premium and luxury full-sized SUV markets. There are ways you could compare it to the likes of the Ford Expedition, while also arguing it’s as good as a Chevy Suburban or even comparable to the (still much more expensive) Cadillac Escalade.
Between the luxury touches (provided you pick the right interior options) and its outstanding practicality, it’s definitely worth your consideration. Honestly, this is something you could manage a ranch with, tow a large boat or trailer around in, and then impress some folks by chauffeuring them around in the second row. Especially if you pick the option that includes those little second-row entertainment screens.
Things are pretty tight at the top though, so your final choice may well come down to personal preference. Just don’t rule the 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer out until you’ve experienced one.
