The verdict: Smooth, quiet and deceptively quick, the smaller-than-expected Jeep Wagoneer S electric SUV is an excellent creation for a strategy that now seems outdated.
Versus the competition: The Wagoneer S is quicker and more comfortable than just about anything it competes with, and it comes chock-full of thoughtfully laid-out, useful technology, but its price and mission might create an uphill battle for buyers.
Over the last few years, with the Jeep brand firmly under the guidance and control of European parent company Stellantis, the brand … well, there’s no other way to say this: It’s lost its way — and its customers. Management decreed that Jeep should go upscale, with ever more expensive prices and bigger, more luxurious offerings, much of it epitomized by the resurrection of the Wagoneer nameplate. But Wagoneer was to be more than just a model; it was going to be a sub-brand, less Jeepy and more fancy. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are built off full-size pickup truck frames and compete with models like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator in size and price. More Wagoneer models were expected going forward, and it’s with that directive that the all-electric, high-performance 2024 Wagoneer S was readied.
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But now that the Wagoneer S is here, it feels a little out of place. There’s a new direction for Jeep now that one of Stellantis’ major cash cows has started to wither in the field and management has been replaced. Prices have been slashed to more reasonable levels. Product direction is being rethought, as is the effort to recapture the brand’s all-American image. Wagoneer as a sub-brand is dead, said Bob Broderdorf, the new head of Jeep Brand North America, just 100 days into his latest assignment after more than two decades at Stellantis and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles before it. All Jeeps are going to be Jeeps.
What, then, are we to make of the new Wagoneer S, a $72,000, 600-horsepower, mid-size electric SUV meant more for on-road performance and luxury than off-road trail humping? Jeep officials are quick to point out that this Launch Edition is just the first version of many Wagoneer S models that will be coming in 2025, with this one being the “premium” version while “mainstream” and “off-road” versions are in the works. The Launch Edition will just be one of many, with this trim meant to go up against other premium mid-size all-electric SUVs like the Genesis Electrified G70 and Tesla Model Y in terms of vehicle class and the Rivian R1S in terms of performance.
At Jeep’s invitation, we got to drive two examples of the new Wagoneer S in and around the dry, dusty hills of San Diego to see if it can hold its own against well-established competitors. (Per our ethics policy, Cars.com pays for its own travel and lodging when attending such manufacturer-sponsored events.)
Jeepish Appearance
The Wagoneer S uses what’s called the STLA Large platform, a versatile unibody structure that will underpin a number of other Stellantis products — notably, the recently introduced Dodge Charger Daytona EV. Like the Charger, Jeep says the flexibility of the platform means it can accommodate a variety of powertrains, so we should probably expect to see a gas-powered version of the Wagoneer S at some point, possibly a plug-in hybrid and a more off-road-capable version, too (like the Wagoneer S Trailhawk Concept the brand showed in 2024).
But the first thing that strikes you about the Wagoneer S is its size — it looks big in pictures and online, but it’s really not. It’s actually smaller than a Jeep Grand Cherokee by several inches in several dimensions, putting it on the small side of the mid-size SUV class. It’s styled in several sneaky ways to make it appear bigger than it is, such as the squared-off roofline in the rear that incorporates a rear wing and hides a very dramatically sloped rear window that has a sedan-type rake to it. The Wagoneer S is more of a crossover coupe, similar dimensionally to the new 2025 Nissan Murano. The front end has the latest interpretation of the iconic Jeep seven-slot grille, but given the electric Wagoneer S needs no actual grille, it’s instead a creative lighting element. The trapezoidal wheel arches are another key Jeep trait, and the overall look of the Wagoneer S could easily be mistaken for the next-generation Grand Cherokee (which does make us wonder what the actual next-gen Grand Cherokee is going to look like).
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The Launch Edition gets things like 20-inch wheels shod in Falken all-season low-rolling-resistance rubber, two-tone paint with black upper and lower trim, and a complete lack of chrome on the body, which was done for eco-conscious reasons, according to Jeep designers. The overall look is distinctly Jeep-themed and successfully modern, but it will be interesting to see what lesser trims look like with smaller wheels and how the front-end look will be affected in a possible gas-engine version.
Silent Screamer
Out on the street, the single most overwhelming characteristic the Wagoneer S shows off is its ability to work in absolute silence. The optimized aerodynamic shape has a drag coefficient of 0.29, and there’s zero wind noise in the SUV, none, zilch. There’s no rushing whoosh past the tops of the doors, nothing from the mirrors. Combine that with the silent operation of the twin electric motors and utter lack of road noise from the Falken tires, and you have the ability to converse with your passengers at nothing more than a loud whisper even at full-on highway speeds. Electric vehicles truly do make the best luxury cars, and the Wagoneer S delivers the luxury of silence in spades.
It’s a bit unnerving, then, that the SUV is as quick as it is. Delivering 600 hp and 617 pounds-feet of torque from its standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup, acceleration in the Launch Edition is brutally quick, with Jeep claiming that the Wagoneer S can run from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Mashing the accelerator pedal from a stop will break the front tires loose and paint astonishingly long rubber stripes on the pavement for several seconds, with the Wagoneer S apparently declaring, “Traction control be damned!” It has so much power flowing through those wheels that the thing actually exhibits torque steer.
If you pop it into Sport mode, things get even hairier. Accelerator response goes from already jumpy to nigh unusably sensitive, especially if you have the regenerative braking system set to its more aggressive stopping mode. Sport mode also deactivates traction control for some reason, making the driving experience even more squirrely. No, it’s better to just leave the Wagoneer S in Auto mode, where it’s already more than sufficiently quick to wake up everyone in the car.
But while the acceleration is fierce and sporty, the steering behavior is not. It’s video-game numb in all modes, even Sport, which does quicken the response but does nothing for feel and feedback. The Wagoneer S steering is precise and accurate, but for a vehicle purporting to be an athletic and capable canyon carver, the lack of steering feel and super-light effort lets it down. It can hustle, it’s just not a whole lot of fun to hustle it.
Nicest Cabin Around
So it doesn’t have athletic moves like a Rivian R1S, but it does offer something few of its competitors do: an absolutely gorgeous, sumptuously outfitted interior. While the Wagoneer S’ smaller size works against it in terms of backseat head- and legroom and overall cargo space, for buyers looking more for a crossover-coupe statement vehicle, the cabin is what’s going to seal the deal. The Launch Edition comes decked out with a wrapped-and-stitched dash, door panels, console and touch points — but none of it is leather. It’s all synthetic materials, right down to the new antimicrobial vinyl on the steering wheel. But you’d never know it, so good is the materials quality.
The trim inside is also quite novel: patterned ceramic-coated aluminum for the center console and chainmail-style coated aluminum for the dash and doors. Piping is everywhere, and you can get either a black interior or a racy red-upholstered interior that really pops. There are over 45 inches of screen real estate up front, according to Jeep designers. The reconfigurable digital gauge cluster is 12.3 inches, as is the center touchscreen for the Uconnect 5 infotainment system. There’s an auxiliary 10.25-inch touchscreen in the passenger-side dashboard, just like in several other Jeeps, but we’ve yet to really see the point in that thing. Below it all is another 10.25-inch screen that houses the climate controls, which are sadly touch-sensitive.
Despite the preponderance of screens, they don’t stick out unpleasantly as in so many other automakers’ interiors — they don’t look like iPads glued onto an existing dashboard like with BMWs and Hondas. Integration is key to making the Wagoneer S’ interior work, turning it from what could be just another generic EV interior to one that still employs a significant amount of artistry. Simply put, the interior looks and feels fantastic. And more than anything, it feels familiar, something the Wagoneer S chief engineer said was the goal. There’s nothing that’s been reinvented for no reason — the climate-control vents are manually operated, for example, and not through a touchscreen. There’s a power on-and-off switch (that the gauge cluster still curiously calls “ignition”), and the turn signals, headlights and windshield wipers work like any other gas-powered car. You’re able to get in and go without needing any time for familiarization. It’s a good way to bring new EV buyers into the fold by not requiring them to have the equivalent of astronaut training first in order to use the car.
The interior is not without issues, however. The head-up display is nearly useless for taller drivers — even in its most lowered position, it can’t be fully seen. I could only see the bottom of the speedometer, for instance, and it disappears entirely if you’re wearing polarized sunglasses. The front seats, despite having heating, ventilation and massage features, are also quite flat and bolsterless, which is an odd decision for a vehicle with such sporting intentions and undeniable ability to achieve significant speed. The backseat has comfortable cushioning, but headroom is compromised by both the standard dual-pane opening moonroof and the steeply sloping roofline. Legroom isn’t great, either, but it feels about par for the smaller mid-size SUV category.
And while the 19-speaker, 1,200-watt McIntosh premium audio system sounds utterly fantastic, the Uconnect 5 system required to use it still seems to be having some issues with speed and touch sensitivity. Neither one was great in our test vehicle, with the multimedia system needing several seconds in some instances to switch screens. Sadly, this wasn’t the only electrical gremlin our test vehicle exhibited … or should I say, our first test vehicle. That one developed some kind of electrical powertrain fault while parked for photos, stranding us in a beachfront parking lot for an hour until we could be delivered a replacement test vehicle. Here’s hoping this was just an early production software gremlin and not indicative of quality issues.
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Premium Product, Premium Price
The initial Launch Edition of the 2024 Wagoneer S rings in at $71,995 (including $1,795 destination fee), and as of publication, it’s eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. It only comes one way — loaded — leaving customers to pick extra-cost exterior and interior colors. Later in 2025, lesser versions of the Wagoneer S will arrive with lower prices to help attract more “mainstream” buyers. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Trailhawk Concept is announced for production, too, or if the new Hurricane twin-turbo straight-six gas engine becomes available.
The Wagoneer S will be a global Jeep, as well, sold all over the world, which makes its size more understandable. Full-size Wagoneer SUVs are much too large for most global markets, but this more Europe- and Asia-friendly Wagoneer S will fit in much better. With a truly luxurious interior, outstanding tech, solid EV performance and acceptable interior space, Jeep has done an excellent job in creating a new ground-up model for the old Jeep strategy. How well it will fit into the revised Jeep strategy in the U.S. remains to be seen, but if it doesn’t find success, it won’t be because the car isn’t any good.
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