The first half of the 2020s haven’t been particularly kind to Jeep. Through the 2010s when Jeep was part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, it was on a steady growth curve for most of the decade. However, at the same time, FCA was repositioning the brand as more premium to compete with the likes of Land Rover. The culmination of this was the re-launch of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Unfortunately, this came in the midst of a pandemic, combined with high prices and very polarizing styling on the big SUVs. For 2026, Jeep has acknowledged what it did wrong and is rebooting the Grand Wagoneer with a simplified lineup, lower prices and the option of an extended range EV platform.
Strangely, when the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were first launched in 2021, the plan was for Wagoneer to become a sub-brand of Jeep. Thus, there were no prominent Jeep badges on the SUV, just some very subtle Jeep branding molded into the headlamp and taillamp clusters that was only visible if you looked closely. After Antonio Filosa who is now CEO of Stellantis was made CEO of the Jeep brand in early 2024, he quickly declared that should change and thus Jeep branding is now present in the usual places above the grille and on the tailgate.
As part of the rebranding to reduce confusion, the Wagoneer is also gone for 2026, leaving just the Grand Wagoneer with fewer trim levels that now correspond to those on other Jeep models. In addition to the base Grand Wagoneer, there is the Upland, Limited, Limited Reserve, Summit and Summit Reserve. The Upland is a more off-road oriented variant that includes recovery hooks, all-terrain tires, skid plates and more ground clearance.
All 2026 Grand Cherokees get a new front fascia that gives the SUV much more presence on the road and it draws on the design of the electric Wagoneer S. That means it uses a similar style of closed off seven slot grille that features lighting in each of the seven coves when the vehicle is on. This portion along with the LED headlamps has been brought forward to be more flush with the rest of the fascia giving it a flatter face. The actual grille for the radiator sits down below the bumper.
While the rest of the sheet metal is unchanged, one other visual change that Jeep is making across the lineup is eliminating chrome. Actual processing of chromium plating produces a lot of toxic byproducts. Instead, they are using either satin metallic or silver finishes both on the exterior and interior.
The other notable exterior change for 2026 is colors. Jeep heard from customers that the color palette was too dark and aside from white, it mostly consists of darker monochromatic colors and a dark red. There’s four new colors for 2026 including a steel blue and a lighter grey they are calling ghost.
Inside, the Grand Wagoneer retains the same design as before, but now has some new color and material offerings. Most prominent is a ruby red leather interior, but there is still lots of wood and other softer surfaces. The only other notable interior change is a larger head-up display that appears to sit further out past the end of the hood, making it easier to refocus while driving. Other features like the available 19 or 23 speaker McIntosh audio systems and passenger side touchscreen all carry over from 2025.
As part of its effort to improve quality, Jeep is simplifying everything including the aforementioned trim levels. That means production of the Grand Wagoneer will start later this fall with only one powertrain option, the existing standard output 420-hp Hurricane 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine. This is an excellent engine that provides smooth, quiet power that is well suited to this type of full-size SUV. The high-output Hurricane will be back later, probably for model year 2027.
Once production of the Hurricane powered Grand Wagoneer is ramped up and delivering consistent quality, Jeep will add a second propulsion option, the extended range electric (EREV or REEV for range extended electric vehicle as Stellantis refers to it) powertrain that was previously announced for the Ram 1500 REV (formerly badged as the Ramcharger). As things have turned out, the EREV Grand Wagoneer will actually be the first to launch with this powertrain with production expected to start early in the second quarter of 2026.
The EREV powertrain is essentially identical to what the pickup will get with the only change being a smaller 20-gallon gas tank (the Ram gets a 27-gallon tank). The 92-kWh lithium ion battery pack is identical to what is going into the truck as is the modified Atkinson cycle version of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. Since the V6 is only being used as a range extender and has no transmission or mechanical connection to the wheels, Stellantis has been able to simplify it somewhat so it no longer needs variable valve timing, and some of the other ancillary systems of the standard engine. The valve timing has also been modified to run as an Atkinson cycle with late intake valve closing that makes it considerably more efficient.
While final calibration isn’t done quite yet, Stellantis SVP of Global Propulsion Systems expects the EREV Grand Wagoneer to get about 150 miles on a charge when running in purely electric mode. That’s a bit less than the 169 miles that’s expected from the truck because the Jeep is heavier and a bit less aerodynamically efficient. The smaller gas tank also means that it will get about 500 miles of total range rather than 690 miles projected for the pickup but that’s still more than most people’s bladders can handle.
To actually move the Grand Wagoneer, there is a 250-kW electric drive unit at the front axle and a 238-kW drive unit at the rear. Together they provide 647-hp and 620 lb-ft of torque which should push the Jeep to 60 mph in about five seconds.
When charged, the Jeep will have far more range than almost everyone drives on a daily basis and most people can probably get by with only charging a couple of times a week while not using any gas. When longer trips are needed, the range extender can operate as a mild generator to keep the battery topped up or when pulling a trailer it can run harder to provide full performance even when towing uphill. With a maxed out trailer the Grand Wagoneer will probably be able to go about 200 miles and can then continue with just a regular fuel stop. If it’s time for a meal break, it can probably get a pretty significant charge at the same time.
Right now Jeep still hasn’t finalized branding for the EREV but it may be badged as a 4XE similar to the plug-in hybrid and battery electric models. Pricing for the EREV won’t be announced until closer to its launch next spring, but it won’t be inexpensive. However, the Hurricane powered 4WD Grand Wagoneer only gets 19 mpg combined on the EPA test cycles so owners will save a lot of money on fuel. The charge port will be on the left front fender, but Jeep hasn’t yet confirmed if the Grand Wagoneer will launch with a CCS or NACS port.
With the standard Wagoneer going away for 2026, the base 4x2 Grand Wagoneer will have some additional equipment and a base price of $64,740 including the delivery charge, which is $2,200 more than the 2025 Wagoneer. However, that’s more than $22,000 less than the base 2025 Grand Wagoneer and prices for the other trims are also being reduced significantly. The long wheelbase Summit Obsidian now goes for $98,985, almost $16,000 than the previous Series III Obsidian model and $8,000 less than a GMC Yukon XL Denali Ultimate. According to Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf, they are now trying to compete in the mainstream full-size SUV segment against the likes of the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe rather than the more premium Cadillac Escalade. At this new price point, it’s fully competitive in the full-size segment. Pricing for the other models should be announced by the time order books are opened in a few weeks.