Top new features in Jeep’s biggest, most expensive SUV, the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L

BOZEMAN, Montana — The biggest and most expensive vehicles in Jeep’s history, the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L and Wagoneer L SUVs, are quiet and powerful while retaining the brand’s signature ultra-capable four-wheel drive systems.

A foot longer than the Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer pair that debuted last year, the L’s also introduce a smooth and quiet twin-turbo inline-six engine that produces more power than Stellantis’ legendary — not to mention bigger and thirstier — Hemi V8s.

Built in Warren, Michigan, the 2023 Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L should go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The SUVs are new from the B-pillar back and under the hood. Like the regular-wheelbase models, they seat seven or eight passengers.

The new SUVs’ outstanding characteristics include:

• Cargo room
• Quiet interiors
• “Hurricane” 3.0L straight-six engines
• 10,000-pound towing capacity

Cargo space

The Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L’s wheelbase — the distance between the hubs of the front and rear wheels — grew seven inches to 130. Overall length increases 12 inches to 226.7 — 0.2 inch shorter than a Cadillac Escalade ESV, 4.8 longer than a Lincoln Navigator L.

Jeep says about a third of owners of the biggest SUVs want XL cargo compartments behind three rows of adult-sized seats. The L’s are for them.

Cargo space behind the third row is 44.2 cubic feet in the Grand Wagoneer L, 42.1 in the Wagoneer L, more than the long-wheelbase Lincoln or Caddy offer. Passenger space for the two L’s also tops the competing three-row luxe SUVs.

The longer wheelbase also allows the rear doors to grow slightly larger, creating a wider opening for passengers stepping into the third row. Moving the rear wheels back 7 inches also creates space for drink and map pockets in the rear seat walls.

Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L models and prices:

Wagoneer L: $65,495

Wagoneer L Series II: $71,080

Wagoneer L Carbide: $74,775

Wagoneer L Series III: $77,200

Grand Wagoneer L: $91,495

Grand Wagoneer L Series II: $98,090

Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian: $103,585

Grand Wagoneer L Series III: $110,995

Grand Wagoneer L Series III Obsidian: $111,990

Rear-drive models of Wagoneer $3,000 less.

Prices exclude $2,000 destination charge

Source: Jeep

More powerful and efficient engines, ready for hybridization

The Hurricane 3.0L straight-six engine was developed to eventually replace Chrysler Group’s, or more properly Stellantis’ — the company formed when Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen merged in 2021 — legendary V8.

Engineered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the birthplace of the Hemi and Stellantis’ turbocharged global 2.0L four-cylinder engine, the Hurricane takes its name from a family of rugged engines Willys developed in the 1950s to power the Jeep CJ-3, 5 and 6 — ancestors of today’s Wrangler.

Also called a straight-six, the engine design has all six cylinders in a line, unlike the V6’s two banks of three cylinders at an angle to each other. Straight-sixes predated the V6. They were largely replaced because the more V-shaped engines could share parts with hot-selling V8s and fit better in small engine compartments than the longer I-engines.

However, inline engines remained popular with luxury brands including BMW and Mercedes because their design eliminates vibrations drivers may notice and find unpleasant.

Stellantis predicts the twin-turbo Hurricane engines will use 15% less fuel than a comparably powerful Hemi V8, a big deal as emissions and fuel economy standards become more demanding.

The engines were designed to accommodate hybridization. Expect to see them in much more efficient Jeeps, possibly including the upcoming Grand Wagoneer plug-in hybrid. Ram pickups are also likely to get Hurricane power, and possibly some future Dodge vehicles.

Behind the wheel

The Wagoneer’s Hurricane produces 420 hp and 468 pound-feet of torque. The Grand Wagoneer’s engine is the same size — 3.0L — but develops a whopping 510 hp and 500 pound-feet thanks to higher boost pressure.

Compare those figures to Hemi V8s: The 5.7L produces 392 hp and 404 pound-feet in a 2023 Grand Wagoneer; a 6.4L Hemi generates 471 hp and 455 pound-feet.

In addition, the Hurricane-powered Grand Wagoneer L’s EPA highway fuel economy rating is 1 mpg higher than a smaller, 6.4L Hemi-powered Grand Wagoneer.  

What’s that mean? Annual fuel savings of $300 driving the bigger, more powerful vehicle, according to EPA estimates.

The Hurricane engines delivered power quickly and smoothly as I drove from the neighborhoods of Bozeman over interstate highway, rolling countryside and winding ranch roads into the surrounding mountains. Quick maneuvers, highway passes and high-speed runs all inspired confidence.