2023 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L Go Even Bigger and Harder in NY

Over the last couple of years, Jeep’s lineup has gotten a lot bigger — literally. With the return of the Wagoneer nameplate and the advent of the excellent Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Stellantis’ off-road brand has larger offerings than ever before for bringing along the brood. And on Wednesday at the New York Auto Show, the automaker is growing its lineup even further with these new 2023 Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L models.

Not to belabor the point, but these three-row SUVs are absolutely massive, adding a full 12 inches of overall length to what was already a seriously large vehicle. The new models stretch 226.7 inches, just 0.3-inch shorter than a Cadillac Escalade ESV. The wheelbase is up a full 7 inches to 130 inches long overall, helping to maximize interior space — Jeep says its cabins offer class-leading volume, cargo space and second-row legroom. 

Indeed, these huge vehicles weigh a minimum of 6,069 pounds (Wagoneer L Series I), up to 6,704 pounds (Grand Wagoneer L Series III) before options, so there aren’t too many heavier SUVs out there, either — at least ones that don’t involve a lot of batteries. Good thing that these Warren, Michigan-built bruisers pack Stellantis’ powerful new Hurricane twin-turbo I6, delivering up to 510 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque while lowering emissions and improving fuel economy versus the automaker’s existing V8 engines. Even the base Wagoneer L’s new I6 delivers a healthy-sounding 420 hp and 468 lb.-ft. An eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic is standard across the board.

The Big Stretch wasn’t a simple matter of sending the existing Wagoneer range off to a limousine livery company. Jeep’s design team had to substantially re-engineer the Wagoneer’s body-on-frame construction to enable the size increase, adding everything from a new frame center rail and rear rail extensions to a bespoke rear tub, load floors and changes to the body-in-white, including new rear flooring and a unique rear ladder structure. Naturally, the third-row seat brackets had to be redesigned, too.

Jeep says the new family boasts up to 44.2 cubic feet of space behind the third row — 15.8 cubes more than non-L models. The problem with most three-row family-minded SUVs has always been that when you load up all of the seats, as you might on a family vacation, you don’t actually have any room for everyone’s stuff without a roof box. These new 7- and 8-seat Jeeps appear to be one’s best shot at cramming everything inside, besting the 41.5 cubic feet of the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL and the aforementioned Escalade ESV. Fold down the third row and you get up to 88.8 cubic feet, and if you stow both the second and third rows, you get a whopping 130.9 cubes of space — including plenty of elbow room for 4-by-8 sheets of plywood.

Adding wheelbase and rear wheelbase to a vehicle doesn’t often do any visual favors to their designs, and indeed, Jeep’s standard-length Wagoneer models were already somewhat controversial looking, particularly their squared-off rear ends that have drawn unflattering comparisons to minivans. These even-longer models likely won’t help ward off any such comparisons, but there’s no doubt that these models still have a commanding presence about them, if only as a function of their scale.

Despite these models’ interior-space-first missions, off-road capability remains a priority, and you can still get three different 4×4 systems, and an available Quadra-Lift height-adjustable air suspension system adds even more capability, offering up 10 inches of ground clearance. At full height, Quadra-Lift equipped models can ford up to two feet of water. Even with the standard coil-spring suspension, ground clearance is a solid 8.3 inches.

That said, the combination of a longer wheelbase and rear overhang doesn’t do the models’ off-road geometry any favors. Best-case-scenario numbers call for an arrival angle of 25 degrees, a breakover angle of 21.3 degrees and a departure angle of 21.3 — all numbers with 20-inch wheels and the Quadra-Lift suspension in its no. 2 (highest) position.

Max towing capacity remains a class-topping 10,000 pounds when properly equipped.

Extra space aside, these L models’ interiors figure to be just as luxurious and stylish as other Grand Wagoneers, which is to say that they ought to be some of the finest cabins in all of SUV-dom. Packing copious amounts of finely crafted real wood trim, huge screens (including an optional front-passenger media touchscreen for a total of 75 inches of display space) and a glorious 23-speaker McIntosh audio system, there won’t be many more posh ways to travel than inside the considerable chambers of one of these big Wagoneers.

Being a family-minded proposition, there’s the expected full complement of standard advanced driver-assist systems, including automatic emergency braking (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, parking sensors and rear cross-path monitor. Additional available features include a 360-degree camera suite, driver monitor, self-parking, night vision and Jeep’s Active Driving Assistant, a Level 2 hands-free, eyes-on commute easer.

Due in the second half of 2022, pricing has yet to be released for the 2023 Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L model ranges, but each figures to start at least a few thousand dollars more than their non-L counterparts, which range from $60,995 (including $2,000 destination fee) to $90,640 for the 2022 model year.