2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Reviews, Pricing & Specs

There are two Wagoneer models on sale. The 2023 Wagoneer L targets the more expensive versions of the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition Max, and GMC Yukon XL, and we cover that vehicle in a separate review. Here, we’re focused on the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L, which has unique exterior and interior styling and equipment details, a more powerful engine, and other upgrades that vault it solidly into luxury territory. In this context, L stands for long-wheelbase.

Within the 2023 Grand Wagoneer L lineup, there is a base model, a Series II, and a Series III. Obsidian trim is available for the Series II and Series III, and it predictably adds a blacked-out appearance. Base prices range from $112,869 to $134,369, not including a destination charge that ranges from $2,095 to $2,795 depending on where you’re based in Canada. For this review, we tested a Series III around Bozeman, Montana. The only option on the test vehicle was the Rear-Seat Entertainment Group, and the Canadian Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) comes to $136,985, including the generalized destination charge quote on the Wagoneer Canada website.

Before you clutch your chest in disbelief, this price puts the Grand Wagoneer Series III into the same neighborhood occupied by the Escalade ESV with Platinum trim, and it isn’t significantly more expensive than a Navigator Reserve L.

With the economic shock and awe out of the way, we can report that the new Grand Wagoneer L gets a 17.8-centimetre wheelbase stretch, 30 added centimetres of length, and nearly 450 litres of extra cargo space behind the third-row seat, bringing the total to 1,251 litres. Unsurprisingly, the result is outstanding comfort for up to eight people and enough cargo room for everyone to bring luggage along for the trip.

The impact on the styling is negligible. The painted door pillars still look a little strange and the body sides remain as characterless as a Frigidaire. But the Grand Wagoneer L possesses good visual balance while shaving some rear departure angle due to its 12.7-cm longer rear overhang, and the Series III’s 22-inch wheels do a commendable job of filling out the classic trapezoidal wheel wells.

If you’re familiar with the standard Grand Wagoneer, the new 2023 Grand Wagoneer L’s cabin is more of the same. Our top-shelf test vehicle had soft and supple Palermo leather, genuine American walnut wood trim, and seeming acres of display screens surrounded by gloss black trim. Especially with the triple-panel panoramic glass sunroof shade open, glare and reflections are the rule (not to mention dust and fingerprints). Nevertheless, the Grand Wagoneer L Series III’s cabin is appropriately luxurious and competitive with its primary rivals.

The Grand Wagoneer L comes with a new high-output twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine that Jeep calls the Hurricane 510. The “Hurricane” part of the name refers to the new engine family, while the 510 references the horsepower rating (the Wagoneer L gets a Hurricane 420).

In addition to making 510 horsepower at 5,700 rpm, the Hurricane 510 generates 500 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. In this powertrain, the Hurricane twin-turbo inline six powers all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard Quadra-Drive four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case, and Jeep says the Grand Wagoneer L towing capacity is 4,286 kilograms (9,450 pounds).

Jeep says the new Hurricane engine is more efficient than the 6.4-litre “Hemi” V8 it replaces in all 2023 Grand Wagoneer models except for the base trim, thereby reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 15 percent. During our drive across plains and mountains surrounding Bozeman, the Grand Wagoneer L averaged 13.8 litres per 100 kilometres, slightly better than the official Natural Resources Canada fuel economy estimate of 15.0 L/100 km in combined driving. The Hemi V8 is rated to return 16.0 L/100 km, and has power specs of 471 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque.

Following a noticeable delay in off-the-line response, the huge Grand Wagoneer L surges forward with urgency, and the twin-turbo six is smooth, quiet, and refined. The Hurricane 510 is obviously more potent than the Hurricane 420 in the Wagoneer L, so if you’re trying to decide between the two, drive the Wagoneer L first before stepping up to the Grand Wagoneer L. Otherwise, the Hurricane 420 will feel comparatively anemic.

Furthermore, we thought the Wagoneer L Carbide we evaluated offered a better ride quality on its 20-inch wheels and 275/55 tires. Despite its Quadra-Lift adaptive air suspension, the Grand Wagoneer L Series III’s heavy 22-inch wheels and 285/45 tires communicated more shimmy and shake from the road surface. But this is a common problem when you upsize your wheels and shrink the tire sidewalls, and it afflicts the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator, too.

Otherwise, the Grand Wagoneer L effortlessly ate up klicks on a highway with a posted speed limit of 80 mph, or roughly 130 km/h. Later, it proved it can handle remarkably well for something of this size on Bridger Canyon Road leading northeast out of Bozeman. Parking at a shopping centre posed no challenges thanks to the Jeep’s squared-off shape and a plethora of sensors and cameras, but we’d bet the Grand Wagoneer L’s longer rear doors are a liability in smaller spaces packed tighter with other vehicles.

We did not get a chance to take the Grand Wagoneer L off-roading on this first drive, but did tackle a moderately difficult trail in the identically sized Wagoneer L, where the Jeep performed as expected. However, the breakover angle and departure angle of L models are shallower than with a standard Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, so if you’re planning to head far from civilization, consider sticking with the standard wheelbase version.

If money isn’t much of an object, it’s a challenge to find another vehicle that provides the comfort and utility of a 2023 Grand Wagoneer L.

Standard equipment includes four-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, premium leather upholstery, genuine wood trim, and a triple-pane panoramic glass sunroof. The front seats include 24-way power-adjustment, heating, ventilation, and optional massage, and the second-row captain’s chairs are heated. A second-row bench seat is available as an option.

With Series III trim, our test vehicle was as opulently outfitted as this model gets, featuring quilted high-grade leather, a simulated suede headliner, ventilated second-row captain’s chairs, and nearly every upgrade Jeep offers on a Grand Wagoneer L.

Power running boards deploy to make it simple to get into and out of the Grand Wagoneer L, and the Quadra-Lift suspension’s Park mode can drop the SUV 4 centimetres to make entry and exit even easier. Once you climb aboard a Grand Wagoneer L Series III, you will find yourself coddled in comfort and surrounded by high-end materials.

The Grand Wagoneer L gets longer rear doors and, combined with power-release second-row seats, it is easy for adults to step into the third-row seat. Even bigger people will easily pass through and into the rearmost seating area. And, once they’re settled in, they’ll appreciate the supportive bench seat, the generous legroom and headroom, the separate sunroof panel over their heads, and the huge side windows offering a clear view out. When these seats are not in use, the power-folding headrests are easily moved out of the way.

As comfortable as the third-row seat is, the second-row captain’s chairs remain the superior seating assignment. A large centre console divides them, providing each occupant with a touchscreen to control their individual temperature zones, and in the test vehicle they were heated and ventilated. Plus, our Series III had the optional rear-seat entertainment system with dual touchscreen displays and Amazon Fire TV streaming capability.

Though the Grand Wagoneer L’s standard touchscreen climate system in the front seating area replaces what is a handy storage nook in a standard Wagoneer L’s cabin, there isn’t a shortage of places for stashing your stuff. Also, the test vehicle’s centre console storage bin doubled as a cooler. However, Cadillac and Lincoln offer more thoughtful storage solutions than does Jeep.

Open the Grand Wagoneer L’s liftgate and you’ll find a roomy, box-shaped, 1,251-litre cargo area. Power-fold the third-row seats and the space expands to 2,514 litres, which is more than a Jeep Grand Cherokee L can hold with both rear rows of seats folded flat. When it comes to maximum cargo capacity, the Grand Wagoneer L offers 3,197 litres of volume, falling short of the Navigator L and well behind the Cadillac ESV.

In the Grand Wagoneer L, Jeep marries a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel with a Uconnect 5 infotainment system featuring a 12-inch touchscreen. Both displays are larger and more complex than what you’ll find in the Wagoneer L.

Between the interior reflections, the four different displays (including the climate-control screen and head-up display), and the sheer magnitude of data, settings, and information that is available to a driver, the Grand Wagoneer L Series III is overwhelming even for people who are used to in-vehicle tech. It took no fewer than three people to help us figure out why the instrumentation panel’s main menu tiles disappeared while we searched for a way to reset the trip computer.

However, as is typically true of new technologies, the more time you spend navigating the Grand Wagoneer’s user interface, the easier and more natural it becomes. Still, we think it will take more than a day behind the wheel to feel totally in command of the Grand Wagoneer’s tech.

The Uconnect 5 infotainment system is the latest and greatest from Jeep’s parent company, Stellantis, the same company that owns the Ram, Chrysler, and Dodge brands. You can customize the screen to personal preferences, pair two devices to the Bluetooth simultaneously, wirelessly run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and use the connected services plan to access a Wi-Fi hotspot. Programmable user profiles, wireless smartphone charging, navigation, Amazon Alexa integration, and SiriusXM satellite radio are standard, too.

Add the available 10.25-inch touchscreen display for the front passenger, and the optional dual rear-seat touchscreens with Amazon Fire TV, and everyone aboard should have no problem finding a way to entertain themselves. Plus, the Grand Wagoneer L Series III comes with an outstanding 23-speaker McIntosh high-end audio system.

We quickly and easily paired an iPhone 13 to Uconnect 5 and ran Apple CarPlay without any issues. However, using the native navigation and voice recognition systems presented challenges. Using our standard list of testing prompts and commands, the Grand Wagoneer L missed several naturally spoken requests for action, such as providing directions to the nearest hospital. (The result wasn’t filtered to remove unrelated medical offices.) Uconnect 5 also could not find the hotel in Bozeman where Jeep was hosting the event, which Siri and Apple Maps had no trouble locating, setting as a destination, and providing accurate directions. In this regard, the technology lags behind Cadillac’s Google-based system and, to a lesser extent, Lincoln’s Sync 4 technology.

Another source of irritation is the Uconnect 5 system’s stereo tuning knob. It’s a thoughtful inclusion, but there is a lag between input and response, and it’s dramatic enough to make the knob useless. We would advise you to program your favourite radio stations as pre-sets, even when they’re immediately adjacent to one another on the radio band, and forget using the tuning knob.

Additional tech aboard the Grand Wagoneer includes a rear-view camera mirror that shows what’s behind the SUV when you’ve got it packed full of gear, and an interior monitoring camera that shows occupants in every seating location.

Jeep loads the Grand Wagoneer L up with standard and available safety features, and our Series III test vehicle had them all.

Among the more unusual features are Intersection Collision Assist, which works like a front cross-traffic warning system with automatic braking, and a Night Vision system with pedestrian and animal detection. Otherwise, the Grand Wagoneer L includes the driving assistance and collision avoidance systems you expect to find on a luxury SUV, right down to an automatic parking system that takes control of the vehicle for parking in parallel and perpendicular spaces while the driver remains seated behind the steering wheel.

What you won’t find on a Grand Wagoneer L is a hands-free highway driving assist system. Unlike the Cadillac Escalade (Super Cruise) and the Lincoln Navigator (Active Glide), the Grand Wagoneer L offers an Active Driving Assist system that requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel. Active Driving Assist pairs the adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go to the vehicle’s blind spot monitoring and Active Lane Management (lane keep assist) system and is useful, but lacks hands-free driving capability. Is this omission to the Grand Wagoneer’s detriment? Only you can decide that.

We used Active Driving Assist extensively, but in very light traffic. As such, the only observations we can share relate to a delayed response and uneven braking when another vehicle cut into the gap ahead of the Grand Wagoneer L. We also experienced difficulty in detecting the lane-departure warning system’s steering wheel vibration, which road thrum easily masks if you have the technology in its Medium setting.

Though the Grand Wagoneer L doesn’t say Jeep on it, it is a Jeep. That could matter to people who are cross-shopping the SUV with alternatives from traditional luxury automakers. Of course, it’s also true that some people might like the fact that the Grand Wagoneer L is a luxurious Jeep that better conveys rugged individualism and independent thinking than a Cadillac or Lincoln. Think Boulder, not Beverly Hills.

We thoroughly enjoyed our drive in the new 2023 Grand Wagoneer L Series III, its massaging seats, soothing interior, quiet and powerful engine, and underlying capability perfect for covering ground under Montana’s big, brilliantly blue sky. The tech is a bit much, but otherwise, this new full-size luxury SUV is an appealing alternative to the Escalade and Navigator.

Note: Images show a US model.