New Arm of Luxury
The Grand Wagoneer Concept represents an all-new luxury line-up for Jeep
Story by Dan Heyman, photos courtesy of FCA Canada
I
t was about 55 years ago – 1962, to be exact – the Jeep Wagoneer first arrived on the scene and essentially changed the automotive landscape forever – just not right away. You see, Jeep claims that the Wagoneer was a pioneer in the modern SUV space, mainly because it was the first time we’d seen a four-wheel-drive vehicle mated to an automatic transmission. Those were a bit of a luxury back then, it would seem, and it was a big selling point for the Wagoneer. About 20 years later, the Grand Wagoneer arrived and took things a step further into the luxury realm by adding leather upholstery, air conditioning (man, premium luxury sure looked quite different in the early ‘80s), AM/FM/CB – no, not “CD,” but “CB,” think “trucker,” not “DJ” – and a jump in power. The thing is, the greater populace in Canada and the U.S. were still turning mainly to station wagons for their people-moving needs, as the SUV and minivan segments were kind of still in their early days. So once again, the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer was a bit ahead of its time. Things are a little different this time around because the Grand Wagoneer Concept is once again more than just a new vehicle; it’s the harbinger of a whole new portfolio of vehicles that will establish a luxury line-up for Jeep. Think the Range Rover line of Land Rover vehicles. That’s why any allusion to the “Jeep” name is found only in “easter eggs” sprinkled throughout the cabin. “If you’ll notice,” said Ralph Gilles, head of design at Jeep, “it doesn’t say ‘Jeep’ anywhere on this vehicle. That was on purpose, 26 OFF-ROAD Plus MAGAZINE OCT/NOV 2020
