10 Things To Know About The Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer | CarBuzz

Published 2/25/2020 on CarBuzz by Ian Wright

The Wagoneer name can be traced back to the Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer in 1963, but the story begins with the Willys Jeep Station Wagon that went into production in 1946. The Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer was a pioneering design that effectively created the luxury 4X4 niche, and came long before the term SUV. The original was a full-size body-on-frame vehicle that shared its frame with another recently resurrected Jeep name – the Gladiator truck. The original Wagoneer stayed in production until 1991, a total of 29 model-years, making it one of the longest produced vehicles in history. In 1984, AMC owned Jeep and introduced the Grand Wagoneer as an even more upscale model of its off-road wagon.

It was at the Detroit Auto Show that then Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne announced the return of the Wagoneer moniker. The Wagoneer, along with a Grand Wagoneer model to challenge the luxury SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator, have been touted but delayed ever since. Now, almost 20 years later, there are Wagoneer test mules out there and reports on what gap in the Jeep lineup the Wagoneer will take, and how it will be configured. This is what we know so far.