{"id":34071,"date":"2025-02-04T13:52:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34071"},"modified":"2025-02-04T13:52:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:52:38","slug":"payne-electric-jeep-wagoneer-s-is-fast-and-luxurious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/payne-electric-jeep-wagoneer-s-is-fast-and-luxurious","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Electric Jeep Wagoneer S is fast and luxurious"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Jeep makes rowdy, off-road dirt kickers that can be stripped of their doors in the wilderness so you can hear the call of the Curve-billed Thrasher, the splash of mud under 33-inch tires and the bellow of a Hemi V-8 at full throttle.\u00a0ROOOOWWWRRRR!<\/em><\/p>\n

The Jeep Wagoneer S is not that vehicle.<\/p>\n

The brand\u2019s first electric vehicle is the gateway to Jeep\u2019s luxurious Wagoneer sub-brand and it is\u00a0quiet<\/em>. Cradled in my double-stitched Cabo Vinyl throne, I cupped the two-spoke steering wheel in one hand and cruised silently along the California coast. Doors on, of course, for a hushed cabin so I could hear the stirring intro to U2’s \u201cWhere the Streets Have No Name\u201d through 19 McIntosh speakers. S is for silent.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S can go 303 miles on a single charge.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

This bliss is only interrupted by the violent, instant-torque acceleration that is also synonymous with luxury today.<\/p>\n

SCREEEEEEE!<\/em>\u00a0I stomped the accelerator out of a Carlsbad stoplight and my tall, Arizona Arnold Palmer can jumped out of its console cupholder and dumped tea and lemonade all over the faux leather.\u00a0SCREEEEEEE!<\/em>\u00a0The overwhelmed 9.3-inch Falken all-season tires shrieked all the way to 40 mph under the strain of 617 pound-feet of torque, laying rubber past 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. A Jeep record, beating the legendary Hellcat-V8-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk beast\u2019s 3.5 seconds.<\/p>\n

Violence has a way of exposing flaws, and the S needs snugger cupholders and wider tires. Otherwise, this is a first-class Jeep that will strut into the golf club alongside any BMW, Volvo or Caddy.<\/p>\n

Electric is the new luxury and Jeep is there. As it has been for some time with its gas models, Jeep is the rare mainstream brand that is shopped alongside European luxury.<\/p>\n

Rupert, should I get a BMW X5, Audi Q5 or Jeep Grand Cherokee?<\/em><\/p>\n

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A Jeep, electrified. The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S is built on the same STLA Large battery platform as the Dodge Charger Daytona EV.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit New<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Jeep is deserving. Check out the $65K Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve\u2019s thin waterfall console display and thin headlights. Jeep\u2019s mega-ute twins \u2014 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer \u2014 take that luxe to another level with appointments like interior wood trim, console icebox and acres of screens.<\/p>\n

The S is the gateway to Wagoneer world, and my loaded, 72 grand S Launch Edition is the patriarch of a coming family of models. Think of Jeep as a full-line SUV brand \u2014 Compass, (coming) Cherokee replacement, Grand Cherokee \u2014 with a passion for off-roading and luxury. The Wrangler and Wagoneer embody those passions.<\/p>\n

The Wagoneer S is effortless to drive with superb interior ergonomics (including a Corvette-like square steering wheel for better instrument visibility) instant torque and liquid-smooth drivetrain. No downshift hiccups, no noise, no STOP-START stalls at stoplights. S for serene.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S features three cockpit screens (four, if you include the head-up display).<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s also the same as every other EV in the $70K competitive set: Cadillac Lyriq, BMW i4, Mercedes EQE, Audi Q4 e-Tron, Polestar 4, Tesla Model Y. Luxe brands once differentiated themselves with spicy V-8s, inline-6s, supercharged-turbocharged turbo-4s. Now they’re homogeneous recipes.<\/p>\n

In the EV segment, presentation is more important than ever. Design rules.<\/p>\n