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Return of the Wagoneer?

20K views 67 replies 23 participants last post by  AMCSportTruck 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Yeah, I just saw that too:
In talking with reporters on Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler and Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed plans to bring the Jeep Grand Wagoneer nameplate back to life with an all-new seven seat SUV model, based on the underpinnings of the recently launched Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango.

"It's time we gave the market an upper-scale Grand Wagoneer," said Marchionne. "You'll see it in January 2013."
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeep-to-revive-grand-wagoneer-nameplate.html
 
#6 ·
I have confidence in Chrysler after seeing the 2011 GC, but there are so many ways to mess this up. The odds are definitely against them. For me, a modern Wagoneer needs to be big, I'm not sure the WK2 platform is big enough for this. I'm thinking Land Cruiser 100 size. This cannot be a Commander 2, which is just a slightly bigger GC with a useless 3rd row. More importantly, it needs to reflect the awesome Brooks Stevens design of the original Personally, I like the 60's style ones the best, with the round headlights and vertical slot grill, like newer Jeeps.

I must also say that it is an interesting decision to bring out another SUV at this time. It's not like gas is going to get any cheaper or CAFE any less stringent.
 
#7 ·
It probably has more to do with maximizing the production line and milking some high profit sales. Not everyone cross shops between Dodge and Jeep. A few people will want a bigger Jeep than the Grand Cherokee but would never think of buying the Dodge Durango.
So instead of risking losing them and having them buy a Yukon or Tahoe they build the Wagoneer.

If projected Durango and Grand Cherokee sales were enough to max out the production line the Wagoneer would never be built.

That is what is so curious about all the talk of a Jeep pickup off of the Wrangler. The Wrangler is selling so well that there isn't the production line capacity to build a Jeep pickup. Not sure how Jeep expects to build both.
 
#8 ·
My guess is that it'll replace the Chrysler Aspen as Chrysler group's large luxo SUV. Based on the news that either the Caravan or the Town & Country is also getting cut, I'm guessing Chrysler has wised up and realized that people don't want to pay for identical vehicles with a few more options for a lot more money. If buy a luxury truck, I don't want it looking exactly like it's cheaper brother.

They'll probably take a Durango, replace it with a Jeep styled body, add in some of the current Grand Cherokee's suspension bits, and end up with a nice luxury SUV instead of the flop that was the Aspen.
 
#14 ·
Has everyone missed the part where I said that the Durango and GC are now on the same platform? So all of this talk about:
A fully loaded Durango with Wagoneer body panels would actually be unique.
Is kind of redundant? The new Durango is a re-skinned Jeep. The new Waggy is nothing more than a premium Grand Cherokee with some changes to the sheet metal.
 
#15 ·
Has everyone missed the part where I said that the Durango and GC are now on the same platform? So all of this talk about:

Is kind of redundant? The new Durango is a re-skinned Jeep. The new Waggy is nothing more than a premium Grand Cherokee with some changes to the sheet metal.
No. The Grand Cherokee is a 5 passenger vehicle while the Durango is a longer 7 passenger vehicle. Also, the Durango is only rear wheel drive or all wheel drive while the GC can be had with a low range in the transfer case.

The Wagoneer would be a reskinned Durango in length but would have the 4 wheel drive systems from the GC.
 
#16 ·
Jeep to revive Grand Wagoneer nameplate for 2013

From LeftLaneNews.com:

"Although Jeep's all-new Grand Cherokee is still fresh on the market, the well-received unibody SUV will soon be joined by a legendary nameplate in 2013.

While Jeep may not have had a vehicle - not even a concept - to show off to hint at exactly what we can expect, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne did still manage to confirm the development of a Grand Wagoneer for the Jeep lineup, saying, "It's time we gave the market an upper-scale Grand Wagoneer."

The return of the Wagoneer would mark the resurrection of one of the most storied nameplates for the Jeep brand, and would also quickly fill the spot left open after the seven-seat Commander was discontinued after the 2010 model year. This replacement model will share the platform found under the Grand Cherokee, but will compete more directly with the seven-seat configuration found in the 2011 Ford Explorer.

While Marchionne didn't reveal everything there was to know about the upcoming iconic resurrection, he did make a point of pointing out that the discontinuation of the Commander does not signify how the Grand Wagoneer will be received, noting, 'That car was unfit for human consumption. We sold some. But I don't know why people bought them.'

The original Jeep Wagoneer ended production in 1991 after a 28 year run.
"

This Wagoneer will be on the extended Grand Cherokee platform, like the new Durango, but with Jeep skin and suspension, of course. If Fiat/Jeep handles this right with a great design and diesel/Hemi options, this could be HUGE for them! If they design it to look like the Nukizer Concept, I will trade my lifted WJ for one!

 
#18 ·
I see, so it'll be a GC/Durango hybrid ?

Now will this be a full framed rig ? or unibody ?

Independent ? Or solid axles ?

6 cylinder ? Or 8 cylinder ?

Mike
 
#20 ·
I see, so it'll be a GC/Durango hybrid ?

Now will this be a full framed rig ? or unibody ?

Independent ? Or solid axles ?

6 cylinder ? Or 8 cylinder ?

Mike
What Fiat/Jeep should do:

1) Use the JK Unlimited platform, with 2 live axles.
2) Base the design on the Nukizer 715 Concept.
3) Offer the Pentastar V6 as the base engine and the Hemi as an option.
4) Offer an off-road package

What Fiat/Jeep will probably do:

1) Use the extended Grand Cherokee unibody platform they use for the new Durango, which means 4WIS.
2) Base the design on the Grand/Durango.
3) Offer the Pentastar V6 as the base engine and the Hemi as an option.
4) Offer some MOPAR accessories for off-roading.

I know development money is not flowing from Chrysler currently, but if they want a HUGELY successful SUV, in a market that is going to trend away from them again, due to ever-rising fuel costs, they will need to make this IRRESISTIBLE! They need to pay attention to what Jeep fanatics are saying. They should really come up with 2 designs (3-D Modeled illustrations), based on the two I mentioned, and test market them. I'm confident our wishes for the look of the Nukizer would win out!
:cheers2:
 
#19 ·
Yes it would be sweet if they could use the Nuk's front facia / grill / hood design / with 45'd wheel well's . . . More then likely it'll be light/grill retrofit into the Dodge sheet steal like the Liberty/Nitro !

Mike
 
#21 ·
EDIT: Posted in the wrong thread!
 
#24 ·
I still like my Commander and am not surprised they are bringing back a 3rd row jeep immediately after killing the XK. I think dropping the name and not just throwing out a Commander V2.0 is a good choice to make a break from an under performing model at the retail level.

I will someday buy a project Wagoneer as I think they are the cat's behind and resurrecting the name for a real Jeepy looking 7 seater will sit well with me as long as they don't just stretch the new GC look out 2 or 3 feet.

Unfit for human consumption? Yeah the 3rd row sucks, but I don't sit there - kids do, and adults could for short trips. The size is fine for our family of 4 plus friends/cousins and we've done several trips in comfy style.

You either really like the Commander or you don't at all. I suspect this production and niche filler will be the same - some will think it's an ugly monstrosity, others will hail it as the perfect jeep for a larger family.

And I don't kid myself, the wife's XK is a dedicated mall crawler like 99% of the other large utes out there.
 
#29 ·
I still like my Commander and am not surprised they are bringing back a 3rd row jeep immediately after killing the XK.
The Commander was more of an exercise showing that flex manufacturing could produce two completely different looking body styles on the same production line.
It is what made it possible for the new Durango and Grand Cherokee to share platforms.
 
#26 ·
Biggest achievement in automotive history? Wow...

They're nice SUV's, but I've driven every version of the Commander they released at some point in the last couple years. Not a huge fan.
 
#27 ·
Biggest achievement in automotive history? Wow...
No joke. Name one which is bigger. Talking about the end result, not about productionline techniques, etc.

They're nice SUV's, but I've driven every version of the Commander they released at some point in the last couple years. Not a huge fan.
Have you tried the 3.0 CRD?

And you know it probably as well as I do, most Jeeps are not "love at first sight". I used to be a fan of Camrys, I had them 5 in a row. Then thank god I met my wife, and we bought the Commander semi-accidentally. It was "ok" at first, until we started realising all the things we can do with it. Now it's a beast. A true beast, which also looks and feels great. The love grew.

We also have a JK Unlimited. It too wasn't love at first sight, but I knew what it was, so we bought it. The love grew, and keeps growing.

With "normal" cars it's usually the other way around. When you buy it new/almost new, it looks and feels great, but as the years go by, it's starting to lose the attraction.

Our Jeeps are keepers. They might be moved aside one day, but only aside. They will still stay in the garage.
 
#30 ·
No joke. Name one which is bigger. Talking about the end result, not about productionline techniques, etc.
Just about every mid and full size SUV on the market. That was easy. The Commander is far from the best thought out vehicle in it's class. I drive my girlfriend's Commander all the time, and while I don't mind the looks, the rest of it is pretty average.
 
#33 ·
You guys do realize he is in Switzerland and they dont have Ukons, Expeditions, Suburbans or any of that over there. While we think that the commander is really a mundane attempt at trying to compete with the Expedition or the Denali, he is looking up what those vehicles look like because he has probably only seen a handfull of them in passing in the last several years, if at all in real life. But you can get a 4 wheel drive Volkswagen golf with a 2.3l v5 engine in it.

And as a note, they dont have pickup trucks as we know them anywhere but the Americas(primarily north america) either. Most places the Ranger or the High Lux (toyota tacoma) are the biggest trucks you find.
 
#32 ·
The Commander is mankind's biggest achievement in automotive history
lets start with the looks, if i wanted an oversize xj with the jeep 2500 parts from china on it i would just build one. second the third row is COMPLETELY useless. no grown adult can comfortably sit there for more than 5 minutes and if the seat is up you have ZERO visibility out of the rear window. it may be just me but a vehicle that big with that big of a blind spot is asking for the soccer moms who drive them to crash into anything and everything that comes within walking distance of it
 
#35 ·
The Lightning was exported to Europe specifically, none of the 5 full-size American trucks are sold in Europe. Generally, they either use mid-size pickups or full-size van-based chassis cab units with assorted beds.

Full-size pickups are, by and large, a uniquely American thing. Once in a while, you'll see them in Asia or South America, but 90% of them are in the USA and Canada.
 
#36 ·
The Lightning was exported to Europe specifically, none of the 5 full-size American trucks are sold in Europe. Generally, they either use mid-size pickups or full-size van-based chassis cab units with assorted beds.

Full-size pickups are, by and large, a uniquely American thing. Once in a while, you'll see them in Asia or South America, but 90% of them are in the USA and Canada.
Don't forget Mexico. The F-150 is called the Lobo down there, and actually sells pretty well.
 
#49 ·
I'm going to take a step back for a moment.....

Has anyone else here noticed that there has been "talk" about both a Jeep truck, and a Jeep Wagoneer on this "future models" forum, but nobody knows what chassis either vehicle is going to use?

Maybe Jeep has a new chassis that it will use for BOTH! :)
 
#50 ·
I'm going to take a step back for a moment.....

Has anyone else here noticed that there has been "talk" about both a Jeep truck, and a Jeep Wagoneer on this "future models" forum, but nobody knows what chassis either vehicle is going to use?

Maybe Jeep has a new chassis that it will use for BOTH! :)
It's already been reported that the Wagoneer will go on a stretched Grand Cherokee platform. I think they've also mentioned that the truck will go on the Unlimited JK's platform.
 
#51 ·
Direct from the Detroit Auto Show, the Grand Wagoneer is destined for the Durango platform with uprated suspension (Or a stretched Grand Cherokee, whichever way you want to look at it), and the Gladiator will be built on a stretched Wrangler Unlimited platform.
 
#52 ·
Found on the interwebz. Nothing official, but not a bad look........ aside from the wheels.
 

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#61 ·
The Wagoneer series ran from 63'-91' that was more the plenty good run, The last thing jeep needs is another over sized under powered Mega SUV . . . Sure for its almost 30yr run the 8-12mpg was all well n cool . . . But to produce a modernized 15-17mpg brick block just seems to be a waste of our TAX dollars ;-) ! Build US = ME a Wrangler/Grand Cherokee/Commander based Pickup truck instead ! ! !

Even a badge engineered RAM1500 with RAM2500/3500 axles ;-)
Mike
 
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