2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Review
For Autoblog regulars out there, you're probably already familiar with my ongoing Luggage Test series. Well, this won't be one of those. The new extended-length 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L is so colossal that my usual collection of luggage would be swallowed with virtually no effort behind its third row. Basically, it has the sort of cargo capacity you'd find in a two-row midsize crossover behind a third-row seat big enough to comfortably accommodate people taller than 6 feet.
Luckily, I happened to be moving last week, so having the Grand Wagoneer L fall into my lap at the last minute couldn't have been more opportune. And we're not talking a few odds and ends here. Nope, I was moving office chairs, a desk, a crib, a high chair, wardrobe boxes and other large items I originally moved in an extended-length Toyota Tundra (we moved into my in-laws for four months while our house was being renovated). In short, if you need a bigger SUV, I'm afraid you won't find one. For people or cargo beyond this, your best bet is probably a Mercedes Sprinter.
Just how much bigger is the Grand Wagoneer L? Both it and the non-grand Wagoneer are a full foot longer than the non-L, including 7 more inches of wheelbase. That makes it 226.7 inches long, or nearly 19 feet, which is 1 inch longer than a Chevy Suburban. It's also just about the length of my entire new driveway and a helluva lot longer than a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (see below).
The space behind the third row grows from 27.4 cubic-feet (which a regular Luggage Test revealed to be the best in its class) to 44.2. Put the seats down and it grows from 88.2 to 130.9, or roughly the size of a Manhattan apartment.
Those seats are lowered in the Grand Wagoneer Series III by handy buttons at the liftgate. The third row also goes back up at the touch of a button.
So what can all that space fit???
Included in this collection is a Home Depot wardrobe box and a Cozy Coupe that fit behind the second row. The plastic three-drawer set and collapsible storage crate (above right) were atop the folded second-row captain's chairs, while my son's giant Britax car seat remained in the other. AND! Look how much managed to still fit behind that wardrobe box and the Cozy Coupe. That would be yet another plastic three-drawer set and collapsible storage crate plus my small blue roll-aboard bag and a fold-up Thule stroller. Good grief. This thing is basically a black hole.
On my second run, the JGWL fit a folded-up mini crib, its mattress, a small desk, a not-so-small dog bed, a Stokke high chair, a Large and Extra-Large moving box and yet another plastic three-drawer set.
Now, as I was loading up to the roof here (as I specifically do NOT do during regular luggage tests), this Grand Wagoneer L's rearview camera mirror is an indispensable feature. Above left is the view with the regular-old mirror and above right is the view with the camera. The advantage is obvious.
The regular Grand Wagoneer already impressed with its space, but the L manages to absolutely blow it away. As such, if you're going to get a Wagoneer, get the L. The price difference is only $3,500, and when you're talking about base prices around $90,000, how could that possibly matter? Get that extra foot. Furthermore, the L gets the new, more efficient and more powerful Hurricane turbocharged inline-six engine for 2023 while the regular version sticks with the monumentally thirsty, old-school 6.4-liter V8 (the regular Wagoneer has a 5.7-liter). Of course, I still managed to get 14.3 mpg versus the EPA's 16 mpg combined, but imagine how crappy the old V8's mpg would've been with the same usage. The Wagoneer L gets a far better 20 mpg combined but also 90 fewer horses.
So there, if you need an SUV to transport all your earthly possessions, there is no SUV better than a Jeep Grand Wagoneer L. Put that on a billboard.
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