The Jeep Wagoneer Is Dead

Honestly, it’s a good thing.

The Jeep Wagoneer nameplate is going away for the 2026 model year. However, save your crocodile tears. Its essence is actually being absorbed into the 2026 Grand Wagoneer. Ultimately, the consumer should come out the winner under a new and more sensible strategy by Jeep.

Jeep brought back the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2021 after a 30-year hiatus. The brand wanted to make a sub-brand out of the storied nameplates, so much so that they didn’t even wear any Jeep badging.

There was confusion from the get-go. Consumers mistakenly thought the Grand Wagoneer was a stretched version of the Wagoneer. To clarify, that would actually be the Grand Wagoneer L. In Jeep-speak, the Wagoneer was intended to be the more affordable, mainstream model that competed with the likes of Chevy and Ford. Conversely, the Grand Wagoneer was the pricier, more premium version, designed to compete with Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Land Rover.

Unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work. In fact, the marketing and message were muddled. Furthermore, the SUVs were simply too pricey, and there were notable quality issues and software bugs.

Much-Needed Change

Nevertheless, Stellantis now has a new CEO in Antonio Filosa and a new head of Jeep with Bob Broder Dorf. With these changes comes a new and more pragmatic strategy, starting with the 2026 Grand Wagoneer.

Now that the Wagoneer nameplate is dead, all trim levels will be united under the Grand Wagoneer name. The entry level, which starts under $65,000, is actually priced less than the old Wagoneer’s starting price. Crucially, the whole Grand Wagoneer lineup is now priced to remain mainstream—no more attempts to make it a premium brand. Consequently, even the top loaded models will start below $100,000.

The 2026 Grand Wagoneer (pictured below) will go on sale later this year, launching with the standard-output 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo I-6. Following this, next spring Jeep will add a range-extended plug-in hybrid that uses a V-6 as a generator, giving it a reported 150 miles of EV range and more than 500 miles of total range.