The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer is going to be Jeep’s flagship luxury effort, a car to compete with the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7, Lincoln Navigator and Range Rover, among others. It will have the fuel economy of those, too.
Recently released EPA-estimated fuel economy on the Grand Wagoneer is 15 mpg, or 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway in the all-wheel drive version, with almost identical numbers in the rear-wheel drive version. That EPA number is for the fancier Grand Wagoneer with a 6.4-litre V8, while fuel economy numbers for the regular Wagoneer with a 5.7-litre V8 are not out just yet. The regular Wagonner will also be a mild hybrid.
Either way, 15 mpg combined makes the Grand Wagoneer one of the worst among all SUVs when it comes to fuel economy. According to the EPA, in 2021 there were only nine SUVs that did worse, including cars like the Mercedes G-Class AMG, the Lamborghini Urus, the Bentley Bentayga, and the Lexus LX 570, and so Jeep is at least among its aspiring cohort.
And it’s unlikely that someone spending almost $US90,000 ($115,434) for a car will think about how much fuel costs, which makes the Grand Wagoneer’s fuel economy a bit academic.
That said, it’s kind of weird that an automaker is allowed to come out with an all-new car in 2021 that gets 15 mpg, though because it can it was never really in doubt that Stellantis, née Fiat Chrysler, would. Because Dodge, Ram, and Jeep are inadvertently making the best argument for stricter fuel economy standards in the States, by exploiting the current standards as much as they can.