Ministry of Interior Affairs: 2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II

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If you follow the world of luxury large SUVs — or if you’re a big-time Jeep afficionado — then you know the Wagoneer nameplate is back. Jeep, which is itself a sub-brand of parent company Stellantis, is building a separate sub-brand for its new line of ultra-luxurious large SUVs.

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The Grand Wagoneer was the first to land in 2021 with luxury features to put it toe-to-toe with competitors like the Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade: massaging front seats, quilted Palermo leather, open-pore wood trim, and a bigger Hemi engine are among the available upgrades.

But if you’re wondering what you’ll get if you opt for the entry-level end of the non-Grand Wagoneer, know that there’s plenty on offer where this line-up begins. On the other hand, when the starting price is nearly $85,000 including fees, there ought to be.

Today at the Ministry of Interior Affairs, we’re digging into the details inside the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series II, the base model for this premium large SUV and the version with the shorter wheelbase. With several packages and a destination charge of $2,695, the unit we’re examining here has a Canadian as-tested price of $93,175.

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If you’ve ever been frustrated by the lack of standard features in Stellantis vehicles, good news: that base price includes a healthy amount of standard equipment. You’ll find heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a wireless charging pad, triple-zone climate control, 12-way power front seats upholstered with Nappa leather, and a 10-speaker Alpine sound system. In Canada, Jeep’s Quadra-Trac I full-time four-wheel drive system is standard, along with a terrain mode selector that has five settings. Our tester is equipped with Convenience Group I ($4,695), which adds on an air suspension with five height settings and adaptive dampers.

A digital instrument cluster and 10.1-inch touchscreen are also standard equipment, while a third screen for the front passenger is offered but not equipped here. The good news is this middle screen comes with Uconnect 5 along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. This is a great pairing with the wireless charging pad because you can throw your phone in there, it connects, and away you go… in theory. The bad news is that we found this screen to be slow to react to our inputs during our testing, and your faithful tester was never able to successfully connect her personal iPhone. Uconnect 5 is capable of pushing over-the-air updates, so let’s hope this is an easy fix.

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A head-up display is part of Convenience Group I, and both it and the digital instrument cluster can be customized to display the information you want in the arrangement you prefer. Even in this entry-level Wagoneer, you’ll never run out of room to charge your devices: there are two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports just above the wireless charging pad along with a 12-volt outlet, and you’ll find one more of each USB port type in a covered space on top of the very spacious centre console. Apart from the glove box, two cupholders in the centre, and another cupholder integrated into each front door pocket, those are the storage spaces you’ll have to work with. There is one clever use of space overhead, though: the sunglass holder has a half-height setting that turns it into a mirror with a view of the rear of the cabin.

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Where this base Wagoneer really excels is in its rearward rows. In the second row, the seats are configured in a 40-20-40 split. All three positions have tracks for adjusting the ample legroom along with independent LATCH systems, meaning LATCH-connected car seats can fit three wide across. The outboard seats can be pulled forward for third-row access while keeping those car seats in place, and they’re optionally heated as part of the Convenience Group, which also adds window sunshades. There are multiple seatback angle settings, and these seats fold exceptionally low and flat, although they don’t lock into place when fully retracted.

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The three-panel sunroof that’s part of the $3,995 Premium Group I package extends backward to add natural light to the second row, and two more USB-A and USB-C ports are integrated into the back of the centre console along with a 12-volt outlet and a 115-volt, 150-watt household plug. Side vents are integrated low in the B-pillar for easier access. What’s lacking most here is storage space: there are bottle holders in each door and two cupholders in a centre armrest that pulls down from the middle panel, but storage is otherwise limited to a small shelf in the centre console and a pair of seatback pockets.

Impressively, the third row benefits from some design attention and is a pleasant place to spend time, even for adults. There’s enough legroom when negotiated with second-row occupants, plenty of headroom, and multiple angles of seatback tilt. Each side gets one more USB-A and USB-C port along with a cupholder and a small storage space, and there’s even a little bit of design detail included. With the optional three-panel sunroof, the third row gets its own panel and benefits greatly from the additional light. There’s one full set of LATCH connectors here for the left-most seating position, and there are two more rear anchors for the middle and outboard positions. This means that if you install two car seats using these available anchors and seatbelts, you could potentially fit six car seats into the second and third rows here, provided they’re designed for that purpose. One of my favourite tricks in this and other Jeep vehicles: all headrests for both rows can be retracted remotely through a function in the Uconnect infotainment system.

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On a straight conversion from U.S. figures, cargo space with all seats upright measures 775 litres. There’s a small storage tray underneath the load floor, while the donut spare tire is mounted externally underneath the cargo space. A trio of bag hooks and a 12-volt plug are accessible with all seats upright. Drop the third row and you’ll find 2,004 litres of cargo capacity, and you’ll also access four cargo tie-down hooks. Lower all of the seats behind the first row, and you can jam in up to 3,304 litres worth of stuff.

Apart from some technical difficulties and an overall lack of space to stow bits and bobs, the entry-level cabin in the 2022 Wagoneer Series II is thoughtfully laid out for larger families and well-equipped for the price.