The Jeep Wagoneer S Offers More Luxury and Less Ride Quality

The Jeep brand is one of the few successes in the North American market for Stellantis—the multinational automotive conglomerate that controls it. While the group’s other marques have seen significant year-over-year sales declines in recent months, Jeep has continued to grow. Some portion of this expansion can be attributed to strong sales of the rugged, outdoorsy carmaker’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe have consistently occupied America’s top sales positions for PHEVs over the past several years.

Now, Jeep is attempting to capitalize on its relative strength in the electrified market with its first fully battery-powered vehicle, the Wagoneer S. This electric SUV is meant to appeal to buyers shopping in the popular midsize, luxury sport utility market.

Jeep actually soft-launched the Wagoneer S in 2024, but the vehicle has been plagued by serious problems with its electronics, resulting in recalls that have not inspired consumer confidence. Jeep has claimed to have implemented fixes for these problems in the new 2025 model, and in our day of driving the updated truck throughout Metro Detroit, we did not note any issues, or at least any related to these problems.

What’s New for 2025

In addition to the claimed updates mentioned above, the two-row, five-passenger Wagoneer S enters its first full model year with a new trim level. The $72,195 Launch trim introduced at the end of 2024 is joined by a $67,195 Limited option. This new iteration foregoes some of the luxury features, stylish interior, and exterior fitments, as well as some of the power of its more expensive sibling, and does not seem to gain anything in the way of overall range, which stands firm at 294 miles (as per the EPA) for both models.

Design

The Wagoneer S is immediately recognizable as a Jeep SUV, maintaining many of the brand’s signature design cues, such as a seven-sectioned front grille area, chunkily rounded slab sides, squared-off trapezoidal wheel openings, and a wide-ish rear enunciated by thin horizontal taillights.

On closer examination, the “grille” here is just ersatz, as there is no engine to cool up front. And the Wagoneer S sports a lower stance and a more sharply sloping rear window (eyebrowed by a cantilevered roof-extending spoiler) to improve aerodynamics, and thus, range. Still, outside of these, there are few cues that distinguish this as an electric vehicle. This seems intentional. Jeep clearly wants this vehicle to be considered just as capable of tackling the outdoors as its gas-powered models.

Jeep also wants it to continue the upscale luxury march the brand has been pursuing with its largest and most expensive vehicles, like the Grand Wagoneer, which can readily achieve a six-figure price tag. This is especially notable on the interior, with available perforated and fabric-piped seats, real knurled metal switchgear, technical trim materials that resemble ceramic, and the inclusion of up to four different LCD screens: one in front of the driver, two in the center console, and one in front of the passenger.

 Power Train and Hardware

Both trim levels are undergirded by a 94 kWh battery and two motors—one driving the front wheels, the other driving the rears—for all-wheel-drive capability. In the Limited trim, this pair is tuned to produce 500 hp; in the Launch edition, it makes 600 hp.

A variety of drive settings—Eco, Sport, Sand, Snow—differently apportion inputs of the accelerator, steering wheel, brakes, all-wheel-drive system, and traction control to allow safer and/or more expedient traversing of varied terrain through a range of climates. We did not have the opportunity to test out Sand or Snow in our urban/suburban drive, but Jeep has earned our trust for go-anywhere capabilities, so we expect they would function admirably. Note that traction control is turned off in Sport mode, which can make full acceleration a bit wild.

Both trim levels are relatively well-outfitted, though we drove the Launch edition first before trying out the Limited, and were surprised that the relatively paltry $5,000 differential between them yielded such a difference in equipment. In addition to the extra 100 hp, Launch-edition vehicles include an excellent 19-speaker, 1,200-watt stereo from famed American audio house McIntosh; handsomely stitched seats, the front pair of which offer massaging features, in addition to cooling/heating in all four outboard positions; a sueded headliner; a power-adjustable steering column; an LCD screen for the passenger to stare at (or ignore as they stare at the one in their hand); and menacingly blacked-out 20-inch wheels and trim bits. Seems like a deal, and it made the lower-level Wagoneer S Limited feel just that—less luxurious and a bit disappointing in comparison.

Performance

The Launch edition certainly earns it name, capable of propelling this nearly three-ton SUV from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. That’s Ferrari fast. Even the lower-spec Limited claims to cover that same metric in less than 4.0 seconds. This is more than enough grunt to sustain any freeway merging or overtaking needs, and with its all-wheel-drive system, the Jeep is more than capable of putting it to the pavement. It should be noted, though, that the power comes on in a rush that might startle your passengers. Best to warn them before you floor the accelerator.

Unfortunately, the ride quality of the Wagoneer S was not quite as seamless. Maybe it’s due to the vehicle’s shortish wheelbase and significant weight, or to its relatively thin all-season tires, but the suspension did not do a great job of absorbing the bumps and choppy pavement that litter the Detroit area. At nearly $75,000, we expected a smoother experience. The brakes were similarly challenging to modulate, sometimes feeling like they were too aggressive for the situation, but often feeling like they weren’t up to the task of managing the vehicle’s mass. The Wagoneer S features the capability of over-the-air updates, like a cell phone, so perhaps Jeep engineers can fine-tune this further in the near future.

Is It Worth It?

The Wagoneer S is pricey for its category, and while we appreciate the Launch edition’s quality and desirable luxury features, its lack of refinement in the ride category makes it a difficult proposition for us to recommend at this price point. Competitors like the far more affordable Chevrolet Blazer EV (and its performance-oriented SS model), and even larger electric SUVs like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 siblings, seem more compelling as value propositions. And luxury electric sport utes like the Cadillac Lyriq, or its new Lyriq-V performance variant, offer similar amenities and superior ride quality, along with a more compelling exterior design.

Specifications

Click here for more photos of the all-electric Jeep Wagoneer S.