Jeep has been all over the place with the Wagoneer brand lately. It just revealed a new electric version that looks more like the Grand Cherokee than the Grand Cherokee does, it’s walked back its premium branding plans for the Wagoneer line because of this new EV version, and now comes confirmation that’s a bit of a headscratcher.
Autoblog reports that head of Jeep, Antonio Filosa, confirmed that the Wagoneer will be getting a plug-in hybrid 4Xe model. Speaking at the Wagoneer S debut, Filosa confirmed that this Wagoneer 4Xe would use the powertrain from the recently revealed Ramcharger.
If everything lines up, the Wagoneer 4Xe will use the brand’s 3.6-liter V6 paired with a 92 kWh battery and two electric motors: a 250 kWh motor at the front and a 238 kWh motor in the rear. No word yet on the electric driving range, but Stellantis said this setup in the Ramcharger will make 663 total system horsepower and be good for 690 miles of total driving range. Power output in the Wagoneer 4Xe might be a bit different though as both Filosa and Jeep Senior Vice President and Head of Brand Bill Peffer mentioned.
This will be a great engine option for buyers when it comes to market, but the Wagoneer should have debuted with this engine. Initially, the Wagoneer line launched with two V8 engine options, a wild move in an era of high gas prices. Base Wagoneers are powered by a 5.7-liter V8, while Grand Wagoneers initially received a 6.4-liter V8 as the only engine option — something I called a mistake given it’s horrible gas mileage. This engine was recently dropped for the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. While power output has increased, fuel economy only slightly improved.
While there was no mention of when this Wagoneer 4Xe would be coming, it needs to get here soon. The Wagoneer needed this engine option yesterday.