Earlier in 2025, Jeep finally bit the electrification bullet with the Wagoneer S. I was supposed to go on a “first drive” in January, but that was canceled due to wildfires. I then received an invite to a rescheduled first drive that took place in Detroit. Frankly biblical levels of rain saw my plane diverted to Ohio, and I spent several hours stuck on the tarmac. So it’s obvious the Wagoneer S has offended some deity or other to the point of belligerence, and humans are not meant to drive it. However, I did manage to make it to Detroit in the end, and the resulting time with the Wagoneer S may have convinced me it was worth the wait. The interior gets the little things right Dave McQuilling / The Manual Ignoring the off-roading stuff Jeep built its brand on, the likes of the Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee are family SUVs that are sitting in that strange “premium” grey area. It’s not full-blown six-figure luxury like an Escalade, but it’s a lot nicer than the standard vehicle you’ll see for $20,000 or less. So while some decisions were made to keep costs down (like touchscreens and one button bar), the interior is incredibly comfortable and visually appealing. Where it really nails it for me is in the little touches. The gear selection wheel is a good example. First, this is, in my opinion, the best way to do it. A stick is less elegant, the stick behind the wheel is even worse, and don’t get me started on gear selection buttons. A well-designed wheel is comfortable and unobtrusive. Jeep’s is milled out of metal, heavy, texturally pleasing, and gives a perfect amount of feedback with each “click,” so you can pop the vehicle in drive or reverse without actually looking at it. While this is a very minor part, it’s something people interact with several times every time they use the vehicle. It’s also a part that manufacturers have traditionally skimped out on. I would argue that giving someone a subtle yet pleasant experience (handling something texturally pleasing) instead of an unpleasant experience (cheap plastic and a poorly implemented shifter) is the difference between them hating and loving a vehicle in the long term. Beyond the shifter wheel example, there’s some very nice leather cladding near every surface, and a dash-length infotainment system with a setting that turns the music up every time you accelerate. You may end up using this a lot, because this vehicle has 500 to 600 horsepower, depending on the trim you pick. This may have too much horsepower Dave McQuilling / The Manual How much horsepower is too much horsepower? Well, it’s all a bit relative. 600 horsepower would be dangerously excessive on a motorcycle, but nothing on something like an ocean liner. The same can be said for ICE cars and EVs. 600 horsepower in an ICE is something like a Dodge Demon, an Audi R8, or a Cadillac Escalade V. But when it comes to EVs, it isn’t that excessive in theory. The Kia EV6 GT has close to that, and it’s a $60,000 Kia. Which is why it may be weird to say the Wagoneer S, with its 600 little ponies running around the launch edition’s motors (500 in the “Limited” trim), has gone a bit overboard. It is fun though Dave McQuilling / The Manual There were a few times on the drive when I did have a quiet stretch of road and managed to get my foot down (sensibly and legally while obeying all traffic laws, officer). The first time I did that, the burst of acceleration was followed by the words “was that ***ing wheelspin?” With most EVs, the power tends to be very controlled. Just enough is fed to the wheels to allow lightning-quick acceleration without breaking traction. Jeep’s engineers, in what I would guess is a conscious decision, have decided to allow just a bit of slip when you smash the accelerator. Not enough to actually break traction and send you spinning out — the vehicle is still easy to control — but just enough to let you know something is happening. This, if it was actually intentional, is a stroke of genius. One of the main pitfalls with EVs is how boring they are. Yes, they’re quick, but it’s a different kind of quick usually. It doesn’t feel that fast beyond the initial G-forces shoving you back into your seat. Slower ICE cars tend to feel more “fun” because a lot more is going on while you’re accelerating. Jeep has managed to recapture some of that, so hitting the not gas is thrilling again in the Wagoneer S. This shouldn’t be a line of Jeep SUVs, it should be a blueprint for Stellantis Dave McQuilling / The Manual Jeep has absolutely nailed this one in terms of concept. It’s a near-perfect SUV that could be used to define Stellantis’ entire electric lineup and take the fight to the likes of Hyundai, Tesla, and GM. If they toned down the horsepower while using the savings to drop the price and upped the range, then this could be a perfect family SUV with a different badge on it. As for Jeep, they do need to keep the silly amount of power, and squeaky, spinny launches. Their brand sort of demands it, and if the fun factor’s gone, it’s not really a Jeep. I’d say if you’re less concerned about saving a few grand, and a 200-250-mile range is enough for you, then this is an EV you should look into. If you just want a comfortable, well-designed, daily workhorse, this could fit the bill, but you might want to wait for a toned-down, highly practical variant down the line. Either way, it’s injected some much-needed excitement into the EV scene.
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