For an automaker like Jeep that’s built its legend on go-anywhere ruggedness and off-road prowess, shifting gears to squeaky-clean battery-powered mobility was always going to be a seismic transition. Well, consider the tremors officially underway because the 2024 Wagoneer S is here – and it’s out for Tesla blood.
After years of development and more than a few teasers, Jeep has finally pulled the wraps off its very first globally-available EV. In true Jeep fashion, the brand isn’t pulling any punches with this opening EV salvo aimed squarely at reigning champ Tesla and its hugely popular Model Y crossover.
The Wagoneer S is an unabashed performance beast dressed in premium styling that practically oozes Detroit muscle machismo. Just look at the stats: This big brute rockets from 0-60 mph in a blistering 3.4 seconds, eclipsing even Jeep’s own maniacal V8-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk as the quickest accelerating vehicle the brand has ever unleashed.
In fact, that face-melting stat actually outguns the 3.5-second 0-60 time of Tesla’s top-shelf Model Y Performance variant – a feat Jeep felt the need to gloat about by releasing a promo video showing the Wagoneer S drag racing and leaving the Model Y sucking wind in its aerodynamic wake.
Of course, beating Tesla’s butt in a straight line is all well and good. But if Jeep hopes to lure buyers away from the EV juggernaut’s cult-like fandom, Wagoneer S needs to bring more to the table beyond just monstrous straight-line speeds, doesn’t it?
Thankfully, this four-wheeled bully appears to have premium trappings to match its brash performance persona. Jeep’s designers wisely chose to maintain the classical Wagoneer nameplate with its heritage-steeped reputation for opulence and sophistication dating back to the 1960s.
This new electric interpretation stays true to those upscale roots with a lavish interior befitting a proper luxury SUV. There are massaging seats, a McIntosh 19-speaker sound system with a trunk-mounted 12-inch subwoofer, and a borderline-ridiculous 45 inches of total screen (12.3″ digital driver display, 12.3″ central touchscreen and a 10.25″ passenger screen) real estate unfolding across a sweeping digital dash and dual infotainment displays that Jeep says “integrate seamlessly” – unlike “floating” tablet-style displays, an apparent dig at Tesla’s current setup.
Blended Brawn and Eco-Consciousness
Under that sinewy, streamlined body (0.29 drag coefficient, the slipperiest Jeep yet), the Wagoneer S leverages a brawny dual-motor powertrain sitting on parent company Stellantis’ new STLA Large electric platform. With 600 horsepower channeled through standard all-wheel drive, Jeep claims the instantaneous torque delivery allows this hefty 5,000-plus-pound EV to rocket off the line with legitimate muscle car vigor.
Still, the brand didn’t completely throw eco-consciousness out the window in this quest for straight-line supremacy. Front motor has a trick disconnect function to reduce drag and boost efficiency when cruising. There’s even an EPA-estimated 300-mile range rating thanks to the sizeable 100kWh battery pack.
Granted, that trailing range figure still falls a bit behind the Model Y’s best battery estimate. But who cares when you can just shout “no one outruns a Jeep!” before hitting the accelerator and leaving those smug Tesla fanboys choking on your electrified dust?
With a launch edition price of $72,000 and deliveries slated for late 2024, the Wagoneer S isn’t going to be cheap, for EV thrill-seekers who prioritize power and premium pampering over outright efficiency, this in-your-face electric Jeep might just have the formula to rattle Tesla’s cage at the very top of the performance SUV pecking order.
Related: Stellantis Confirms ultra-affordable EV, Jeep Plans to Roll out a $25k EV model in the U.S.