{"id":3785,"date":"2026-01-06T03:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/max2voyages.com\/?p=3785"},"modified":"2026-01-06T03:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:59:17","slug":"tested-the-jeep-wagoneer-s-is-fast-fun-and-confusing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/?p=3785","title":{"rendered":"Tested: The Jeep Wagoneer S Is Fast, Fun, and \u2026 Confusing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/path><\/svg>Pros<\/h3>\n
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  • Paradoxically fun<\/li>\n
  • Really cool rear wing<\/li>\n
  • Also cool interior lighting<\/li>\n
  • Dichotomous ride quality<\/li>\n
  • Real-world EV range, charging<\/li>\n
  • Needs to pick a lane<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    The Wagoneer S<\/u> is Jeep\u2019s first fully electric SUV, shot into the premium midsize market to battle EVs from the likes of BMW, Tesla, and Mercedes. Smaller than ICE-powered Wagoneers and powered by dual motors good for 500 horsepower, it departs from Jeep\u2019s traditional off-road-first ethos in favor of speed, style, and silence. Despite that (or perhaps because of it), the Wagoneer S can\u2019t help but let its weirdness shine through.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    For example, where most performance SUVs pound the ground into submission, there\u2019s a squishy yet firm lumpiness to the Wagoneer S\u2019s ride that’s reminiscent of your great-grandma\u2019s mashed potatoes or a memory foam mattress laid over a gravel driveway. It\u2019s clear the Jeep\u2019s suspension is trying to do two things at once\u2014be composed and be plush\u2014and it doesn\u2019t quite nail either. On big, lazy undulations, the body starts to bound as if the dampers are off the clock. On quick, sharp bumps, they punch in suddenly with a choppy jolt that feels out of sync with the refined serenity of electric driving.<\/p>\n

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    Is the Wagoneer S Nice Inside?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    At least the interior looks good. Jeep\u2019s designers seem to have studied luxury lighting the way sommeliers study grapes. There are ambient strips that glow like dusk, and the McIntosh speaker grilles are illuminated in soft blue, setting a mood that\u2019s part high-end lounge, part home theater. It looks rich.<\/p>\n

    There are issues, of course. The lower touchscreen with climate controls is an answer to a question no one asked. As far as we can tell, most everything it does can be handled on the upper screen, and the lower one only redeems itself by flipping up and hiding away. The screen\u2019s sole useful bits are its temperature sliders that stay visible when it\u2019s folded away, a small win.<\/p>\n

    The seats are big and inviting and generally comfortable. They feel a tad overstuffed, however, which can make long drives more tiresome as you shift around. There\u2019s room enough to go around for all passengers, but given the S\u2019s smaller size, it doesn\u2019t have the outright spaciousness the Wagoneer name might imply. On the plus side, rear-seat ingress and egress are good.<\/p>\n

    As for storage, a small frunk up front holds a charge cable or a 24-pack of cans and not much else. Plus, there\u2019s no release button on the key fob, and it\u2019s not powered, so it\u2019s more of a novelty than anything else. The rear load floor sits a bit high, but it has enough room for a family of four\u2019s luggage, and there\u2019s bonus space underneath for odds and ends.<\/p>\n

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    Speed and More Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Jeep has given the Wagoneer S serious electric grunt: Its dual permanent-magnet motors (201 hp front, 335 hp rear) combine for 500 hp and 524 lb-ft of torque. That\u2019s enough to sling the 5,724-pound SUV to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, quicker than most gas-chugging muscle cars.<\/p>\n

    So, yeah, it\u2019s hella fast, and it feels that way. Mash the accelerator, and the Wagoneer S surges forward as if on actual lightning, bolting for the horizon and pressing you into the driver\u2019s seat. The steering doesn\u2019t say much in corners, and the steering wheel goes light in your hands when you hammer the right pedal in straights, but the way the Wagoneer S\u2019s tires scrabble for grip is old-school fun few EVs still manage. Most electric SUVs are too polite and too digital, but this one has a bit of a wild side.<\/p>\n

    Even if that wasn\u2019t Jeep\u2019s intent, it certainly tickles our pleasure center. Well, when it\u2019s not slightly scaring us; in cold weather or on less grippy pavement, the search for grip can feel like a loss of control. Still, it\u2019s weirdly charming if you know what to expect. Just budget for winter tires if you live in an area with four seasons.<\/p>\n

    Less charming is the regenerative braking system\u2019s habit of resetting to low every time you start the SUV. We prefer one-pedal driving, and re-selecting high every time is annoying. It can be tricky to operate, as the friction brakes are really overeager and tap in right as you stop. It can mean a slight neck snap if you don\u2019t get it just<\/em> right.<\/p>\n

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    Range, Charging, and Performance Numbers <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The 94.9-kWh lithium-ion battery offers 294 miles of EPA rated range, but good luck achieving it. The Wagoneer S returned just 215 miles on our 70-mph Road-Trip Range test, and you\u2019ll get even less if you exercise its performance too often. DC fast charging isn\u2019t great, either, adding 81 miles in 15 minutes and 138 in half an hour. At least you can pass the time explaining that, no, your Jeep doesn\u2019t have an engine, and no, it really shouldn\u2019t go off-road, thanks.<\/p>\n

    Out on a back road, the Wagoneer S feels broad-shouldered rather than agile. It\u2019s capable enough, but never eager. You drive it like a big, heavy thing that happens to go fast, which means a lot of planning on turn-in and judiciousness with the accelerator on corner exit.<\/p>\n

    The 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S isn\u2019t the most refined among its peers, and it can\u2019t decide if it wants to be a lovely luxury SUV or a wild-child Dodge. If it sounds like we liked the Wagoneer S but also didn\u2019t, that\u2019s spot on. It\u2019s fast, flawed, fun, a little confused, and a lot confusing. Should that sound intriguing, and you can deal with its limited range and slowish fast charging, we\u2019re sure you can find a good deal.<\/p>\n

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    Pros Paradoxically fun Really cool rear wing Also cool interior lighting Dichotomous ride quality Real-world EV range, charging<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first-tests"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}