2023 Grand Wagoneer L Series III

2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L

An Impressive Luxurious Beast Of An SUV

Episode 4213
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

Jeep has been going big lately, whether you’re talking about adding a 3rd row to the Grand Cherokee or reviving the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer as highly capable full-size 3-row utilities. Well, that obviously wasn’t enough. Now they’re going even bigger with this Grand Wagoneer L. So, let’s see how it shakes up America’s suburban lifestyle.

The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer burst onto the scene last year, giving Jeep owners with growing families a whole new 3-row option to grow into. Now, Jeep delivers a stretched alternative, the 2023 Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L.

Wagoneer is of course the reintroduced premium extension of the Jeep brand, and the Grand Wagoneer takes it to extremes with standard air suspension, cargo management rail system, full LED lighting, running boards, black accent roof; plus, unique hood, front fascia, grille, and fender flares. Not to mention a whole suite of interior niceties; a unique dash design, walnut and aluminum trim, leather aplenty, and even massaging seats.

But both Wagoneer Ls share an elongated 130-inch wheelbase, 7 more than the standard Wagoneer, and an overall length that’s a foot more. And while the added length certainly makes it look large and in charge, it doesn’t appear too ungainly with things out of proportion.

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Designed to haul up to 8 people plus plenty of gear as comfortably as possible; both 2nd and 3rd row legroom stay the same. The benefit comes strictly in cargo space behind the 3rd row, which here in the Grand Wagoneer L grows from 28.4 cubic-ft. to 44.2. That climbs to 88.8 with the 3rd row folded, and to a max of 112.9. The Wagoneer L’s less bulky seats allow for an even greater max total of 130.9 cubic-ft. All seats folding with a push of a button, of course. Towing capacity stays the same at 10,000-lbs.

But doing the pulling is an all-new 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-6 engine; designed to deliver more power, more torque, and better efficiency than the standard Wagoneer’s V8. Dubbed “Hurricane,” two versions are available. The Wagoneer L’s with 420-horsepower and 468 lb-ft. of torque; while this Grand Wagoneer L gets a high output version with 510-horsepower and 500 lb-ft. of torque.

So, even with a bigger vehicle, you’ll be getting better fuel economy than the Grand Wagoneer’s 6.4-liter V8, as the turbo-6 with 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive, both standard, achieves Government Fuel Economy Ratings of 14-City, 19-Highway, and 16-Combined, all numbers one better. We managed to average a fine 18.9 miles-per-gallon of Premium.

Depending on which trim is selected, you’ll get either Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II, or Quadra-Drive II 4-wheel-drive. For our Series II tester, that means Quadra-Drive II along with Quadra-Lift Air Suspension and 22-inch polished aluminum wheels which we steered towards Mason Dixon Dragway…

…where it was clear, this engine delivers an impressive amount of torque, considering how easily it dealt with the well over 3-tons of weight here. The Grand Wagoneer L launches hard, hitting 60 in just 4.9-seconds. Smooth and consistent power delivery from there, with almost every run we did coming in at 13.5-seconds at 104 miles-per-hour.

2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L 22023 Grand Wagoneer L Series III Interior

There’s not much you can do about the close to 19-feet of length however, as it requires keeping inputs smooth; but we were able to get through our handling course carrying quite a bit of speed.

The interior is just as amazing as the regular Grand Wagoneer; with up to 75-inches of screen space and a McIntosh reference audio system pumping 1,375-watts of sound through 23-speakers. Front seats in Series II are 24-way adjustable with controls on the door just like Mercedes-Benz. If you opt for 2nd row captain’s chairs, a big center console houses a 10-inch comfort display screen for making adjustments, and of course other screens are available on the backs of the front seat headrests to keep you entertained and informed.

If all this space and luxury sound too good to be true; well, we can assure it’s real, but it will cost you, as the Grand Wagoneer L starts at a whopping $93,495. But, if you just need the space, and can get by with a lot less luxury and without 4-wheel-drive, you can get into a Wagoneer L for as little as $64,495.

In a few short years, Jeep has gone from having no 3-row offerings at all in their lineup, to having a multitude to choose from. The 2023 Grand Wagoneer L is an impressive luxurious beast of an SUV that takes the brand to even loftier heights.

Specifications

  • Engine: 3.0L Twin Turbo V6
  • Torque: 500 lb-ft
  • 1/4 Mile: 13.5 seconds at 104 mph
  • EPA: 14 City / 19 Highway / 16 Combined
  • Horsepower: 510
  • 0-60 mph: 4.9 seconds
  • 60-0 Braking: 121 feet (avg)
  • MW Fuel Economy: 18.9 mpg (Premium)
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance 1

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance

Up For Grand Touring Around A Racetrack

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

In recent years, Audi has done an increasingly better job at merging luxury, high tech and sportiness equally into all of their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they all have the same priorities. So, if you’re wondering what this car is all about… well, it’s right there in the name, the Audi RS 7 Performance!

First and foremost, the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance is absolutely fantastic looking. A gorgeous car from all angles. But this posh performer is a lot more than just a visual treat. Under its silky skin lies a menacing sounding V8 that delivers insane amounts of power and, as we discovered, a gloriously intoxicating driving experience.

RS elements added to Audi’s S7 five-door coupe include new aero treatments with a matte gray finish and silver 21-inch Audi Sport wheels. Those silver wheels are wrapped with 275 Continental summer performance tires and allow for seeing plenty of the enormous brake rotors with black-painted calipers. Up front, there’s a wide grille inhaling all kinds of air and headlights with uniqueness that’s pure Audi. This five-door coupe with frameless door windows speaks a true hardtop design.

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, time to hit the corners of Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve had anything here or on any road course that exhibited this much body roll. It didn’t matter what drive mode we had dialed in, it just liked to roll. You could sense that soft suspension in our acceleration runs too. Bystanders got a clear view of a lot of its hardware, thanks to major rear-end squatting as it exploded off the line. Those explosions resulted in a quick 3.7-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour and full quarter-mile runs of 11.9 seconds at 118 miles-per-hour. Fast indeed, though we’re sure both times would improve in warmer temps than our 40-degree test day.

Drive modes have been recalibrated and shifts by the eight-speed Tiptronic in Dynamic Mode are quick. Indeed, noticeably quicker and firmer than in the RS6 wagon we tested just a few months ago without the “performance” treatment. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard.

We’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners.

The driving force for that acceleration is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out an additional 30 horsepower from the standard RS 7 thanks to installing bigger turbos. That makes for a 621-horsepower rating, with an even more impressive boost in torque from 590 to 627 lb-ft. And Audi was kind enough to remove a little sound deadening material so we can appreciate it even more through the optional RS sport exhaust system.

For what is really a Grand Tourer built for blasting you away on luxurious adventures, the RS 7 performance is amazingly track capable. Steering is very direct with great feel, and all four wheels are engaged in the process. They’re connected to a new mechanical self-locking center differential that is not only capable of handling the additional power but is lighter and quicker to respond. Chassis software has been recalibrated to make it all work together seamlessly. There must be some serious engineering wizardry happening in the RS-tuned air suspension as we’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners. Brakes were truly phenomenal too; there was some significant nosedive happening, but no wandering or fading no matter how hard we worked them.

And yes, it’s hard to call this actual work, considering this work environment is far from hostile. Absolutely nothing has been compromised when it comes to delivering the luxury car experience you expect from a six-figure Audi. Whether it’s the fabulous real metal, leather, and detailed woven carbon-fiber materials or the fine stitch-work and the always impressive comprehensive digital gauge display, the RS 7 performance feels truly special inside.

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine

The front seats were supremely comfortable and were only mildly bolstered yet held us in place just fine out on the track. Plenty of room for rear seat passengers too, and there’s even a great 24.6 cubic-feet of cargo space with hatchback versatility. Less practical is all touchscreen all the time for just about every cockpit control.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14 City, 22 Highway, and 17 Combined. That’s a below average Energy Impact Score of 17.5 barrels of yearly oil use with 8.8 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $129,490, and Audi knows they have a good thing going with the RS 7 performance; so much so, it’s now the only RS 7.

So, could they have just made the RS 7 better instead of tacking “performance” onto the name? Sure, but there’s just something about adding performance to a car name that draws people in. And when it backs it up by delivering more actual performance, well, that’s what we call a win-win. We’d be happy to run some victory laps in the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance anytime.

Specifications

  • Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • Horsepower: 621
  • 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
  • EPA: 14 City | 22 Highway | 17 Combined
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 627 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 11.9 seconds at 118 mph
  • Starting Price: $129,490