Yahoo Autos Jeep Lifts and Ruggedizes New Wagoneer S with Trailhawk Concept
Jeep showed a concept version of the new Wagoneer S EV in Trailhawk off-road trim.
It features extra ground clearance, knobby tires, and lots of rugged add-ons.
We expect this Trailhawk model to reach production at some point in the near future.
As Jeep preps the new 2024 Wagoneer S, the most devoted brand loyalists won't accept the company's first battery-electric SUV as a genuine Jeep until it's lifted on knobby tires. The Wagoneer S Trailhawk seen here, at least in concept form, should convince the faithful that this EV can still do Jeep things. And we won't be surprised if this concept becomes a reality sooner rather than later.
At the concept's reveal in New York alongside the production-ready Launch Edition model, the Trailhawk sat on 31.5-inch-tall Falken Wildpeak AT3W all-terrain tires on 18-inch multi-piece wheels with an outer ring secured with exposed hex bolts. Bridge trusses appear to be the inspiration for those wheel rings, the orange tow hooks, the laser-cut metal roof rack, and even the patterns for the fog lights.
The seven-slot grille, illuminated indirectly from the top of each slot, gets a more rugged pattern, and the Jeep badge moves to the bumper as a decal. Additional cutouts in the front fenders smooth the air in "high-speed conditions," though Jeep isn't saying yet whether the Trailhawk has the same 600-horsepower dual-motor powertrain from the regular Wagoneer S. For that launch trim, Jeep is promising zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.
Like other gas-powered Jeep Trailhawk models, the Wagoneer S gets a Rock mode for the Selec-Terrain drive-mode system and a locking rear axle. Jeep says it has an extra three inches of ground clearance compared with the standard model, while approach and departure angles, fording depths, and all the important bragging rights are still to come. Even so, we figure that this luxury-focused EV won't be as extreme as the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe plug-in hybrid.
Inside, the electric Trailhawk gets a "holy shit bar," as Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles described the passenger-side grab handle, along with map pockets held together by removable straps and an open center console with more straps that "make the whole vehicle interior like a backpack." The Trailhawk also features Jeep's first green interior, finished in a new vinyl upholstery that does a decent job simulating leather, plus stone veneer on the dash and doors (Gilles said the design team "banned wood for this car").
At this stage, Jeep isn't labeling the Trailhawk as electric only. Jeep already walked back plans to sell the Wagoneer S as a dedicated EV and in New York repeated that Jeep customers will have "freedom of choice" and "multi-energy options," presumably meaning it could get the inline-six from its STLA Large platform-mate, the Dodge Charger, that will be sold in both gas and EV versions. That same philosophy could apply to the Wagoneer S Trailhawk. Whatever it's powered by, we're looking forward to getting one dirty.
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