2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Summit Obsidian Review: A Stud With Countless Bugs

• The Hurricane straight-six is wonderfully smooth and powerful, but frustrating throttle and transmission behaviour spoil it.

• A gorgeous, enormous cabin delivers genuine luxury, exceptional passenger space and enough screens for everyone and a neighbour.

• Software glitches and questionable long-term durability make recommending this expensive Jeep difficult.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer, launched in 2022, is Jeep and Stellantis’ second relatively recent attempt at penetrating the large, semi-premium three-row SUV segment. This category has historically been dominated by GM and Ford, and there are a few Japanese participants as well. The first modern try came in the shape of the Commander, which turned out to be a flop.

The Grand Wagoneer? Probably not a flop, except judging purely by what I see on the road, nowhere near as successful as the Ford Expedition or Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon duo. In fact, sales were down more than 40% in 2025.

For 2026, Jeep has updated the Grand Wagoneer visually and, in short, the job is well done. I’ve always found it attractive, and the slimmer headlights and revised grille borrow some inspiration from the Wagoneer S, which was subtly very attractive.

The big Jeep is muscular without screaming out loud. There are huge expanses of sheet metal with very little decoration, yet somehow it works. It says a lot without really saying anything.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Grand Wagoneer is a real mixed bag.

Wonderful Engine, Questionable Execution

Under the big bonnet is the 3.0L twin-turbocharged Hurricane straight-six good for 420 hp and 468 lb-ft of torque. Even in my roughly 6,200-lb Summit Obsidian tester, it moves quite briskly.

The engine itself is wonderfully smooth and refined. It is wonderfully suited to the Grand Wagoneer’s aura, but it’s what surrounds it that causes problems.

Throttle response is annoying. There’s a delay or hyperactivity depending on drive mode; it simply never matches the driver’s intent. One could eventually adapt, sure, then again you shouldn’t have to.

Then there’s the eight-speed automatic. Sometimes everything works perfectly, and I mean like the engine, in an imperceptible, glass-smooth manner. Other times it holds gears too long or almost seems like it’s slipping. Worst of all is stop-and-go traffic. As the transmission works its way down through the gears approaching a stop, I swear it sometimes seems like the first three gears crash into each other simultaneously. It’s worrisome and very unpleasant.

The Quadra-Lift air suspension is another story of highs and lows. On velvety pavement with gentle undulations, the ride is like butter. Seriously. It’s beautifully comfortable and refined, once again something that perfectly complementing the straight-six.

Find some jagged pavement, though, and everything changes. Suddenly it seems as though the dampers and airbags have no idea how to control the massive 22-inch wheels and tires. It becomes sloppy, bouncy and even noisy.

The 22s look fantastic. There’s definitely a price to pay for them. And yes, it still has that rotary gear selector. Horrible, horrible idea.

Fuel consumption isn’t exactly going to save the day either. The official combined estimate is around 12.5 L/100 km. Never. Aim for 15 L/100 km, and you’ll potentially avoid disappointment. Real-world numbers are closer to 17L and this, in non-winter driving conditions.

At Least It Looks Like $130,000

The Grand Wagoneer starts around $92,500, while this Summit Obsidian lands just shy of $130,000 once equipped with its Zenith Silver paint, Nappa leather, eight-passenger configuration, rear entertainment system, towing equipment and other options.

That is a huge amount of money. Fortunately, from inside, it mostly justifies it.

The cabin is colossal and properly upscale. There’s a huge variety of materials, colours, stitching and surfaces, and you genuinely get the impression you’re sitting in a high-end SUV.

Screens are everywhere — roughly 75 inches in total in this configuration. You get the 12-inch central touchscreen, digital instrumentation, a lower display for seat functions and others, an available passenger screen and rear entertainment displays.

Some controls require familiarization, but Uconnect remains user-friendly, and thankfully Jeep retains some fixed physical buttons.

Storage is excellent, too. Enormous bins run throughout the cabin, and cargo space measures roughly 800 litres behind the third row and around 2,000 litres with it folded.

More importantly for me, because I regularly haul four kids around, the third row is usable by relatively normal-sized human beings, including eventual lanky teens. Its lower seat cushion sits high enough that passengers aren’t forced into some ridiculous knees-at-their-chin position.

My eight-passenger tester uses a 2-3-3 seating arrangement, and the second-row seat can tilt forward without destroying a booster seat installed on it. Excellent. The rear entertainment system also means all the kids fight over who gets the second row.

Wonderful.

Visibility is less impressive. That massive A-pillar and mirror block-off plate create an awful front three-quarter blind spot. Raising the seat helps somewhat, only there’s no getting around how much volume is sitting in your sightline when making a left-hand turn.

What to Watch For

This is where my biggest concerns lie. During less than a week with the Grand Wagoneer, the centre display went black several times, the door locks behaved inconsistently, the e-brake stuck, and I experienced troubling transmission behaviour alongside delayed throttle response.

Add the sheer amount of electronics, twin-turbocharged engine and towing capability of up to 10,000 lbs when properly equipped, and I have questions about long-term durability and ownership costs. The Hurricane is not catastrophic, but it does deal with external component and electronics failures.

I Really Like It. That’s the Problem.

Much like the Wagoneer S, I absolutely love the Grand Wagoneer. However, I cannot see myself recommending it over most of its competitors.

That sounds contradictory; simply spend some time with one, and you’ll understand. It looks great. The cabin is massive and luxurious. The Hurricane straight-six is a lovely engine. On the right pavement, it rides beautifully. It can haul a family and an enormous amount of stuff, and when properly equipped it can tow up to 10,000 lbs.

There’s a lot here to like.

Experiencing screen failures, weird door-lock behaviour, throttle bugs, an e-brake that wouldn’t disengage after selecting “D” and travelling about 30 meters, and especially that transmission weirdness, I’m left wondering what may happen several years down the road.

2027 GMC Sierra 1500 Debuts with More Luxury, Power and Capability

When I suggest someone spending this kind of money on a huge family SUV, longevity counts for a lot. Despite having its own engine issues, I’d be looking very closely at the alternatives from GM and the V8 engines. Soon, a new generation will arrive, with equally new V8 engines. Though this isn’t the usual way to operate, I’d risk it.

And that’s what makes the Grand Wagoneer so frustrating. I really do like it, nevertheless I’d bet on a Yukon or Tahoe.

Specifications
	2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer	2026 Chevrolet Tahoe	2027 Ford Expedition
Price Range excluding Luxury Tax ($CAD)	$92,500 to $129,000	$86,000 to $113,000	$89,500 to $115,000
Engines	- Twin-Turbo 3.0L I6	- 5.3L V8 - 6.2L V8 - Turbo-diesel 3.0L	- Twin-Turbo 3.5L V6
Output (hp)	420	355 to 420 (TD: 305)	400
Torque (lb-ft)	468	383 to 420 (TD: 495)	480
Transmission	8A	10A	10A
Combined Fuel Economy (L/100 km)	12.5	15.0	13.3
Wheelbase (mm)	3,124	3,071	3,111
Length (mm)	5,488	5,383	5,333
Width (mm)	2,124	2,059	2,031
Height (mm)	1,965	1,941	1,980
Cargo Volume Behind 3rd/2nd/1st Rows (L)	790 / 2,005 / 2,744	722 / 2,065 / 3,413	612 / 1,722 / 3,029
Max Towing Capacity (kg)	4,535	3,674	3,956