What took them so long, part 2

 

Recognize this vehicle? I know, it looks familiar with that well known grille, but the rest of it seems, well, different. For those Jeep-o-philes or Jeep-aholics among you, you've no doubt counted the slots in the front grille, got seven and know then, that this is a Jeep of some sort. For those not so avid car folks, a Jeep has to have those seven slots, no more, no less. Jeep has even taken companies to court, if their design comes too close to Jeep's iconic front end.

So much for grille trivia. What that first pic shows is the hot off the press 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer concept. No production timeline, but bet your breakfast, lunch or dinner, that it will arrive sometime over the next year.

Remember my last blog, where I wondered why it took another company so long to come up with a Jeep Wrangler competitor? Now the shoe is on the other foot, and I wonder what took Jeep so long to come up with a full size suv, when all the other companies are chowing down on this market.

A bit of history.........

Way back in 1962, Jeep introduced their new large wagon, appropriately called the Wagoneer, a big suv, before that term become known..........

Eventually the Wagoneer became the Grand Wagoneer, as Jeep realized there was money to be made by slathering their wagon with all the amenities expected in a luxury vehicle......

What a run this Jeep had, from the 1963 model year to 1991. Twenty eight years!!! Dropped as the world was just beginning to change the spelling of "car" to "suv". Ok, I understand, the suv tsunami still hadn't hit us, but within ten years it had and the bigger and more luxurious the better. But Jeep waited and waited and waited. Now it's finally going to happen.

Why let all those other pretenders rake in the upscale coin. Bring back the Grand Wagoneer moniker and beat them at what was Jeep's own game. Luxury? Jeep does it well. Check out this interior.....

Do you see enough touch screens? A couple for the the driver and one for the passenger. My gawd, what have we been missing?

What took Jeep so long? The original Grand Wagoneer is in the rearview and will remain there as the new Grand Wagoneer takes its rightful spot as the head honcho at Jeep.

 But, once again, what took them so long?

Until next time..........