2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L
An Impressive Luxurious Beast Of An SUV
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.
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 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)
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera
Ever Evolving 911 Reaches New Heights
The Porsche 911 has existed for 60 years now! Amazing! And, you could argue that major changes over all those years have been relatively few, as constant incremental improvement is more the way that Porsche does business. With that in mind, let’s hit the track in the latest 911 and see what constant improvement means for 2025.
We’ve driven so many 911s here at MotorWeek, each seemingly more special than the last, so it’s a bit refreshing to be ripping around Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway in a 2025 Porsche 911 that’s about as close as you can get to base these days. And the fact that it’s just as fun as all those exclusive pieces says a lot about how far the 911 has come. Perhaps it also speaks to how much a base 911 will set you back today as well; more on that later.
For now, we’re just thinking about the next apex, holding steady throttle as we approach, and getting on it way sooner than you’d expect without upsetting anything, as the 911 rockets off the corner thanks to tremendous grip and a PDK trans that finds the perfect gear before we even gave it a thought. Even with very cold track temps, we never struggled for grip or battled any wheelspin coming off of corners. And trying to land it in that perfect spot in braking zones is easy with strong brake performance that was predictable and consistent lap after lap; no wandering, and great feedback too.
Yes, even the standard 911 is near pure perfection on a racetrack. It gives you all the right feedback, stays incredibly flat through corners, makes you always feel totally in control, and again is just plain fun. Unless you’re chasing lap times, there’s really no need to head further up the 911 tree. Though it is worth noting the few upgrades that were on our Carrera did help the situation a little. The 20- and 21-inch Carrera S wheels enabled plenty of grip from the 305 Pirelli P Zero tires, the Sport Chrono Package allows 0-60 sprints of 3.7 seconds, an extended range fuel tank meant we could lap all day without having to fill up, and the fantastic Sport Seats provided great support and better comfort than we remember experiencing in a 911. The Sport Exhaust system didn’t add anything to performance, but made things sound a whole lot better, and the oval silver tips look great too.
We never struggled for grip or battled any wheel spin coming off of corners.
Our track time got cut short thanks to a rare snowstorm in Coastal Georgia, but the white stuff and blue sky made the perfect backdrop for our Guards Red Carrera. Exterior tweaks for what is officially the 992.2 include a reshaped front fascia with improved aerodynamics. All front lighting is now contained within the Matrix Design LED headlight housing. The rear fascia has also been smoothed out, the license plate moved higher, and Porsche 3D block lettering spelled out across the back beneath the active rear spoiler and new decklid grille.
Even without Turbo in the name, the standard 911 engine is indeed a turbo these days, a 3.0-liter flat-six twin-turbo delivering 388 horsepower and 331 lb-ft strictly to the rear wheels in the Carrera Coupe.
Inside the cabin, the 911 continues its slow crawl towards the modern, now including a 12.6-inch fully digital gauge display and a start button located on the left side of the steering wheel, with drive modes easily accessible on the wheel itself. In another no brainer move, Porsche now makes the rear seat a no cost option, so you can choose if you want it or not.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 18 City, 25 Highway, and 21 Combined. That’s only slightly worse than average for the Energy Impact Score; 14.2 barrels of annual oil consumption with 7.0 tons of CO2 emissions.
The good news is this 911 had the fewest number of options of any Porsche that we’ve tested in some time, and it was still plenty awesome; the bad news is, a base Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe now starts at $122,095.
But can you really put value on “the force,” this mythical power that Porsche seems to have, that somehow turns average drivers into great ones? It’s useless to resist as far as we’re concerned, as it only gets better with the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-6
- Transmission: 8-speed PDK
- Horsepower: 388
- Torque: 331 lb-ft