Photo: abimelecdesign/instagram
"No wood paneling on the sides of the new Grand Wagoneer?" - this was one of the questions that lingered during the recent online unveiling of the concept car, which previews the return of the Jeep flagship. As you can imagine, FCA head designer Ralph Gilles had given this matter quite a bit of thought and he's now back on the topic via Instagram.
The original Grand Wagoneer, which helped popularize the luxury SUV segment starting from 1984, obviously featured wood trim on its sides, but the Wagoneer it used as inspiration had pulled this trick much earlier.
And while the return of the badge, which involves the RAM 1500's body-on-frame architecture, has created expectations for the woodie theme's comeback, the simplest explanation of the latter's absence revolves around two main elements. First of all, the newcomer doesn't necessarily bet on the retro styling card, so gifting it with the wood grain trim would've been inconsistent with the model's styling direction.
Secondly, luxury is represented differently these days, which is why the vehicle comes with Grand Wagoneer rather than Jeep badging, LED light bars at both ends, body-colored pillars (these further differentiate it from other big luxury SUVs, such as the Lincoln Navigator, even though the two might be a bit close in terms of the rear end design). Oh, and let's not overlook the remarkable window design, which is borrowed from the Yuntu concept released back in 2017.
Now, as Gilles, who is an enthusiasts through and through (for one, he used to help the SRT go-fast division and regularly hoons a Viper ACR) points out in the first Instagram post below, the faux wood paneling can be handled by the aftermarket industry.
And, as a sign of the fact that this community is stronger than ever, its digital side came up with a rendering showcasing the new Grand Wagoneer in woodie trim just hours after the official reveal of the show car - as showcased by the second Insta post below, this comes from digital artist Abimelec Arellano, whose work we've shared on multiple occasions.
With the production models based on this concept (both the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have been officially confirmed) set to land in 2021, Jeep has plenty of time to think about including a wood-look makeover in the Mopar Parts and Accessories catalog.
Meanwhile, other corners of the aftermarket realm have already considered adding extra muscle to the new Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer, with an example showcased in the third Instagram post below.
For the record, while the concept features a hybrid powertrain (no specs were offered), the 1500 platform means the production powertrains should range from the 3.6-liter V6 and the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 to a turbo straight-six (codenamed GME-T6, this should land in 2023) and, of course, at least one hybrid option. So, if the Hellcat motor doesn't come the official way, there's no need to worry, the aftermarket industry will have you covered!
And while the return of the badge, which involves the RAM 1500's body-on-frame architecture, has created expectations for the woodie theme's comeback, the simplest explanation of the latter's absence revolves around two main elements. First of all, the newcomer doesn't necessarily bet on the retro styling card, so gifting it with the wood grain trim would've been inconsistent with the model's styling direction.
Secondly, luxury is represented differently these days, which is why the vehicle comes with Grand Wagoneer rather than Jeep badging, LED light bars at both ends, body-colored pillars (these further differentiate it from other big luxury SUVs, such as the Lincoln Navigator, even though the two might be a bit close in terms of the rear end design). Oh, and let's not overlook the remarkable window design, which is borrowed from the Yuntu concept released back in 2017.
Now, as Gilles, who is an enthusiasts through and through (for one, he used to help the SRT go-fast division and regularly hoons a Viper ACR) points out in the first Instagram post below, the faux wood paneling can be handled by the aftermarket industry.
And, as a sign of the fact that this community is stronger than ever, its digital side came up with a rendering showcasing the new Grand Wagoneer in woodie trim just hours after the official reveal of the show car - as showcased by the second Insta post below, this comes from digital artist Abimelec Arellano, whose work we've shared on multiple occasions.
With the production models based on this concept (both the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have been officially confirmed) set to land in 2021, Jeep has plenty of time to think about including a wood-look makeover in the Mopar Parts and Accessories catalog.
Meanwhile, other corners of the aftermarket realm have already considered adding extra muscle to the new Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer, with an example showcased in the third Instagram post below.
For the record, while the concept features a hybrid powertrain (no specs were offered), the 1500 platform means the production powertrains should range from the 3.6-liter V6 and the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 to a turbo straight-six (codenamed GME-T6, this should land in 2023) and, of course, at least one hybrid option. So, if the Hellcat motor doesn't come the official way, there's no need to worry, the aftermarket industry will have you covered!
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